<p>Question: Does UChicago allow freshman to do research immediately after matriculation? If so, will the adjustment and rigor of first year schedule make it impractical? How about paid research as a freshman? The area of interest is biology/genetics.</p>
<p>While I can’t speak specifically to any particular bio/genetics labs on campus, there are many labs who will take students during their first year, especially if those students show interest in moving up in the lab and department through their years at Chicago.
That said, one should be aware of a few things. UChicago does not specifically have any restrictions as to whether or not first year students may work in a lab; the labs themselves would accept first year students on a case-by-case basis.</p>
<p>With the exception of students with work study, most beginning lab opportunities will be unpaid for at least a quarter, maybe two quarters, and sometimes longer. It is important to talk to the lab manager about how long one can stay before one is eligible for payment. In most cases, they are interested in training you and investing effort in you as an assistant before payment can be offered, but one should not expect to be paid right from the start. </p>
<p>Secondly, first year students will not have spectacular research tasks right off the bat. It is important to find a lab that does something you are interested in, as in the majority of cases you will be able to work your way up to working alongside a PI or doing your own project, but for the most part an initial investment in copying, feeding plants, scrubbing lab glass, etc. will be necessary (and commitment to these tasks shows the PI that you, as a student, are committed to the topic and worthy of further investment). </p>
<p>Thirdly, I’d advise against first year students working in labs (or at any job short of library clerk or gym card swiper, for that matter) in the first quarter of their first year. If finances are a concern, there are many jobs that require minimal time commitment or effort on the part of the student, basically designed so that you can do your homework while providing some kind of necessary service. The one-quarter loss in experience is not that big of a deal; what is most important is to adjust to the new life of being a college student which, even for students with prior difficult schedules, college coursework, and/or some research experience, is vastly different from high school. Investing time in the adjustment period of living in a dorm, the rigors of UChicago classes, making friends, and just figuring your new-adult-self out will have a much higher payoff than one extra quarter in the lab, and so I advise students to wait until their winter quarter at least (or longer, as the case may be) before seeking out lab opportunities.</p>
<p>I’m speaking from personal experience here, as I worked unpaid in a lab in Psychology from the 2nd quarter of my 1st year until the end of my 2nd year.</p>
<p>Yap. I found a research position during my first week (if not the first day) here and I did pretty well academically. Just shoot a couple of professors emails and ask whether they need some help in their labs! At least… that was all I did.</p>
<p>Same experience as Divine Comedy. I found a molecular genetics lab the end of first quarter and have been working here for almost two and a half years now. I e-mailed my Bio prof and she had knowledge of a few labs with openings. I went and talked with a few of the PIs and that’s all it took! I didn’t find it exceptionally challenging to balance lab and school work; I actually went looking for a lab so early because I found myself with a bit too much free time.</p>
<p>Fortunately, all my friends who wanted to do research in the hard sciences got a research job. One is even doing so well in bio the the Prof wants to pay him and keep him here for summer.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I have been looking for an econ research position since the start of Winter quarter and have failed to find one. Apparently theres something like a 1/10 demand v.s. supply for econ research, which is fairly lopsided. But I spoke to econ advisor and he did tell me that if I really wanted to do something, I should wait until I learned econometrics as soon as possible and then I’d be in high demand.</p>