<p>1). I’m in my second year, and I will probably look into taking the GRE this summer. I’m bad at reading - mainly just slow. I need a miracle pill to help me get an acceptable score on the verbal section. Any advice?</p>
<p>2). I’m currently doing research in a lab. The professor appears to be pretty happy with my work. However, I’m taking a lot of classes, on top of another job. So lately, I haven’t been to the lab much, if at all. Is this a bad thing? Should I dedicate 10+ hours in the lab each week? I will probably look at this professor for a letter of rec.</p>
<p>Don’t take the GRE until after your junior year. Scores are only good for 5 years so you’ll want to put it off a bit in case you want to take more than a year or two off after undergraduate. Take your time. Start reading for your classes- you’ll get better as you become engaged with it.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the GRE, this really isn’t that important. It is important that you show up for your lab job. Honestly, if you have to ask if 10+ hours in the lab per week is enough, you aren’t putting in enough hours. Just doing the bare minimum to plan out an experiment, gather reagents, carry out the experiment, analyze results and troubleshoot problems will far exceed 10 hours even for a uninvolved project. If you can’t bring yourself to commit more hours to the lab, ask yourself why not? Is the project not interesting -> change projects. Is the lab atmosphere not supportive -> change labs. Is your project stuck in one spot -> try new approaches. You are only going to get out of the lab job what you put in, and you aren’t doing yourself any favors by blowing it off. If you don’t have time or don’t find it important enough, find something else to do with the time.</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m new to research. This is my first job in a lab. By your interpretation, reading science articles related to the project, planning out experiments, and brainstorming new ideas are all part of working? I can sit there in an office on my laptop, read an article about PEG, and get paid doing that?</p>
<p>Also, you’re sort of right when you said the lab environment isn’t very hot. I’m basically 1 of 3 people working there, and the other 2 are grad students. I will definitely go to the lab more and show more commitment. I will also read up on some articles, and create experiments myself. Am I right to explore on my own as oppose to having the professor tell me what to do?</p>
<p>Also, about my GRE. After this semester, I will have junior classification. I want to take the GRE this summer, graduate a semester early, use the extra semester to commit entirely to research, and then go to grad school right away. I know that grad schools don’t like it if I take a year off, because I’ll get out of touch with academia. the 5 year rule with GRE scores won’t be much of a factor, I don’t think.</p>
<p>I’m still accepting tips on how to study for the verbal section. I’ve tried, many, many, many times to pick up reading as a hobby. It’s just not possible for me, because I just don’t care… I’m a visual learner, and I learn by watching TV. I hated history. But if the history textbooks came in video format, I would probably ditch chem e and major in history instead.</p>
<p>reading science articles related to the project, planning out experiments, and brainstorming new ideas are all part of working?</p>
<p>of course</p>
<p>Am I right to explore on my own as oppose to having the professor tell me what to do?</p>
<p>Depends on the lab, but if your PI tells you to do something, for godsake, do it. When he doesn’t tell you to do something, you have the freedom to spend your time working on your own projects. Talk with the grad students in your lab about small projects you could take on, make sure they are relevant in the scientific literature and give it the ole college try.</p>
<p>I know that grad schools don’t like it if I take a year off, because I’ll get out of touch with academia.</p>
<p>Wrong. Time between undergrad and grad school is viewed very positively by admissions committees (provided that you are working in the field). Half of my cohort worked as techs before grad school. I myself worked for 4 years before grad school and was accepted almost everywhere I applied despite having middling college grades.</p>
<p>There’s going to be a 50% discount on the GRE during August 2011, so it might actually be a good idea to take it then as long as you’re prepared.</p>
<p>A new version of the GRE is coming out in August 2011–something that is feasibly harder to study for as it’s the first iteration of the new test.</p>