Non science majors/research

[bbas]

For the non science majors out there, how did you go about getting research experience? From what I have heard, it's pretty hard to find research opportunities in the natural sciences if your not majoring in it.

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[stherling]

yknow... there are research opportunities outside the natural sciences

 

[mkitty]

yknow... there are research opportunities outside the natural sciences

I graduated with a languages major, minored in the sciences and I am currently working in a medical research lab. I have had pretty much no research experience in undergrad besides lab courses in the sciences.

It is possible to get lab research experience as a non-science major. Don't let others tell you it's not. You'll just start off as an assistant, technician, etc...but you learn a lot of about the research you're doing.

I'd say just post your resume at all the research opportunities that are available, express your interest for the job, and wait to hear from them.
Good luck!

 

[aimsz88]

hiya,

i'm taking classes at ucla extension at night (it's an informal certificate kinda post bacc program) and working full time during the day to put myself through school.

i was a cello performance major in college and had no laboratory experience. i applied to tons of places at ucla (which, btw, is a hell of a hard place to get a job like mine) and personally delivered all of my resumes to make sure they got into the right hands. you're right, it's tough to get hired when you have no real lab experience other than maybe organic chemistry lab...a lot of people just glossed over my resumes, but it only takes one. =)

i was hired by a lab at the medical school in physiology to start out as a laboratory assistant to wash dishes, clean and maintain the lab, etc....but now i'm moving to a new job with my year's worth of experience (i'm now qualified to work as a research associate) where i can actually really dive into the research. i can do SDS-PAGE, agarose gels, Western Blots, spectrophotometry, bacterial cell cultures, mammalian tissue processings, isolating proteins, amplification of DNA, blah blah blah...

you have to be persistent, and be willing to do crap work for a while. you just bust your ass....they'll notice your eagerness and start teaching you protocols that you are essential in moving up to other labs or doing real research. PM me if you need more info...hope this gives you some encouragement.

 

[maggie08]

yknow... there are research opportunities outside the natural sciences

really? [no i'm not being sarcastic] what do they do? hmmmm.. read books and then what?

i would assume you still have to write an extensive dissertation to get a PhD... so what do you write about? read a lot of books over a couple of years till you come up with a new theory about something ancient?

how DO you get a PhD in something like literature or history?

and what do 'they' mean by "research"?

sincerely inquiring... don't mean to step on anyones toes

 

[byeh2004]

For the non science majors out there, how did you go about getting research experience? From what I have heard, it's pretty hard to find research opportunities in the natural sciences if your not majoring in it.

Nope not hard at all, of course all premeds have to take core-sciences... as long as you have some basic chem and bio... there shouldn't be any problem getting research. I'm a psychology major myself, and I'm in an evolutionary physiology lab where we research about neurobiology of white mice. I've taken g-chem and bio but i start ochem and physics this year.

 

[SuzieQ3417]

Nope not hard at all, of course all premeds have to take core-sciences... as long as you have some basic chem and bio... there shouldn't be any problem getting research. I'm a psychology major myself, and I'm in an evolutionary physiology lab where we research about neurobiology of white mice. I've taken g-chem and bio but i start ochem and physics this year.

I disagree...it was extremely difficult for me to find a lab job. I got lucky with my first one, because I asked my Bio I TA if she knew of any labs that were hiring part-time for the summer...and her lab was looking for someone for just a summer job. The following summer, however, I responded to about 10 ads placed in my univ job search for part-time lab work, and not a single place would hire me. I had taken several bio and chem courses at that time and done well, but it didn't matter. They would rather hire someone who is a bio or chem major (I am music). My roommate happened to work in a biochem lab and was presenting a poster, so when I went to support her the whole lab was there and I joked with them about how no one would trust me with their research since I am a music major, even though I am also pre-med. They told me they had no problem hiring a non-science major, and the next week I had a job. Of course, I had to clean dishes for 2 months to prove I wasn't inept, but after that things started to get cool. You have to be persistant, and don't be ashamed to ask around and use connections. I agree with another post that said to pass out resumes in person to different labs...I've known of quite a few people that got hired that way.

