Research hours per week

[joescollegiate]

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As an undergraduate what is generally accepted as a good amount of time to devote to a research group per week? The dr.s I do research for are asking me for an approximate number of hours per week I'll be in and I'm just wonder what is generally expected from undergraduates.

 

[ikillmcatz]

As an undergraduate what is generally accepted as a good amount of time to devote to a research group per week? The dr.s I do research for are asking me for an approximate number of hours per week I'll be in and I'm just wonder what is generally expected from undergraduates.

So. I did research for up to 50 hrs a week depending on what needed to be done. Ended up sleeping an hour or two for weeks and then ended up in a fluffy ER bed. Max 20, bro. Anything more and you'll go cray.

 

[Bangersandmash]

Depends on your lab. I'd say 10-20 hours a week. Many professors expect 20 and will let you know they expect it. Some chart-based/stats/clinical labs may be really flexible and even do 5 hours per week.

I'd shoot for 10-20.

 

[impermanence]

50hrs/week that is intense!

I agree that 20 should be your max. I would tray to play it by ear and initially tell the PI that you plan to spend ~15hrs/week at the lab. You could also say that you will spend specific evenings/weekend days there for 2-4hrs at a time or more (experiments take time).

It is important that you learn how to balance your lab schedule with classes, I sometimes planned to only be in the lab for 10 hrs but ended up spending more like 20-25. The PI will hopefully be used to undergrads' schedules and will help you choose a project that is interesting and appropriate. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[487806]

So. I did research for up to 50 hrs a week depending on what needed to be done. Ended up sleeping an hour or two for weeks and then ended up in a fluffy ER bed. Max 20, bro. Anything more and you'll go cray.

I feel that the 50 hrs/week was a joke. If not, it's probably done in the summer. Otherwise, good luck managing the coursework.

OP, stick around 10.

 

[ikillmcatz]

I feel that the 50 hrs/week was a joke. If not, it's probably done in the summer. Otherwise, good luck managing the coursework.

OP, stick around 10.

Not a joke. During the school year. And yes, very difficult managing school with it. Don't do it. 15-20 is a good spot to be.

 

[TheShaker]

I personally pull 15-20 hours/week in my lab and that seems to be the general trend unless you have an easy project.

 

[TheShaker]

So. I did research for up to 50 hrs a week depending on what needed to be done. Ended up sleeping an hour or two for weeks and then ended up in a fluffy ER bed. Max 20, bro. Anything more and you'll go cray.

So how did you land yourself in the ER?

 

[BABSstudent]

I only put in 10 hours a week, but I was just a undergraduate lab technician.

 

[Cinclus]

If you're getting credit for it, base your hours on the number of credit hours you'll be receiving (each credit hour generally equals a 3-hour lab time commitment per week, in my experience). I generally did 10-15 hours of research each week as an undergrad; and then when I was in grad school, well, let's not get started on that. 🙂

 

[IslandStyle808]

If you're getting credit for it, base your hours on the number of credit hours you'll be receiving (each credit hour generally equals a 3-hour lab time commitment per week, in my experience). I generally did 10-15 hours of research each week as an undergrad; and then when I was in grad school, well, let's not get started on that. 🙂

Yep I know your pain on that one (I finished a masters as well). Right now I am just a post-baccalaureate student and am just doing 9 credits of classes and 3 credits of research (18 hours a week on average). As an undergrad, try to do around 10-15 hours a week if you are aiming or 3 credits of research.

 

[Shaq]

get a great experience. invest as much time as you can to get something real out of the experience. that will make you stand out. every undergrad does a few semesters of research. that doesnt mean anything. focus on getting a substantial research experience, and invest as much time as you need to in order to get that. if you have no/minimal interest in research, don't do it at all.

 

[mimelim]

During the school year, your involvement should be dictated by your class schedule and what needs to be done to be productive. It would be unusual if this was less than 10 hours a week. The average pre-med will put in 10-20 hours a week. The all-stars that end up producing a lot in undergrad will work up to 40 hours a week during the school year.

During the Summer, things are a little different. You should be able to produce a lot and work a lot harder, but if there simply isn't a lot to do in the lab, there is no point spending the hours there. It would be atypical to work less than 35 hours a week in the Summer. In the 3 labs I was in I would say undergrads ranged from 35 - 80 hours a week. Again, it is all about your expectations and your interest. Don't put in the hours for the sake of putting in the hours. The people that live and breathe the lab do it because they love it.

At the end of the day, just remember this. As a resident you will be working 80 hours a week. Assuming you did zero studying outside of the hospital, that gives you plenty of time to sleep and relax for ~4 hours a day. Lets assume that 80 hrs/wk is the max someone will work productively. If you are going to class and studying 40 hours a week, you have 40 hours to do other things during the week. What do you spend YOUR 40 hours/week doing? What proportion of it is spent goofing off vs. doing something 'productive'?[/end gorilla math]

 

[Josh7]

So. I did research for up to 50 hrs a week depending on what needed to be done. Ended up sleeping an hour or two for weeks and then ended up in a fluffy ER bed. Max 20, bro. Anything more and you'll go cray.

Definitely not true... I hope.

I'm doing 10 hours a week right now and it's plenty. It'll probably take 2-3 months to really get the hang of things (assuming you're not just a bottlewasher) but once you really start understanding the stuff it's super interesting.

 

[ikillmcatz]

Definitely not true... I hope.

I'm doing 10 hours a week right now and it's plenty. It'll probably take 2-3 months to really get the hang of things (assuming you're not just a bottlewasher) but once you really start understanding the stuff it's super interesting.

What is it with people on SDN thinking everyone is lying every time someone talks about something they did? Yes, I did do 50 hrs per week till I burned out and got extremely sick. It majorly sucked but it was a lesson to cut down on hours. Undergrads should not work that much while taking classes. Personally, I wouldn't get anything reasonable accomplished in 10 hrs a week. I ended up doing about 30 hrs a week after doing 50 for a long time and crashing. But I was also very intense about research and didn't do any hospital volunteering that most other premeds do so lab was my number 1 priority.

Like mimelim said, some premeds are able to put in 40 hrs a week because they love lab. Those who don't invest their time in other activities.

 

[MDforMee]

Being a professor's source of free labor?
Giving up your time for ECs?
Bringing down your GPA?
Not having time for healthy activities like exercise?
Having no personal life?

Count me in on this thrill ride before anyone else takes my spot.