How to get engaged in undergrad research?

tumbletiger009
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:20:27 +0000

Keep in mind that you’re interviewing the professor and the lab as much as they’re interviewing you. Ask lots of questions about how many hours the prof wants you to work, the culture of the lab, how often you will meet with the prof, etc. Last year I started getting involved with a lab, and the prof told me 2 weeks later that I would be expected to work in the lab 10hrs a week, plus a weekly meeting with the prof, plus the 2hr weekly group meeting. While this may be completely reasonable for some students, this was not at ALL what I was expecting and I ended up backing out. Happy ending: I work in a different lab now and absolutely love it! But you can bet I asked lots of questions before I committed again!