polkadot_heart

I just got accepted as a research assistant in one of my professor's labs. I'm really excited but I'm really nervous too. I've never done any sort of research, and I was just wondering for those of you who have or who have been in labs before, if you could give me any tips

I appreciate it!

burgler09

That's really cool you got in! Congrats, just remember to always wear long pants, closed shoes and always wear your goggles! Basically its very important to write down everything and all of your steps, you might feel like its not important to write it down, but when its time to explain things you will definitely forget small details, research and labs are all about detail and good note taking.

AHeartLikeHis

Is an RA a paid position? And how many hours is it a week?

polkadot_heart

AHeartLikeHis- I'm pretty sure this isn't a paid position, and it'll be somewhere from 6-10 hours per week.

burgler, thank you for the tips! Haha, I don't think I'll need goggles though, I'm in a clinical lab (speech stuff, nothing messy ;-P)

burgler09

ooo I'm just a biochem geek here... goggles first is our motto (although i still hate them)

apumic

yeah...depends on the kind of lab you're talking about.
speech lab, huh? What's the job descrip?

RA positions are usually unpaid as a UG; however, post-college you can usually get paid RA positions and the ones in grad school usually come with a stipend and/or remission of tuition... (for PhD programs primarily)

peachesnkream114

i've been a research assistance for a while now (for cell biology lab). it's work study, meaning 10 hours a week/7.65 an hour and job honestly doesn't require any knowledge. i guess i'm in it b/c im guaranteed an undergrad research position and the professor you're working for already knows u so u don't need recommendation or anything

Pearlinthemist

Not everyone gets paid for undergraduate research, sometimes it's only class credit. Pay is nice though.

BE ON TIME. Show up when you say you will. You will most likely be paired with a graduate student or postdoc who will show you the ropes of the lab you are working in. Professors & their graduate students will not be happy if you are a flake because you are wasting their time. Dress appropriately when you come to lab (closed toe shoes, pants, belly covered). You aren't expected to know anything when you first start, but you are expected to catch on after awhile. In other words, they don't want to be looking over you constantly making sure you are doing things correctly.

20yearsofsnow

i started doing research in a molecular biology lab when i was a sophmore (im now a senior). at first i just felt really stupid and needed help with everything but after a while grad students will just say "do a mini prep for me" or whatever and you need no direction. plus you learn tons of great technique and do stuff way beyond what you do in classroom labs. also it is a great way to get to know a prof/grad students and get letters of recommendation or whatever. my lab also started paying me after about a year.

grapeful

Staying more hours than you're scheduled to shows real interest. I'm about the graduate now and that was one of the reasons my professor took a liking to me as an undergrad student. And getting to know your prof, labmates, and groups you work closely with also helps when it comes to rec letters for grad school. I didn't get to know them for that reason but found it incredibly useful that several profs knew me well enough to write a personalized rec letter for me.