Lab research during summer?

baktrax
Wed, 21 Aug 2013 22:48:25 +0000

Yes, it is possible, but make sure you’re up front about not being able to stay over the summer. Some PIs expect it and some PIs don’t. It depends on your project, how independent your project is (vs. working with a grad student or post doc), and how important what you’re doing is. When you’re contacting professors or looking for positions, ask if it would be acceptable for you to only work during the school year or look for positions that do not require you to stay for the summer. It depends on the situation, but there are students who arrange things like this.

However, if you want to get quality research done, it is much better if you can work during the summer. You can often get much more done, since you can work full time, which is why it’s advisable to stay if you can.

What would you be doing with your summers in lieu of this? Even if you don’t want to stay at your school over the summer, you should still try to do something meaningful with your summers.