<p>Do most MIT applicants have research experience? Because I have no clue how to get involved in research in my community and I was wondering if this is the norm...If it is, any suggestions on how to get involved with it?</p>
<p>You could get an idea in a field you’re interested in and start exploring it, through surveys, through programming, etc. Better would be to latch onto a professor’s work. Go to a local university and email your CV (in high school this would probably be a list of useful skills, like what languages you can program in, and what fields you have basic experience in) and ideas around. If a professor rejects you, ask them to refer you to a friend who might be interested. Eventually someone will take you, but don’t expect them to use your ideas or even to give you your own project since you’re just starting out. Research is very time-consuming, does not always yield results, but can be extremely fun and rewarding. :D</p>
<p>Otherwise a good alternative to research is volunteering–can also be very fun and very rewarding. Find a skill or two you’re good at and teach the younger generations for free.</p>
<p>That sounds a lot like computer-ish stuff. What about for those more interested in physics and nuclear science? Would it be an obvious disadvantage to not have formal research experience like that, with a university?</p>
<p>This is a great question too
I’m also a fellow pre-frosh and I have absolutely no former experience in research.</p>
<p>so, what UROP opportunities lie there for me as a freshman (course 7)? i’ve heard that you don’t need any previous experience but when i think about it, the prof’s won’t likely take a noob. is it really easy to find a research post? to what extent will we be involved in?</p>
<p>I did a short freshman-geared lab class over IAP and pretty easily found two UROPs after that (I had to punt the first when I took time off, so I didn’t get any experience from the first). I highly recommend taking that class. Freshman fall, it might be harder, but I suggest getting acclimated anyway 
I’ve heard it’s easy to get course 9 UROPs as well, and some of those can be very bio-y.</p>
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Everybody’s a noob at some point, yeah? </p>
<p>The real obstacle to getting a UROP as a course 7 freshman is that 1) sometimes faculty do like it if you’ve taken 7.02, the department’s introductory lab class, and 2) bio lab jobs tend to involve a time commitment of 10-12 hours per week, which many freshmen aren’t willing to commit yet.</p>
<p>^ Yes, the time commitment is definitely a big factor. I would say that if you’re only going to be spending 5 or 6 hours a week in the lab (an hour or so everyday), I would strongly discourage against taking on a bio UROP because even running a PCR takes more than an hour and you will not be able to get any meaningful work done. And generally, your supervisor is usually happier if you can show a lot of commitment or just not commit at all.</p>
<p>Do prepare to be doing basic work or a lot of watching at least in the first two weeks or so in the lab, just because it is really hard when you don’t know anything yet to do something. I remember I poured a ton of petri dishes my first two weeks in lab because quite frankly, I didn’t know a single thing before walking into that lab. But needless to say, another two weeks later I was running my own trials alongside my supervising grad student’s trials and she was analyzing my data as if it was her own. </p>
<p>With longer experience, your supervising grad student/postdoc/PI will usually give you your own little project, and depending on how much time you put into it and how driven you are, you’re usually free to take the project in whichever direction you want and will be asked to present at lab meetings. I think it’s a really cool experience because honestly, it’s quite an honor to be speaking to professors, postdocs, and grad students talking about your data as a “lowly” undergrad : P (I put it in quotes because really, undergrads are NOT devalued in MIT labs at all)</p>