Interview with potential researchers for internship at Penn.

[sb1003]

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I am a freshman at a small college (pre-med) and have been contacting researchers for a summer research position outside of Philadelphia.

I emailed over 20 researchers at Penn and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and 3 of them responded for a call back. (In my inquiry, I attached my resume and cover letter so they knew of my background and gpa).

Some of the researchers' responses included "let's meet in my office before the end of February" and "would it be possible for you to come by the lab so we could talk more about the possibility you working in the lab for a few months?"

I will be coming back home during spring break and meeting with a couple professors.

My questions to you are:
Are these responses from researchers saying I have the position or are they saying I need to be interviewed first?

Should I consistently update the researchers with second semester grades and such so I let them know I am still interested or will I be bothering them?

Are there any specific questions that I should ask the researchers when I meet them?

Do any of you have experiences with meeting with potential PI's?

Thanks

 

[JasonE]

I am a freshman at a small college (pre-med) and have been contacting researchers for a summer research position outside of Philadelphia.

I emailed over 20 researchers at Penn and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and 3 of them responded for a call back. (In my inquiry, I attached my resume and cover letter so they knew of my background and gpa).

Some of the researchers' responses included "let's meet in my office before the end of February" and "would it be possible for you to come by the lab so we could talk more about the possibility you working in the lab for a few months?"

I will be coming back home during spring break and meeting with a couple professors.

My questions to you are:
Are these responses from researchers saying I have the position or are they saying I need to be interviewed first?

Should I consistently update the researchers with second semester grades and such so I let them know I am still interested or will I be bothering them?

Are there any specific questions that I should ask the researchers when I meet them?

Do any of you have experiences with meeting with potential PI's?

Thanks

try and relax, these things are usually pretty informal. they just want you to get a feel of their research and whether or not you would enjoy it (if you dont, then its not going to work out well). and they usually dont care too much about your grades etc. just meet with them and be friendly, and you should get an offer. you are providing them a service as well as they are for you.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

I am a freshman at a small college (pre-med) and have been contacting researchers for a summer research position outside of Philadelphia.

I emailed over 20 researchers at Penn and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and 3 of them responded for a call back. (In my inquiry, I attached my resume and cover letter so they knew of my background and gpa).

Some of the researchers' responses included "let's meet in my office before the end of February" and "would it be possible for you to come by the lab so we could talk more about the possibility you working in the lab for a few months?"

I will be coming back home during spring break and meeting with a couple professors.

My questions to you are:
Are these responses from researchers saying I have the position or are they saying I need to be interviewed first?

Congrats on the interviews! 3 out of 20 is pretty good, IMHO. However, you definitely do not have the position(s). No one has ever been hired on the power of their resume alone. When you meet these people you're going on an interview. That should be foremost in your mind the entire meeting.

Should I consistently update the researchers with second semester grades and such so I let them know I am still interested or will I be bothering them?

Not with grades, no. They probably don't care. If an interview goes well and the PI offers you a summer research spot, try to hammer out some concrete details before the semester begins. Simple stuff like paid vs. unpaid, starting date, ending date, etc. At this point, you're committing to work with them, so don't do this with multiple PIs. That'd be uncool and could maybe come back to bite you some day. Then toward the end of the semester send an e-mail or call saying you're excited to work with them this summer, and mention all the previously hammered out details. Getting something in writing from the PI might not be a bad idea either.

Are there any specific questions that I should ask the researchers when I meet them?

Ask lots about the research itself. Before the interview, review the current research done in the lab and figure out 2-3 basic questions that show you're a novice, but willing to learn. Asking about publications is probably too ballsy as you're a freshman and only going to be there for a few months. Ask about basic job responsibilities. What are you actually going to do day-to-day?

Do any of you have experiences with meeting with potential PI's?

Thanks

Never worked in a lab myself, but had plenty of jobs, and several were research related.

1) Wear a suit to all meetings with the PI until they offer you a position. Then, if you get a more casual feel, wear khakis with a nice shirt and tie. Professionalism is key.
2) Bring extra copies of your resume. The PI will definitely forget to print one out and you want it there for him/her to review and ask you questions on.
3) When they ask if you have any questions, you better have 2 ready.
4) Always remember that they're doing you a favor by hiring/having you there. It's never the other way round. If they say you'll be cleaning out ****ty rat cages all summer, smile and say that sounds awesome. Any indication that you're too good for some aspect of the job will get you rejected.