<p>How did you go about finding a mentor? </p>
<p>Who did you approach, and how did you do it?</p>
<p>Did you/are you planning to pay them? If so, how much?</p>
<p>I'm really interested in doing some research in the social sciences, particularly affirmative action. It would be great if I could find a professor or anyone in academia to mentor me. So, please share your experiences/wisdom/theories!</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Well, its actually a copious amount of money.
What specific topic are interested in reseaching?</p>
<p>You can just email professors who are doing research that you are interested in. My professor is paying me, but I'm also not a high school student. However, I've had friends who have emailed professors to get jobs as high school students.</p>
<p>I'm taking a research class in school for this purpose. It's a three-year independent study program and I'm starting this year. As far as we've been told about obtaining mentors, the best way to go about it is to e-mail or call professors/scientists/grad students who are currently working in the area that you'd like to research. Ask them if they're willing to take on a mentorship. Most of them are likely to oblige, especially if you plan on doing Intel. An Intel winner/semi-finalist looks just as good for them as it does for you.</p>
<p>SDMS12: I'm interested in the affect of affirmative action on so called "over-represented minorities," in the workplace, and particularly in college admissions.</p>
<p>How much money is a copious amount of money? This is really something I want to do, and I <em>hope</em> that money doesn't preclude it.</p>
<p>learn2think: can't get paid, because my family is in the US on my dad's work visa, meaning that besides my dad, none of us can work (for pay).</p>
<p>Would you mind telling me what your friends ended up doing at the colleges?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Thanks somethingwitty. I was thinking about research in the social sciences area. However, I would certainly be interested in doing some biomarker research if it's not too late in my high school career--is it too late to start scientific research in junior year?</p>
<p>It's not necessarily too late. It depends on the factors of your research, though. To what extent do you want to explore a subject? Would you want the research to be finished by your senior year for competition purposes? All of that has to be considered. I'm starting as a sophomore with mentor search, hypothesis development, etc. I won't be starting an actual project until the end of my sophomore year. So, if you start the research right now, you wouldn't too far off from my class syllabus, and according to that, senior year is strictly for competitions.</p>