Undergraduate Research Area?

[An255]

Hi guys. I am an undergrad just starting research in my school's geology department. I am interested in inorganic chemistry, and the lab I will be working in does a lot of x-ray diffraction work. I am wondering though, if grad schools care what area of chemistry you do research in? Seeing as I'm still so far from applying, I'm not sure what area I ultimately want to work in. Is doing research in this lab going to pigeon hole me into going into inorganic in grad school? Also, I do like this lab a lot, but would I be better off in a chemistry department lab? Thanks!

[waddle]

Hi guys. I am an undergrad just starting research in my school's geology department. I am interested in inorganic chemistry, and the lab I will be working in does a lot of x-ray diffraction work. I am wondering though, if grad schools care what area of chemistry you do research in? Seeing as I'm still so far from applying, I'm not sure what area I ultimately want to work in. Is doing research in this lab going to pigeon hole me into going into inorganic in grad school? Also, I do like this lab a lot, but would I be better off in a chemistry department lab? Thanks!

I don't see a problem with what you're doing. I would recommend spending a summer at a different institution doing an REU-type program, and exploring other avenues of research, perhaps in one of the traditional fields of chemistry.

But who knows? Even if you aren't a geology major (I wasn't!), you might end up liking the work you do in geochemistry (I did!), and you might even go off and apply to grad school in a non-chemistry subfield (I did!).

P.S. Geologists seem to be more chill, in general, than straight-up chemists. It's probably the alcohol.

[prolixity]

I don't see a problem with what you're doing. I would recommend spending a summer at a different institution doing an REU-type program, and exploring other avenues of research, perhaps in one of the traditional fields of chemistry.

But who knows? Even if you aren't a geology major (I wasn't!), you might end up liking the work you do in geochemistry (I did!), and you might even go off and apply to grad school in a non-chemistry subfield (I did!).

P.S. Geologists seem to be more chill, in general, than straight-up chemists. It's probably the alcohol.

Is someone proposing a chemistry/geology drinking contest?

[waddle]

<br />Is someone proposing a chemistry/geology drinking contest?<br />

<br /><br /><br />

If you crash the AGU Fall Meeting, it might happen! Free beer Mon-Thu @ 3:30, champagne on Fri.

[An255]

I don't see a problem with what you're doing. I would recommend spending a summer at a different institution doing an REU-type program, and exploring other avenues of research, perhaps in one of the traditional fields of chemistry.

But who knows? Even if you aren't a geology major (I wasn't!), you might end up liking the work you do in geochemistry (I did!), and you might even go off and apply to grad school in a non-chemistry subfield (I did!).

P.S. Geologists seem to be more chill, in general, than straight-up chemists. It's probably the alcohol.

Great thanks Waddle! I would definitely like to do some kind of internship next summer. I'll have to look into chemistry programs. Haha and I have noticed the difference in geologists. Hadn't thought of the alcohol being the reason! I'd love to see such a contest