Questions I could be asked for research position?

[amar314]

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Hi everybody. About a week ago I sent an email to a professor who needed undergrads for a large research project. They emailed me back and I'm going in a few days to talk to him/her about my interest and availability...what are some possible questions I could be asked? I've never done research, so not too sure what to expect.

Thanks!

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Hi everybody. About a week ago I sent an email to a professor who needed undergrads for a large research project. They emailed me back and I'm going in a few days to talk to him/her about my interest and availability...what are some possible questions I could be asked? I've never done research, so not too sure what to expect.

Thanks!

lol is this free labor? As long as you have a pulse + not a psychopath, you're fine.

 

[Oso]

They'll probably just ask you about your interest in research, what you hope to get out of it, and your overall career goals. Since they'll ask about your availability, it may be a good idea to bring an extra copy of your class schedule. I would also recommend reading a little about the project, just to get some background that will allow you to ask a few thoughtful questions (if possible). I wouldn't stress out too much though. Good luck!

 

[amar314]

Yes, it's an unpaid position. Thank you very much Oso!

 

[Patros]

Generally for undergrad research assistants, a professor is looking for only a few things:
1) Motivation. Make sure you sound interested in that professor's research! Read up a bit and be knowledgeable, at least to your education level.
2) Drive. A PI wants to see you go far in research. Don't sound like you're just checking off a box (even if you are), make it sound like this is something important for your career in medicine.
3) Availability. Most want a 2-3 year commitment. You don't need to be the next Otto Warburg, but they want at least a bit of productivity. So this means maybe a 10-15 hour commitment per week, for a few years.
4) Personality. Lab dynamics are an interesting thing, since someone is always annoyed at someone else. So make sure you appear to be a delightful angel, a person that everyone would be happy to work with.

That's the most general advice I can give. The specific will vary drastically with the PI, so expect the unexpected!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

They'll probably just ask you about your interest in research, what you hope to get out of it, and your overall career goals. Since they'll ask about your availability, it may be a good idea to bring an extra copy of your class schedule. I would also recommend reading a little about the project, just to get some background that will allow you to ask a few thoughtful questions (if possible). I wouldn't stress out too much though. Good luck!

And if you are going to say you want to be a doctor have a reason. I recently talked to a potential lab volunteer that didn't have an answer to that question. If the PI asks me, I have to be sincere and say she was unprepared for my questions.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

I would add the PI may be interested in having you work there only if you can commit a certain length of time. This depends on the particular research and your learning curve, but it may take a while for you to become valuable. My current research position is really quite in-depth and for awhile, I felt completely over my head. I had to learn a lot of unfamiliar programming and my PI wasn't exactly a socialable guy who checked in on me to ask if I had any questions. I had to make a commitment to make it make sense. I can see why my PI told me he wanted me to commit to a minimum of 2 years. I started off as unpaid, but this changed.

 

[amar314]

I would add the PI may be interested in having you work there only if you can commit a certain length of time. This depends on the particular research and your learning curve, but it may take a while for you to become valuable. My current research position is really quite in-depth and for awhile, I felt completely over my head. I had to learn a lot of unfamiliar programming and my PI wasn't exactly a socialable guy who checked in on me to ask if I had any questions. I had to make a commitment to make it make sense. I can see why my PI told me he wanted me to commit to a minimum of 2 years. I started off as unpaid, but this changed.

I initially emailed the professor and said I could only work there for 6 hours a week and asked if it was acceptable, so I believe it will be enough since they emailed back wanting to see me. It was actually a grad student that emailed back and that's who I'm going to go see.
The research is a 5 year project and I have the possibility (it said it on the description) of either working with a team of healthcare professionals or working in the lab for 6 hours a week, but I believe that to work with the team I have to put in more hours...I guess I'll get more info when I go this week.

Thanks for the heads up!