I'm in the process of completing an application for an MD-PhD program and of course the question about past research experience has come up. Two summers ago I approached a professor from my department as I was interested in carrying out a project under them. They interviewed me and I was told that they would be happy to have me. The project was to design and develop a therapeutic nanoparticle that could show efficacy as a treatment in-vitro. I was told that I would select the formulation and their colleague from the chemistry department would synthesize it so I could then test it. I proceeded to do my homework on the subject and came up with a number of compositions and protocols while remaining in constant communication with them through numerous emails and in person meetings. A number of the formulations I proposed were deemed "too risky", and many were rejected. While I had not yet commenced any wet lab component, the PI explained what kind of dishes I would perform the cell cultures in, and what tools could be used (the tools belonged to another lab interestingly enough) to measure a response. With a month and a half remaining in the summer and having never touched a pipette under their supervision, they informed me that we no longer had enough time to carry out the project. They said I should instead write a review article on nanoparticles (talking about the chemistry which is way outside of my domain being a biomedical science undergrad) and that they now had the impression that I would be carrying out the project in the winter semester. I had spent over 250 hours working on proposals and designing experiments for this PI, and never carried out a single experiment. Another thing I'd like to point out is that while this PI had two graduate students, I had not once seen them use their lab benches as anything besides computer stations. (BTW this was supposed to be a research project for graded credits, so my undergraduate advisor who was astonished when I told her the story had to help me navigate getting out of it which was a huge hassle) Luckily, I am now working under an amazing surgeon-scientist who has been an awesome mentor, but I am wondering what to say about this 4-month block on my application (It was a whole summer).