 

[drmota]

you have to be very persistent. i remember e-mailing about 40 or 50 professors before getting 1 or 2 to even respond and set up an interview. its gonna take some time and research on your part. i was a political science major but the person I ended up working for didnt really care a lick. you kind have to work your way up. they started me off in "the mail room" of laboratories, washing glass etc. once they saw my dedication they actually got me into the research stuff. good luck.
-mota

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

I really got lucky with my lab job. Although a Political Science major, I got a paid position in a physiology research lab, where I got to be very hands on with the research project. I wasn't in a position to publish because I was an employee, but the experience of seeing the project from beginning to end and being responsible for a substantial portion of the work involved was highly rewarding. I found the position through the Career Services center at my school, sent the lab my resume, got an interview, and the rest is history...

 

[bwells46]

For the non science majors out there, how did you go about getting research experience? From what I have heard, it's pretty hard to find research opportunities in the natural sciences if your not majoring in it.

Then don't do research in the natural sciences. Do economics research, public health research, etc. There are MANY areas in which you could do research outside of biology, chemistry, etc.

 

[bwells46]

really? [no i'm not being sarcastic] what do they do? hmmmm.. read books and then what?

i would assume you still have to write an extensive dissertation to get a PhD... so what do you write about? read a lot of books over a couple of years till you come up with a new theory about something ancient?

how DO you get a PhD in something like literature or history?

and what do 'they' mean by "research"?

sincerely inquiring... don't mean to step on anyones toes

For example, you could do workforce research. How do you think they come up with predictions of a physician shortage/surplus? What about pharmaceutical drugs - what's the associated cost-benefit? How can we treat the patient in the most beneficial way with the lowest cost?

Those are just a few ideas to get your mind going.

 

[CoffeeCat]

For the non science majors out there, how did you go about getting research experience? From what I have heard, it's pretty hard to find research opportunities in the natural sciences if your not majoring in it.

Volunteer, it works wonders and once you have some experience, getting a job shouldn't be a problem.

 

[NapeSpikes]

For the non science majors out there, how did you go about getting research experience? From what I have heard, it's pretty hard to find research opportunities in the natural sciences if your not majoring in it.

I have to chime in here and say as a nonscience major, it's been very difficult for me to find a research opportunity. A lot of it, I believe, has to do with, along with no research experience, my applying to med school this year and would only be able to be in their lab for a little less than a year (if all goes well). I've applied to over 100 postings, have emailed about 250 professors over the past two months. I don't mind washing glassware for $10/hr, whatever. But I can't volunteer--I need the money for apps. Still, no takers.

So to the OP, the jobs seem to be out there. I just haven't had any luck

Edit: Oh, forgot to mention, I've been out of school for a few years, so if you are still in school and have contact with professors, it may be much easier. I don't want to discourage anyone!

 

[ggt187]

i'm a music major and i had no trouble getting into an organic chemistry group. all you have to do is talk to you your professors. my school has an undergrad research program, but if you ace your prof's class and they have room in their lab, they normaly have no problem letting you work.

oh yeah... working for free helps a lot

 

[stherling]

really? [no i'm not being sarcastic] what do they do? hmmmm.. read books and then what?

i would assume you still have to write an extensive dissertation to get a PhD... so what do you write about? read a lot of books over a couple of years till you come up with a new theory about something ancient?

how DO you get a PhD in something like literature or history?

and what do 'they' mean by "research"?

sincerely inquiring... don't mean to step on anyones toes

well i guess i took 'natural sciences' to mean straight up bio, chem and phys. Outside of that, you could do psychology, epidemiology, stats, finance, strategy, and yes, history... just to name a few.

I will agree with you on the bewildering nature of some of the phDs in those fields, but then again the OP was about gaining research experience, not writing a dissertation....

 

[Moto]

For the non science majors out there, how did you go about getting research experience? From what I have heard, it's pretty hard to find research opportunities in the natural sciences if your not majoring in it.

Get in touch w/ pre-health committee or pre-med advisor and ask if there are any clinical research programs you can participate in, usually they don't require science courses, just motivation and time. Also, it helps if you talk to the person in charge of volunteering at a hospital, they might put you in touch w/ a physician who needs free labor for a poorly funded research project.

 

[soumdoc]

You might also want to try getting a research job in the psych department........I'm doing research in neuroscience with them right now, and it's pretty similar to "basic science" research (I run western blots, analyze ovarian cell samples, perform ovariectomy surgeries, etc). IT's really neat, and the psych department is really nice