<p>well, i already asked this question in the thread i started before ("doing research but no competitions?") but i think i should create a new thread for it so that more people would read and answer</p>
<p>i have been e-mailing a bunch of professors lately
and one actually responded by saying that he'd like to meet with me this winter break to discuss his research and the research I would like to do. He is a very flexible professor, judging from his lab webpage. BUT--
he was really my "Plan B" professor (because he is a biology professor and i was looking for a chemistry lab), in case the chemistry professors don't want me! He seems like a great mentor but...i want to wait for others' responses and i also want to send out some more e-mails....</p>
<p>well, now, I....don't know what to say! i don't want to just ignore his e-mail for now...but i also want to wait before writing back to him...</p>
<p>and also--
HOW do you go about turning down a professor when YOU are the one who asked to be a part of his/her lab?lol</p>
<p>ALso, later on, when i choose a professor, do i need to e-mail all the other ones and say that i chose another lab blah blah...sorry...thanks...??</p>
<p>AHHH
and sorry about the typo in the title (deperate?? lol) i was really in a hurry to ask my questions lol, i know how to spell desperate</p>
<p>well, firstly, calm down. Its not actually a huge problem.</p>
<p>I would schedule the interview, and make sure you tell him that you are also considering some other summer options, and will get back to him by so and so date (you need to give yourself some kind of deadline…)
if you want to wait, maybe wait a day or two to think it through completely. You’ve got time if he meant winter break as in the one in February. But if your meeting this break right now, well we’ve only got 1/2 a week left before school, right?</p>
<p>It’s great that you’ve got an interview already!</p>
<p>to be honest, I don’t think this week is even practical. You need at least a week’s notice for an interview. It’ll be Friday in 2 days…2 days isn’t impolite, but people don’t like to work on the weekends…</p>
<p>Do you have school next week? If you don’t, schedule an interview then. If you do, tell him there is school, but you would be available for an interview between so and so dates. Or you could go before/after school, depending on when your school starts/ends.</p>
<p>haha I would go w/ Dr., unless he wants you to call him some thing else. Professor is too long.</p>
<p>yeah, i agree w/u nith901
i am planning on telling him that i am available on the 28th and the 29th actually…
cuz that is when semester ends and i will have space to breathe lol!
and i want to think about what i want to tell him that i want to research on…
hahah i hope he doesn’t forget about who i am at the end of the MONTH lol…!</p>
<p>argh it sounds weird to call a professor a “doctor” lol
and i like the sound of “professor” haha it makes me sound like i am in the Harry Potter movies =]
but i guess i will call him Dr.—
so he doesn’t think i am weird lol</p>
<p>i think i will e-mail him back on that on Friday…</p>
<p>but i have a question-- do the prestigious colleges have better labs than the lower ones? like, would UC Berkeley have better labs (that professors conduct their research in) than say, cal state or other less known, much less selective schools? what if this school ( or this professor) has bad lab with not many equipments and i can’t do much?</p>
<p>well that is definitely something to consider. I’m not completely sure- but bigger universities most likely spend more money on research, meaning better labs, etc. I would maybe ask an adult about that (teachers, parents?)…</p>
<p>that being said, it also depends on how much money the professor has through a grant. Labs with alot of money will have good equipment simply because they can afford it, labs w/out the money will generally be struggling a little. I don’t think this depends on the university completely though, more on the actual professor.</p>
<p>When you go to the interview, you will get to see the lab, and get a sense of if you like the environment or not. Make sure you do, and make sure there are some other students in the lab as well (meaning the lab is busy and functioning well).
One lab I interviewed in, the professor had just finished up his grant, and his last grad student was about to graduate, meaning the lab would be empty if I started. He had done some groundbreaking research, but that was one of the reasons I decided not to work there, + it was too far away from my house compared to other labs…</p>
<p>haha and you should say “professor” in a British accent. :D</p>
<p>wow great point-- i neglected to check what kind of grants he received but i don’t recall there being such information on his webpage. i mean, he seems to be the best mentor, very willing to help me, but his own research is a bit boring for me ( i plan on choosing my own topic) and i am afraid that his lab is eh becuz he hasn’t had any grad students in his lab and…well, just a feeling, ya kno? haha</p>
<p>u seem like u have a lot of experience–
i hope i will be able to give someone this much help next year, like you are giving me!</p>
<p>what college did u conduct research at? what was ur topic? (u can PM me if u prefer)</p>
<p>does anyone know good website that help you choose a research topic? I kinda decided on a topic based on what i am interested in, but i feel like there needs to be a more specific focus, or my topic seems a bit too hard for a high schooler…</p>