morganc2

Thanks for the replies. I have to intern at the CHF next fall as apart of my Sociology major curriculum and I think I will follow your advice and assist in the same professor's lab for the whole academic year, in addition to independent research in the spring. I am getting paid at the start up company and they did offer me a job for after I graduate. Although I do like working here, I'm not being exposed to a lot of Organic Chem or academic research. Taking a year off is something to consider.

I started my undergraduate career as a pre-med Spanish major, then switched to a pre-dental Sociology major, and now I'm adding a Chemistry major to graduate with a double-major in Sociology & Chemistry. I switched my plans after taking Organic Chemistry and loving it. I am technically going to be a senior in Fall 2014, but since I am adding a Chemistry major I have to stay an extra year to finish Chemistry coursework. That said, I am very behind in terms of research and publications compared to other Chemistry majors at my school. I have tons of research experience in Sociology, although I know this is meaningless given my plans in Chem. Since I want to apply as early as possible (next summer) I want to do all I can to get more research experience. Here is what I have planned: 1. I am currently working as a lab assistant in a start-up pharmaceutical company's R&D lab doing mostly analytical and QC work. 2. I plan to be a lab assistant in the fall in a professor's organic lab. 3. I will be interning in the fall at the Chemical Heritage Foundation, which is kind of a combination of Sociology and Chemistry (if that's possible) where I will be assisting in interviews with industrial/academic Chemists about their experience in Chemistry to examine the social implications of advancements in Chemistry over time. 4. Next spring semester (2015), I will take the first of two courses of independent research, doing faculty advised research over the course of 15 weeks. 5. Also in Spring 2015, I hope to intern or shadow at an industrial lab near school (i.e. FMC, Merck, etc) depending on what is available. 6. Next summer, I plan to participate in a government/university sponsored REU, work as a lab assistant again, or undergo research at my college along with a professor. So, these are all different ways that I plan to get my feet wet with research. I doubt I will be able to publish anything by the time I apply, but maybe. Altogether this would total to about 1 year of research experience, which seems like nothing compared to others. My current GPA is a 3.45, but it is going up (I did not care much about school during my first two years) and I plan for it to be around 3.6 by the time I apply. Haven't taken the GRE's yet... Advice?