<p>is it easier for some fields than others?</p>
<p>for example, theoretical biology or some fields of applied math?</p>
<p>thanks
-alice</p>
<p>(oh and what if you're a student at ANOTHER university?) [in which case it's preferably to do research with profs in that other university if possible, but there might be profs at caltech i might be interested in]. I can't apply for surfs this year</p>
<p>Not hard. You're free labor!</p>
<p>If getting paid by SURFing is not that hard, I imagine volunteering can't harder</p>
<p>I had no trouble, either when I was a chemist or (after I saw the light) when I was an economics major. When I was a chemist it was for credit, in econ i did one year for credit, one year for cash</p>
<p>I think very hard. I am a prof at a school that is not CalTech. I get TONS of requests for volunteer researchers, and its just more of work for me (few students are qualified to help me so I would have to train them and I already have graduate students for that). Labor is plentiful and free is meaningless in this context.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at Caltech, and I had no problem getting a research position at the end of my first term here. I had no research experience up until that point, and really had never had a job before, but they took me on anyways. After volunteering for about a month, I decided to find out if I could get work-study credit for my research. Now, as a second-term freshman, I'm actually getting paid to do research at Caltech. And, I'm applying to turn my project into a SURF for this summer. It's really great stuff. </p>
<p>At Caltech, all you have to do is ask and show enthusiasm. Most of the profs here figure that if you're smart enough to get into Caltech, you're smart enough to work under them. </p>
<p>In response to starbright's concern, yes, I was a bit of a burden on my mentor for the first month. However, now that I'm more familiar with the lab and procedures, they consider me an asset, as I require very little oversight in order to actually get things done. I'm also beginning to actually be able to contribute intellectually to the project. Regardless, the postdoc I'm working with is very thankful to have someone to divide the labor with when we're going through LB plates, picking out 800 mutants. =P</p>
<p>Wow, sounds like you're having a great time at CalTech. Didn't know you could be so positive about things like research. </p>
<p>Nah, just kidding.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how one can get an unpaid volunteer position under a prof if they're in high school? Is that even possible?</p>
<p>Thanks, flux</p>
<p>You can try e-mailing a professor whose work you're interested in directly. They may be able to refer you to any programs they're affiliated with. If that doesn't work, try calling the admissions desk and start asking around from there. If you live nearby, stopping into the admissions office would be an even better bet.</p>
<p>"Does anyone know how one can get an unpaid volunteer position under a prof if they're in high school? Is that even possible?"</p>
<p>This is not unusual. My DD did just that. She email a professor at Caltech and initiated her research through correspondence.
She end up with a co-authorship of a paper in Science in about a year while still in high school. The paper was selected as a top 50 technology achievement of 2007 by Scientific American.</p>
<p>
[quote]
This is not unusual. My DD did just that. She email a professor at Caltech and initiated her research through correspondence.
She end up with a co-authorship of a paper in Science in about a year while still in high school. The paper was selected as a top 50 technology achievement of 2007 by Scientific American.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thanks, I'll try emailing some profs. Do you send them a resume, qualifications, etc. also with the email?</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>"Do you send them a resume, qualifications, etc. also with the email?"</p>
<p>Sure, unless the professor already heard of you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Do you send them a resume, qualifications, etc. also with the email?
[/quote]
My advice is to NOT attach your r</p>
<p>When I was sending emails applying for SURFs/Space Grants I attached my resume (and I got a Space Grant). I do not think this is too forward; it saves them the time of having to ask for your resume. But for a volunteering job, it might be kind of different, since they don't have to choose somebody to PAY.</p>
<p>About volunteering in a lab as a high school student--I've been doing that for 2 years now, and I know several (>5) others who also are (weirdly enough, they are all girls...). It's a great experience, especially now that I have an independent project my prof assigned me. I suppose it depends on the institution. The university I am at is a fairly standard public university, so I just emailed the department I was interested in and a professor replied. I'm hoping I can continue research at Caltech. Although I asked one of the info session leaders and he said that techers rarely research during the school year due to the massive amounts of classwork. Is this true?</p>
<p>If you really want to do research you should be able to find the time for it, perhaps by taking a lighter courseload than some. I think the problem is that some people sign up for a bunch of classes first, then realize that they don't have time for research after taking 54 units. I know several people that have done academic year research, myself included.</p>