If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. That was the story of my first 4 months working in an organic synthesis lab. I reached a step in the synthesis plan of my project that did not work at all. It should have easily worked though, being an acylation of a secondary alcohol. I attempted the reaction around 9 times, each time thinking I had fixed the previous problem, however it still did not yield the product. I dreaded presenting my failures for the Chem 6BH lab course, but I did not expect the positive and constructive feedback from peers and professor. Continuing research after the end of Spring quarter 2015, my mentor and PI decided that the molecule I was working on would not benefit the overall projects of the group. So I started synthesizing a different scaffold of molecules and collaborating more closely with my mentor. Now with over 5 months of training in organic synthesis I am beginning to produce promising results and feel important in the lab. So If at first you don’t succeed…wait until you’re comfortable and have the skills necessary to feel like an asset. At the undergraduate level I don’t think positive results are the point of research; the point is gaining experience in a lab and asking for help when you find yourself try try trying again.