Graduate School Advice regarding Arvix

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the implications of submitting research to ArXiv for graduate school admissions. A junior researcher is preparing to submit their report, which may not be peer-reviewed due to time constraints from their retiring professor. The consensus is that while publications are not mandatory for undergraduate applicants, having a paper on ArXiv demonstrates independent research capability, which can positively influence admissions committees. Additionally, strong letters of recommendation (LoRs) and a well-crafted statement of purpose (SOP) are crucial for enhancing application strength.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of ArXiv submission processes
  • Familiarity with writing research reports
  • Knowledge of graduate school application components
  • Experience in conducting independent research
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the ArXiv submission guidelines and best practices
  • Learn how to write an effective statement of purpose (SOP)
  • Explore strategies for obtaining strong letters of recommendation (LoRs)
  • Investigate how to identify suitable graduate programs and faculty
USEFUL FOR

Undergraduate researchers, prospective graduate students, and anyone interested in understanding the role of research publications in academic admissions processes.

juggernaut5452
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I'm a junior based in the U.S and my research project is ending in one or two months, so I am writing a report with my results. I am not sure if I will be a first author as there are two other students, but they have graduated so I have been working on it alone for a while now since the summer.
I was hoping to submit it to a journal but as my professor is also retiring, there will not be enough time to go through the peer-review process and we are unsure yet if the report is worth it to be submitted as I am still running some simulations. We are planning on just uploading it to Arvix. Will it still be helpful for graduate school admissions? If so, how much of a weight will it carry?
 
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Why do you care? If the answer is "I won't get anything out of it, I won't do it"? That's not the attitude of a successful scientist.
 
No, I'm definitely going to write and submit it to Arxiv one way or another. I'm excited to write a formal report to summarize everything that I've been working on as I've put a lot of time into it. However, I just wanted a sense of how it factored into my application so I can see where I stand.
 
Publications aren't a expectation from undergraduate applicants and they aren't a requirement for getting admitted to graduate programs OP. Relevant research experience is however and it seems like you have a fair bit. Just having written a paper will be a strong signal to admissions committees that you have an understanding of what it means to conduct independent research. To increase your chances make sure that you're a really strong fit for the specific programs you apply to and that the researchers you would match with are actually in a position to be accepting new students. Also be sure to clearly outline in your SOP how your background would be of benefit to their specific topics of research.

Best of luck.
 
Well, I am a little puzzled. We don't know what the paper says, nor who will be on the admissions committee and what they might think, and you don't plan on doing anything differently anyway. It seems hard to give constructive advice in this case.

What matters at least as much, and probably more, is what the LoRs say.
 
Oh, and it's ArXiv, not Arvix.
 

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