Research opps w/out experience (?)

[maggie griffiths]

I'm very interested in trying to do research work in a lab somewhere, but there's a teeny problem-- I don't have any lab experience! I went to grad school for English and am now on the road to med school via a post-bac program, but I'm wondering if anyone knows of any hints about how I can volunteer in a research lab for a while and possibly get a position out of it b4 starting med school?
(I'm based in Chicago, IL so I have Northwestern U, U of Chicago, etc. available to me).

Thanks for your suggestions!

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[ckent]

go to any one of those schools homepages, look up their biology or medical department, and they will have faculty e-mail lists. I made a form letter and sent one to ~30 people when I wanted to work in a lab, not everyone will respond, but those that do you can meet with and discuss what research projects you can get involved with. If you only want to "volunteer" and not get paid, you will have a lot more doors open to you in terms of pursuing your own research project. I would also encourage you to e-mail some MDs about clinical research or medically pertinent bench research, as that may be what you need for your application and not the basic science stuff if that is not your forte.

 

[almond]

Here's something I did that was pretty odd, but worked out. I took out the phone book and literally called every single hospital within reasonable traveling distance. I talked with their volunteer department, and told them I was specifically looking for a research position, and they sent me basic volunteer applications. I didn't have ANY research experience at all, so I didn't receive much replies. From the batch of applications I sent out, I received 3 replies and interviews with doctors within the hospitals who also worked in research labs. I was lucky enough to get a position from one of the doctors. It helped that he knew I didn't have research experience at all, so he started me from ground zero and taught me all I know today.

 

[CoffeeCat]

I've done a bunch of research and I think another good thing to do is to find some research that you're interested in doing (find a college nearby and look at websites) and talk to professors about it. If they aren't hiring, offer to volunteer. I started by volunteering for a quarter as an undergrad and later got credit for it. Although you aren't in the same position, I think volunteering is a good way to gain experience even if it doesn't lead to a job and many people won't turn away someone who is so interested that they'll start off working for free! Good luck.