As you review those grad school applications "failed iGEM project" is the #1 thing you should look for in your future life scientists. Here's why:

Science is uniquely hard. The best way to know if someone will enjoy it or be good at it is if they've tried it already. So we all know that research internships are valuable.

But normal internships are too easy! Usually someone else designed the project, planned the experiments, organized the reagents.

Real science is about facing the unknown and starting from nowhere. The iGEM teams have done that - they have carried a project all the way from curiosity to data.

Real science is about getting the details right. There are 1000 things to order, organize and prepare in advance. Normal internships do most of this work for the student.

iGEM does not. The iGEMmers master the mechanical details of making science physically happen.

But why does it have to be a failed iGEM project?

Look success is fine but failure is what turns students into scientists.

You never keep really good notes until you lose something important.

You never triple-check your inventory until you need a reagent at midnight and it isn't there.

You never prioritize team building until you've suffered through a bitter team meltdown.

Students who fail in iGEM never forget the experience. They will immediately recognize pitfalls that cause other grad students to waste months.

Finally, the failed iGEMers have seen the hardest, most frustrating and most boring parts of doing biology. If they are coming back for more you can be sure they also saw something they really love.