How soon can undergraduate students become involved in research? I've read that at some schools, serious research is intended solely for juniors and seniors, while freshmen and sophomores mostly clean instruments and make photocopies. Is this usually the case? Also (and I know this is a bit broad), what type of research do students engage in? Do they usually get to choose what type of research they take part in? Any information regarding this topic would be useful.
Undergraduate Research
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Really depends on the school... whether it's research-oriented or not. I have friends that started research as freshmen. Yet they did do simple tasks while learning what exactly was going on in the lab. Basically, you're gonna need a bit of time to learn how the lab works etc. Unless of course, you do research in another topic. I started pretty soon with my own stuff. But I'm in math research so there wasn't much to catch onto. I could learn as I did the math problems.
Try your best to get into a lab ASAP if you are really interested in research. Your school should have someone to contact about it. If you don't know who, I'd say email the College of Sciences at your school and ask who to contact. You may be able to say what your interested in, or you may get placed somewhere. It really all depends on the program.
Good luck!
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You can start as soon as you like. What you would do is totally dependent on the type of project you join, but you can definitely do more than just clean dishes as a freshman. If you're interested in doing research, I would just go to the departmental webpage of the field your interested in, and look around to see what sort of research various profs are doing. If you find a project that seems like it may be interesting, I would then e-mail the prof to see if they would be willing to take on an undergrad student. You may end up having to e-mail a bunch of profs before one says "ok", but just keep at it. As long as you're willing to work for free, I've actually been quite surprised by how many profs are willing to let undergrads come in, but I go to a fairly large research institution, so this may vary depending on which school you go to. Your college may also have different sorts of research programs and scholarships for undergraduates. I know my school even had a specific program for freshmen students interested in research.
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Sometimes small schools can actually benefit students in this realm too. I come from a small school, so the ratio of professors to students is better than at some large schools with huge classes. Lots of students at my school just walk up to their professors (if they have had a class with them) and ask if they can work in their lab, or know what other labs might work out for them.
Though getting research started early is useful, don't stress out about finding a lab to work in before you get to a school. If you haven't found one yet, you will. Good luck.
Though getting research started early is useful, don't stress out about finding a lab to work in before you get to a school. If you haven't found one yet, you will. Good luck.
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I go to a large school as a freshman this year and I am starting research next quarter(in one week!!!! so excited). I got extremely lucky though; saw an opportunity posted on campus, sent an email and resume and was interviewed the next day.
They told me they normally are weary of freshman and sophomores for two reasons:
Lack of maturity(they said being able to trust me was #1)
Still adjusting to college environment( they said they don't want research to jeopardize your grades)
They told me they normally are weary of freshman and sophomores for two reasons:
Lack of maturity(they said being able to trust me was #1)
Still adjusting to college environment( they said they don't want research to jeopardize your grades)
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I have spent the last few days visiting colleges, and some of them have programs for getting research positions for their undergrads, and these are open to freshmen. I don't know what exactly they do, but I think one of them specifically said that they aren't doing things like washing dishes and fetching coffee.
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Private college or public university ?
Alright thanks guys I think i understand the process a little bit better. I also know now that a lot of it depends on the institution. Another general question though: How much of a high school science background do you think a student should have if they want to begin researching as a freshman in college? In other words ( I know a strong background would help), can a student properly perform their required tasks if they do not have a strong background in science? You can learn as you go right? Or is this not a good idea...maybe the student should wait untilt hey take a few classes?
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Obviously, having a strong foundation from high school will help. Having taken AP biology in high school actually helped trememdously when I first became involved in research (this was before I had taken any bio or chem courses in college). However, I also did some bio-med related research for a summer in high school, and was able to follow along even though I hadn't taken a formal class in biology. I would say that if you've taken at least a class or two in high school on the subject that you will be resarching, you should have enough of a foundation to understand what is going on in the project. However, even if you don't have a solid background from high school, you could still get involved in research if you're willing to self study a little to pick up the basics. As far as actually conducting the experiments, you need no real knowledge to do this, a trained monkey would be able to do it. The tough part is figuring out WHY you're doing a particular test, and what it is you're testing for (i.e. what will the results tell, or not tell, you). So, I guess my main point is this: If you're willing to put in the work to study the research topic on your own a bit, you should be able to get something out of the research even if you don't really have a good foundation from high school.
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In general, you can start doing undergraduate research as soon as you find a researcher willing to take you on. However, most lab research does come with a learning curve, and it takes most students at least 6 months to a year to become competent enough to really handle projects on their own.
As for starting out, there are two major things you could do. First, you could look at a list of job openings and try to land a paid position. Obviously, the pay is a benefit, but many of these jobs will require quite a bit of dishwashing and the like and very little opportunity to contribute to the lab's research. The benefit is that if you work in a lab this way, you have the chance to impress your PI and graduate students and it may be easier for you to convince them to keep you on as a research assistant (although you probably won't be paid once you make the switch).
Your other option, as was mentioned above, is to search the department websites and email people you are interested in working with. This will get you involved sooner, but it may be harder to break into a lab this way, especially if your science background is limited.
As for the benefit of a strong science background, I think it really helps when you are trying to find a lab, and when you finally get around to participating in planning projects and looking at data (usually at least a year down the line unless you have a strong background or are very lucky). Any lab will teach you how to perform the techniques you need, so a science background isn't vital with respect to technical skills.
As for starting out, there are two major things you could do. First, you could look at a list of job openings and try to land a paid position. Obviously, the pay is a benefit, but many of these jobs will require quite a bit of dishwashing and the like and very little opportunity to contribute to the lab's research. The benefit is that if you work in a lab this way, you have the chance to impress your PI and graduate students and it may be easier for you to convince them to keep you on as a research assistant (although you probably won't be paid once you make the switch).
Your other option, as was mentioned above, is to search the department websites and email people you are interested in working with. This will get you involved sooner, but it may be harder to break into a lab this way, especially if your science background is limited.
As for the benefit of a strong science background, I think it really helps when you are trying to find a lab, and when you finally get around to participating in planning projects and looking at data (usually at least a year down the line unless you have a strong background or are very lucky). Any lab will teach you how to perform the techniques you need, so a science background isn't vital with respect to technical skills.
I'm a freshman at a big research university, and its pretty near impossible to get a job in a lab. Our classes are huuuuge so no prof really gets to know you well enough to trust you, but by sophomore or junior year when we're done with our reqs I hear it gets easier.
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I started as a sophmore. I read about different research that PIs were doing and e-mailed my heart out until someone answered. I promised to do scut-work to start with (glassware cleaning, slide prep, organization, paperwork etc) and then as I go more competent they taught me more and more skills. I learned so much that summer. It was a paid position. The next year I got into a lab that reflected different interests I'd developed based on all my new skills. It started as a paid summer gig and then I did it for school credit thru my senior year.
I'm a freshman at a big research university, and its pretty near impossible to get a job in a lab. Our classes are huuuuge so no prof really gets to know you well enough to trust you, but by sophomore or junior year when we're done with our reqs I hear it gets easier.
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At my school, you can start in a lab as a freshman.
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