How Important Is Undergrad Research XP?

[Bochepus]

Hi,

Name's Bocephus, I hope to become an SLP. I'm an undergraduate senior not majoring in something SLP related. I am volunteering at a speech lab, but the lab has me doing office tasks rather than actual research. I am worried about leaving the lab because I do not want to hurt my chances for grad school. Is it worth it to stay even if I'm not doing any actual research? How much do schools care about research experience?

 

Just some context, I have 3 semesters worth of previous research experience, two semesters with a social psychology lab and one semester at an ABA lab. Once I graduate I plan to take a year to go back to the ABA lab and complete whatever prereques I need for grad school. I would have more xp, but I realized late in my undergrad that I wanted to pursue speech.

[bibliophile222]

Don't sweat it! Three semesters of research experience is three more than I had. Volunteering in something relevant can be just as important. There are so many pieces that go into an application. As long as most of those pieces are solid you'll probably be okay.

[Jordyn_M463]

I agree with the person above. I came in with 0 research experience. Although, I do go to a school that does very little research. My program focuses more heavily on clinical practicum rather than the research aspect.