Research Advice

[deleted508066]

This might be a stupid question, but you guys are the only pre-meds I know, and I don't really have any friends that are science majors so I'm looking for advice. I asked a professor if I could do research with him during the summer, and he said he would email me when the fall semester began, but I'm pretty sure he forgot, and I meant to email him back, but didn't know what to say. And it's like November.

I was kind of wanting to ask him about it again, but I don't really know what to say cause I waited so long to remind him in the first place. Do you guys think I should just scrap the idea altogether or ask him about it again? Also what should I say? I see this professor regularly, and the professor is really nice. Also I wasn't doing the research for school credit, just for experience. So he seemed okay with letting me start in the middle of the semester when I talked to him about in the summer.

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[Ismet]

This might be a stupid question, but you guys are the only pre-meds I know, and I don't really have any friends that are science majors so I'm looking for advice. I asked a professor if I could do research with him during the summer, and he said he would email me when the fall semester began, but I'm pretty sure he forgot, and I meant to email him back, but didn't know what to say. And it's like November.

I was kind of wanting to ask him about it again, but I don't really know what to say cause I waited so long to remind him in the first place. Do you guys think I should just scrap the idea altogether or ask him about it again? Also what should I say? I see this professor regularly, and the professor is really nice. Also I wasn't doing the research for school credit, just for experience. So he seemed okay with letting me start in the middle of the semester when I talked to him about in the summer.

He probably just forgot. You can go up to him or email him to ask again. If you really want to do research with him, don't walk away from the opportunity because you're too shy to do something about it.

It's as simple as
1) going up to him in person and say "Hey, Dr. _____, I was wondering about that research position we had talked about over the summer." That should jog his memory.
or
2) emailing him with "Dr. _______,
Over the summer we discussed the possibility of volunteering in your lab to gain some research experience. Is that something I would be able to do this semester?

or something like that. Don't overthink it.

 

[SN12357]

This might be a stupid question, but you guys are the only pre-meds I know, and I don't really have any friends that are science majors so I'm looking for advice. I asked a professor if I could do research with him during the summer, and he said he would email me when the fall semester began, but I'm pretty sure he forgot, and I meant to email him back, but didn't know what to say. And it's like November.

I was kind of wanting to ask him about it again, but I don't really know what to say cause I waited so long to remind him in the first place. Do you guys think I should just scrap the idea altogether or ask him about it again? Also what should I say? I see this professor regularly, and the professor is really nice. Also I wasn't doing the research for school credit, just for experience. So he seemed okay with letting me start in the middle of the semester when I talked to him about in the summer.

Strongly agree with Ismet, he almost certainly just forgot. You'll get pretty far assuming that professors have a memory on par with a goldfish with ADHD. Just send him another polite email, or mention it when you see him in person.

 

[DrOneDay7]

As someone who went through this myself during undergrad, I can assure you that he simply forgot to email you.

I had to ask at least 6-7 professors in the chem and bio dept. before I managed to secure a spot in my bio professor's lab. Technically, his lab was totally full and he actually had a long wait list of students ahead of me who asked to do research w/ him.

Moral of the story: I got the spot because I was persistent (obviously, not annoying though).



Follow up w/ your professor and express your interest again - don't be passive but also, don't be annoying! Lol I'd say in-person is the best approach if possible b/c from my undergrad experience, professors are incredibly busy and unintentionally forget to respond to students' emails ~50% of the time.