Hi everyone, it looks like things are rather slow around here so I'm not sure if many people will even read this. I've noticed that every year many of the top prospective students already have publications under their belts. Can anyone give me any insight regarding where they're getting published in such a short amount of time? Some of my professors have told me that it can take a year, or two, or more to successfully publish something. Are these students getting published in smaller journals that don't have an intensive review process, or am I missing something entirely? I'd really like to be competitive as possible next year and I feel like this is the only place I'm lacking.
I would greatly appreciate advice from any of you with experience in publishing, especially if you or someone you know had something published as an undergraduate.