<p>should i start looking now? or can i wait until class starts to find jobs to be a research assistant? would there still be a lot of job openings?
i'll be a freshman in fall and have no experience whatsoever outside my chem and bio class in hs.
if i do find a job as the research assisant, how much will i be paid usually in general?</p>
<p>Wow, I just realized how many questions you have :p</p>
<p>You should start looking for a prof ASAP. I don't know if there are many openings, but keep looking around and e-mailing professors and whatnot. Of course, you should only e-mail professors whom you're intersted in. Check out their websites, see what they do, etc.</p>
<p>However, once you get on campus, go visit the professors in person, because it's sooo easy to say "no" to an email but it's harder to say "no" to someone who showed the desire by coming in person.</p>
<p>Some professors might want you to complete a specific course before you start, in which case you should complete the course and then go visit again if you have your heart set on that prof.</p>
<p>Of course, if the prof says "complete fluid mechanics and then come back," well, that might be a polite and subtle message to not come back until you're a grad student or something since most people, if they're going to take it, don't take fluid mechanics until their 3rd year or so.</p>
<p>Don't worry about the pay, but I can tell you it's gonna be crappy.</p>
<p>Instead, you should sign up for a research course (variable credits). It's an easy A provided you do everything your supervisor (grad student or post doc, or if you're lucky the professor) asks of you.</p>
<p>if you want to do research, expect to devote at least 6 hours/week to it. </p>
<p>It might be hard to find as a first semester freshman, but if you look early in the semester (which you are) you might be able to. Paid is even harder to find (if you have work-study money it's not as bad) but if you do it for credit and not paid, it's easier to find a professor. </p>
<p>If you're serious about finding a lab, look through the cornell website and find 15-20 (or more?) labs that interest you. Write them a well-thought email, like a cover letter introducing yourself, and saying why you want to work in their lab. Attach a resume highlighting any relevant experience and/or classes.</p>
<p>Since you dont have experience, if you dont find a lab, maybe next summer volunteer in a lab (here or at home) so next year you can add that (and a reference) to your resume.</p>
<p>the closest and easiest way to get into research positions is by starting as being test tube cleaners (basically)...</p>
<p>i know at least 3 persons who've done this lap-helper type stuff..</p>
<p>I've worked at a lab in the vet school since last October...so here's my experience.</p>
<p>What I did was go to the Student Employment Services website and browse job listings. At the beginning of each semester and at the start of the summer, there will be plenty of job postings, including some from labs around campus; of course, often these refer more to glassware work than actual research. That's how I got into it...with the option of taking on a project on the side, which I eventually did.</p>
<p>I think it's a great thing to get involved in. Cornell is a research institution; to only take classes is to ignore a large part of the university itself. And the sense of community, especially where I work, is amazing. It's very easy to feel lost in a school as big as Cornell...this is one way to make it seem much smaller and more personal.</p>
<p>I have found that the easiest way to get a research job is to browse faculty profiles in your field of interest, find the professor who is completing research that interests you, and then read a bunch of their journal articles and related articles. Once you are prepared, email the professor and tell him that you read a few of his articles and what specifically interests you about his field of research. Be direct and say you would like to meet to discuss his research and any opportunities in his lab or in a related field of his collegues. </p>
<p>This worked for me in hs, for a summer internship, and at Cornell. It shows confidence, commitment, and your willingness to learn. Not everything will work, but if you email 4 or 5 professors you should get at least one offer. Also talk to your advisor and see if they need a student to help in their lab. </p>
<p>It seems as if a lot of vet school professors are looking for assistance from what I have seen, so if you are premed think about branching out of CAS and CALS, etc.</p>
<p>Don't look for research until the end of the first semester. That is what advisors will tell you. I don't think many professors will let a first semester freshman work in their lab unless you have college credit in the department and/or previous research experience.</p>