<p>You can definitely start out as a lab assistant for the first step. Getting involved in research is a bit like gettting a job; it helps when the prof knows you and has confidence in you. Doing well in classes is another way to get profs’ notice. Sometime profs would invite or ask the students that impress them to join their teams. If you are ISP, you are considered some kind of honors student. That doesn’t mean average student won’t get anything. Even the average/below average at NU are still pretty capable; but what the profs want to see is if the students are committed and intellectually curious about the research. There are enough projects/opportunities to spread around; that said, you do need to actively seek them.</p>