<p>Well, I have a unique experience which not all undergrads get to have: the option of having research experience in two labs simultaneously. One is more lab work (with a little bit of field work), and the other is more field work with some lab work as well. The first lab is concerned with investigating meiofaunal food webs via PCR, and the second is investigating phenotypic changes due to climate change and infectious disease in reptiles and amphibians.</p>
<p>So, my question is this: Has anyone successfully worked in two labs at once? And, if so, was it a problem with the PIs? (Note that I have been in the first lab for about a month, and would not officially start in the second until next semester - although I am discussing specifics with the professor right now.)</p>
<p>I had one friend who worked in two labs at once, and another friend who worked in three labs at once during undergrad. There were some periods when I was in undergrad that I did two different internships at the same time (though they weren’t both lab-based). The only problem was having enough time to really devote to all of them. As long as you have enough time to commit to both labs then it shouldn’t be a problem. Make sure you have a plan for what to do if you find your time is stretched too thin (if your schoolwork suffers, if one of your labs has an opportunity for you to get much more involved in you can devote the time to it, if you find that you’re not doing as quality work or aren’t getting as involved because you’re splitting your time, etc), and you should be fine.</p>
<p>Think about how much time a week the grad students are spending in the labs you’ll be working in. Then think about how much time you’ll be spending compared to that. How much do you feel is reasonable to get done if you’re splitting your time between two different labs when they’re working full time in one alone?</p>
<p>With the amount of time I spend in my lab, I can’t imagine taking on another one. Then again, I’m there almost as much as most of the grad students.
If you work in two different labs, you’ll get more breadth of experience. If you work in one, you’ll get more depth. Which one is more important to you? If you really know what you want to do with your future/research/career, then it might be good to hone in on one and really work on producing something meaningful. If you’re not totally certain, two labs could give you more of a chance to see what’s out there.</p>