<p>How easy/difficult is it to obtain research positions as an undergraduate at Harvard? Does the difficulty vary by field (humanities v. the sciences)? I know that MIT, for example, virtually guarantees research opportunities for its entire student body, including freshmen.</p>
<p>I would definitely be willing to do grunt work and be aggressive about asking faculty members - but I just wanted to know more about the general atmosphere of the school regarding undergraduate research. </p>
<p>Thanks to all of those who comment!</p>
<p>Haha, we don't need to make some nebulous 'guarantee,' if you want to do research here you do it. It's no more difficult than that.</p>
<p>Doesn't matter what field your in, read up a little on a professor's research then go up to him/her after class or in office hours and talk a little bit. Research position is bound to follow.</p>
<p>In terms of funding, OCS has a massive database of funds available for both term-time and summer stipends, so you can even get paid for doing it!</p>
<p>Very, very easy to find a lab. I just sent out 5-6 emails my freshman year, talked to a couple of the professors who responded, and ended up spending my summer getting published (!), paid, and getting a fellowship that gave me free housing.</p>
<p>It's pretty easy find a research job that's paid like the above posters mentioned. If you want to do research unpaid, then practically every professor will welcome you to work for them. Who would turn down a free research assistant?</p>