Does undergrad research affect grad school research/prospects?

[ladeeda6]

Effect? Affect? Whatever...

Anyway, I started doing research my freshman year at Case Western Reserve University while I attended a local CC. The research was in the Chemistry department but was more biochem/biology than chemistry and a lot of it was done in the pharmacology department due to a lab their having a lot more funding/space/necessary equipment. I worked a lot with cyanobacteria and DNA and I've done more PCRs than I can count. I did that for a year.

For a semester, I transferred to another school and did more biochem work that was more of the same but because I was only there for a semester and the way my schedule had really awkward spacings, I wasn't able to do much of anything.

I transferred to another school back home and I will be joining another lab and I get the choice of either working with mammalian cells and how the adhere to titanium plates (like with hip replacements) and how to get them to adhere better for longer periods of time or working with adapting fresh water algae to saltwater conditions, how their DNA changes (if it changes) and extracting biofuels from it. I picked the latter because it not only involves research at my home institution, but at Case Western again to analyze the DNA and it is funded (at least in part) by NASA. It basically has a broader reach and (hopefully) large scale implications. It's a long term project so the PI has told me that if I stay on for about two+ years I stand a good chance of getting my name on some publications and going to conferences if I put in the work.

Now, although I find this interesting, I don't know if I want to do this upon entering graduate school in the future. I'm a junior now (but I will probably need five years to graduate anyway) and I'm looking into programs I want to apply to in the future.

So, long story short: Does research done at the undergraduate level limit the programs you are likely to get accepted into as a grad student?

[mandarin.orange]

"Affect" is correct.

Does research done at the undergraduate level limit the programs you are likely to get accepted into as a grad student?

Nope! Though this may be field-dependent. If anything, I think it will open up more options for you.

I think that doing the project you described sounds like a great opportunity, any way you slice it. Adcomms will likely focus on these facts: you will have experience in a high-powered research group, and will you have demonstrated a long-term committment (2 years is impressive for an undergrad). The possibility of publications as an undergrad is pretty exciting and will make you very competitive. And, hopefully a solid LOR from your supervising professor, attesting to your research abilities. Your SOP will be an opportunity to describe future research interests (if that ends up changing), and how the research you did complete has influenced that decision.

My own interests have gone from archaeology (as an undergrad) to glacial geology (MS) to paleobotany and environmental policy. One piece of advice I recently got from a junior faculty member at my current institution is that even in the job search, a "personal narrative" about how your research interests have evolved can be a positive thing.

[TakeruK]

"effect" could also be right, if you are saying that undergrad research could cause graduate research to happen (maybe a student did a project as an undergrad that led to a related project in grad school?)

But to answer your actual question, while it's a good thing if your undergrad research is related to what you are proposing to do in grad school, I think it's just as good if your research is different! So no, it definitely does not limit your graduate options -- some people can get into grad school with zero research experience! But this might be field dependent and mandarin.orange's field is very similar to mine (but I would argue that this is true for all physical sciences).

Here's an anecdote: In undergrad, I did 3 research projects: one in cosmology, one in medical physics, one in planetary science (my actual field). I did the first project because it was the first thing I got and I learned that I love astronomy research from it. I chose the second project because I knew I wanted to go to astronomy grad school by that point (I had just finished junior year and was going to take 5 years) so I purposely chose an unrelated field as my "last chance to do some non astro research". Then I did my senior thesis in my actual field, followed by a masters in the same. When I was visiting some schools this Spring, some faculty members gave me feedback on my application and they said that they were impressed by the fact that I've tried research outside of the field!

Also, my first project was the one that resulted in the most number of publications (at time of my applications) which definitely helped my admission (and fellowship applications). So it sounds like you might have a really good opportunity (for potential publications, conference experience, research experience in a big project, and to develop close ties with researchers and his/her network, which will result in great LORs) in front of you, if what the prof says is true (about actually getting good results from the project). I would only turn it down if you had an equally good offer from someone else in a more related field! But you can check out the profs former students and see how well they do / how many publications etc. -- sometimes professors will overestimate their own projects' success!

Finally, just also wanted to add that many people do a PhD in one topic and then move onto a different subfield later in their careers. So if the topic of their PhD research doesn't limit their post-doc/career opportunities, it's hard to imagine undergrad research would limit you either

[ktel]

I had a research advisor who did an undergrad in engineering science, a Master's in chemistry, and then a PhD in some sort of other engineering. He definitely bounced around a lot and did a lot of different research. I think having more varied experience just makes you a stronger candidate. I don't think any researcher sticks to one topic their entire career.