<p>I've been searching this forum for research and while I got some info, I still have more questions.</p>
<p>When reading up professor's research, do you read his old, completed works or his current project?</p>
<p>Can you do this and ask the professor if you can have an opportunity with them through e-mail, or do you have to go door-to-door?</p>
<p>Or are these opportunities only available when the professor wants it to be (ie. making an application on his webpage)?</p>
<p>I've been wanting to get into research but I don't really understand the process. All my friends who have research either got it by way of an application or by offer because of having one of the top scores in the course taught by the prof.</p>
<p>You ought to look both at prior work and current work. Prior work will give you a good idea of his/her background, and current work tells you where he/she is going. You don’t necessarily have to read all the papers, as there are likely a ton of them, but knowing the general idea of his/her body of work is essential.</p>
<p>You are probably better off trying email. Professors are rarely in their offices, so it can be tough to hook up with them randomly. The best way, though, is take a class with them and talk to them before or after class or during office hours. Still, I got both of my undergraduate research positions by starting off with email. Be persistent though, as lots of professors don’t always answer emails promptly and then forget to do it at all. You may need to try a couple times.</p>
<p>Generally, professors don’t advertise on their webpage or anything. You either have to ask them if they have any openings or needs, or you wait to hear them mention it in a class. Either way works though.</p>
<p>You need to summarize what he does. Use good technical terms. Know those definitions. He doesn’t expect you to be very knowledgeable, but proficiency in describing what his research goal is, and why you are interested in joining his research group.</p>
<p>meh…look at a couple old a couple new. you really dont need to study them or even read them all the way through, a lot of it is gonna be graduate-level speak you dont really understand. read the abstract, the into, skim through the experiment and read the conclusion. just getting the main idea of what he does is really all you need. Be able to tell them what you are interested in their research.</p>
<p>I would say going to their office in person would be the best way but if you can’t get a hold of them just send an email. Seeing them in person is just more efficient in my opinion because you don’t have to wait for an email response just to hear they aren’t taking any more undergraduates</p>
<p>I would against seeing the person without notifying the person first. In another words, get a consent from him. If he replies he would arrange an appointment with you. It is curt to go up to a person and talk. Professors are busy. Make sure you email the person first. But before you do this, you have to know what he does. Basically, prepare.</p>
<p>If he doesn’t reply, give enough time before sending your second email, or even third email. If the person still doesn’t return a response, you may go visit him. You should contact the person as soon as possible. Do this as early as possible. Best time is after the final, and during the summer time.</p>
<p>Go talk to the prof. Some offer opportunities to students because they like those students, while others do so because those students are smart (eg. top 3 marks in one of the hardest courses in the program, taught by that same prof).</p>