<p>Hi! I've been trying to get into volunteering / internships as a freshman this year. I signed up for some general meetings to get more information about interning, but I was wondering for some advice from some people who've actually been through it. I'm located in Seattle, WA.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>It’s tough for freshmen to get lab positions. They simply don’t have enough lab, analytic (math, statistics) or computer skills to be useful in the lab. </p>
<p>You will have better luck once you’ve completed your gen chem and bio labs. </p>
<p>Finding a research lab that will accept you into the group requires that you first identify an area of interest, then research which labs work in that area, then contacting those labs (in person is best, but a well-written email will do) to see if they are taking one new undergrads. Be able to articulate why you’re interested in a particular lab and what skills you have to offer. Have a resume or CV prepared and give it to the lab manager or PI or include it with your email inquiry.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, don’t send out generic mass emails—those end up in the trash.</p>
<p>When you do find a lab willing to train you, be prepared to ‘pay your dues’ by doing scut work at first until you’ve proven yourself reliable, able to follow directions and willing to do whatever is asked of you.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman too; I met with my advisor about research and he confirmed that freshman rarely get into labs because they usually don’t have any research experience (this is RPI) although it’s completely up to the professor. He did say that the best time to ask for positions is towards the end of the year (for the summer or sophomore year) or at the very beginning of the year.</p>
<p>As for volunteering, check out local hospitals, medical centers, or nursing homes. I applied for volunteering at a nearby large medical center and am expecting to start there within 2 months. Just look on their websites, there is likely to be a section about volunteering.</p>
<p>Not to get OT, but just as an aside- do you think students who have been in research (not scutwork or shadowing) prior to undergrad will have an easier time finding positions? Or does it all go back to square 1 for everyone? </p>
<p>A lot of my undergrad friends have had success with the email advice, though they tell me you need to word things very carefully and know what you’re talking about. (Always a good thing! 
)</p>
<p>Absolutely. Because students with prior hands-on experience have actual laboratory skills-- things which take time to teach (on the part of the PI, post-doc, lab manager, senior undergrad or whoever is assigned to train the newbie) and time to learn on the student’s part. Newbies also require much closer supervision since they don’t know the lab’s procedures, methodology or processes and can easily destroy (even with best of helpful intentions) months of work.</p>
<p>IOW, a lab newbie is a major time sink rather than a help.</p>
<p>the first research job is always the hardest to get</p>
<p>D. got Med. Research internship position that lasted for 3 years at her college by simply emailing to the person in charge. She was invited to interview and she was in. However, she was a sophomore. She could not get any outside of her UG.</p>
<p>I went ahead and emailed three researchers and two of them replied … I’m going in to their lab soon!</p>
<p>Does research usually lead to a chance for shadowing in the future (because that’s req. for med school, right?)</p>
<p>It depends on what kind of research the PIs are doing. </p>
<p>If they are doing bench [lab] science–then no, because that kind of research doesn’t involve actual patients. (And the PIs are probably PhDs, not MDs.)</p>
<p>If the PI is MD/PhD or a MD doing clinical research at a patient-based site (like a hospital or clinic), then possibly.</p>
<p>Shadowing is expected for med school.</p>