Work study vs. volunteer research position??

[PreMedder]

Hey everyone,
So I sent an email to one of the professors in the biology department doing research in a field that I find really interesting (bear in mind that I am finishing my first year here and have NO prior research experience, and I made this clear to her in the e-mail. Also this would be for the upcoming fall semester as I'm not staying here at my UG during the summer). Today she sent me an email back asking what type of position I was interested in: "volunteer work or work study?"

I'm not quite sure which to choose. If I say one thing, will I have different responsibilities vs. if I chose the other option? Does being part of a lab under a work study generally mean something different than just say average volunteer work? Is it looked down upon? I was not expecting to actually choose between these two, and to be honest, wasn't even expecting to get contacted back. But I'm really happy I got the opportunity and don't want to blow it by choosing the wrong type of position. All I really want is to get a handle on what goes on in the laboratory and hopefully work myself up in the ranks, I guess you can say, to ultimately run my own research later on.

But for now I'm just wondering on which to position to request. I mean, I feel like doing it as a work study would be a pretty sweet bonus to get experience in a lab setting WHILE also getting paid. So could anyone elaborate on any main differences between the two positions?: volunteer vs. work study? Thanks!

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[Dr McSexy]

Hey everyone,

I'm not quite sure which to choose. If I say one thing, will I have different responsibilities vs. if I chose the other option?

Probably not. Though, if you do work-study, she might expect you to be in the lab for more hours than if you were just volunteering.

But she might not be concerned with the hours you work, since she's not paying you if you do work-study (federal gov).

Does being part of a lab under a work study generally mean something different than just say average volunteer work? Is it looked down upon?

Not that I'm aware. And definitely not looked down upon.

So could anyone elaborate on any main differences between the two positions?: volunteer vs. work study? Thanks!

You have to be eligible for work-study to get paid (unless for some reason she's planning on paying you out of her grant, which is unlikely). So make sure that you are eligible for it first. Eligibility is based on FAFSA and EFC.

I would go for work-study. Who wouldn't want to be paid for being in the lab? I did work-study for 4 years.

 

[PreMedder]

Ah I see - one of my friends here said something along the same lines - That it is probably advantageous to ask for a work study so that nothing comes out of her budget, more or less. Any other thoughts about different duties that might be attributed to one type of work over the other?

 

[Dr McSexy]

Ah I see - one of my friends here said something along the same lines - That it is probably advantageous to ask for a work study so that nothing comes out of her budget, more or less. Any other thoughts about different duties that might be attributed to one type of work over the other?

I honestly can't see there being any difference in the duties or jobs you'll be given unless she expects you'll work less hours if you take the volunteer position. We've only had one person volunteer in our lab, she wasn't there for more than a year and did nothing but menial lab work. So, in that case, she might be more willing to get you started doing actual bench work if you do work-study, since that's more of a commitment.

You'll most likely just spend the first semester/year doing menial work either way until you learn the ropes.

I'd still take the work-study if it were an option.