<p>so I'm gonna contact some profs to see if they will let me work in their labs...should I mention that I will be a freshman at Stanford next year? Some of the profs who im contacting are stanford alumnis...should I mention the fact that im going to Stanford to them only?...or should I just leave the whole stanford thing out completely</p>
<p>Where are you hoping to work in a lab? </p>
<p>I'd say mention you will be a freshman at Stanford to anyone you are hoping to work with. It shows that you have certain basic skills (are hardworking, motivated, bright, etc.) that would helpful in any research context.</p>
<p>^ I agree. Mentioning your Stanford acceptance is not going to hurt your chances to get a job...</p>
<p>i was going to do that also...but will they respond since its summer? and does it have to be a major-specific lab....like if i am interested in a humbio major can i still contact regular bio prof's?</p>
<p>It's unlikely but possible that there will be space in the lab. You can definitely contact bio profs if you're humbio. (Humbio is interdisciplinary and combines bio, psych, sociology, and anthropology, so it would make sense to work with someone in bio as a humbio major anyway). You could even contact a prof in an entirely different field.</p>
<p>allright...im just gonna email the profs at the local university (not stanford profs)</p>
<p>ok...i emailed two professors and both of them emailed me back within 2 days...really quick. Which one of these replies look more genuine/better?</p>
<p>prof#1</p>
<p>
[quote]
Hi ______,</p>
<p>my name is Evelina and I am Dr _______'s graduate student. He forwarded me your email and asked me to contact you regarding helping out in the lab. Although he does a lot of research, I supervise research assistants and handle "more clerical" stuff at the lab. I'm available to meet with you next Tuesday at noon, would that work for you? I'd show you our lab and tell you more about our work. Let me know if that time works for you and I will send you details of where to find us.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>prof#2</p>
<p>
[quote]
dear <strong><em>:
I am inundated with student help for the summer, but I'm sure we can put you to work on something. This summer we are mostly processing brain tissue and doing microscopy. If you'd like to be involved with that, come on by the lab this Friday, or next Monday. The lab is located in _</em></strong>__
I look forward to meeting you,
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>i know i'm not supposed to expect much but what do profs usually put undergrads with no experience to work on?....any tips on how to first approach the prof? Also, I'm more interested in prof#2's work (which centers around neuroplasticity) but prof#1 is a Stanford alumni and prof#2's reply doesnt sound particularly good. Can someone with experience help me on this?</p>
<p>You should meet with both, and go from there.</p>