How to Find a UROP?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>I'm a freshman interested in doing a UROP in computational biology, preferably by the time the spring semester rolls around. If any of you have experience with UROPing...</p>

<p>-On average, how many professors do you have to contact in order to get an affirmative response?
-Is it hard for a spring-semester freshman to find a research position in a specific lab (ie. not Media lab, but like a normal lab with a single PI)?
-Are there certain courses you have to take in your major that you have to take before a professor in your department will take you?</p>

<p>Also, a lot of labs seem to have complex application processes for prospective members (ie. three references, list of publications, and a couple of paragraphs about what you can contribute and why you want to work there). Is this just for grad students? I've never published anything in my life...What specifically would I need to apply for a UROP position?</p>

<p>And finally, I've heard that there are interviews involved. How intense are these? Are they going to quiz me over experimental procedures?</p>

2

<p>On average, how many professors do you have to contact in order to get an affirmative response?</p>

<p>Your mileage may vary, but for me it took about 10 emails as a 1st semester freshman and 2 emails this summer as a rising sophomore to get an interview.</p>

<p>-Is it hard for a spring-semester freshman to find a research position in a specific lab (ie. not Media lab, but like a normal lab with a single PI)?</p>

<p>No, it’s very easy, actually.</p>

<p>-Are there certain courses you have to take in your major that you have to take before a professor in your department will take you?</p>

<p>Sometimes it can help if you’ve taken a lab course or some specific class related to the research discipline, but it’s by no means required. I got multiple offer before I took any classes at all at MIT.</p>

<p>Also, a lot of labs seem to have complex application processes for prospective members (ie. three references, list of publications, and a couple of paragraphs about what you can contribute and why you want to work there). Is this just for grad students? I’ve never published anything in my life…What specifically would I need to apply for a UROP position?</p>

<p>These are definitely not for UROPs. Usually you send an email describing your interest and your CV, and that’s plenty.</p>

<p>And finally, I’ve heard that there are interviews involved. How intense are these? Are they going to quiz me over experimental procedures? </p>

<p>Interviews for UROPs tend to be formalities, where the PI is trying to confirm that you’re not a sketchball, basically. Exceptions are advertised UROPs, which are actually like job interviews. If you cold-emailed a PI and they want to interview you, you are very likely to be offered a UROP with them.</p>

<p>Also, you should read this, it’s pretty accurate:
[How</a> to get a UROP | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/how_to_get_a_urop]How”>How to get a UROP | MIT Admissions)</p>

<p>If you have any other questions, I’ll try to answer. I <3 UROPs!</p>

3

<p>

It only took me one email to one professor, but I had worked in the field (also computational biology) before so this is an extreme. I have friends who experienced the other extreme, emailing professor after professor for weeks, maybe even months, with no positive result.</p>

<p>

It depends on the lab, your skills set, and what that lab is looking for. Your specific experience will depend very much on your specific situation.</p>

<p>

If you’re hoping for a biology UROP, the PI might like you to have taken 7.02, the wet lab class. Otherwise, some professors might like you to have programming experience, maybe in a specific language.</p>

<p>

If you got this from a grad school application, it was probably just the grad school application. You’re not in grad school, so it doesn’t apply to you. In particular I’ve never heard of a UROP requiring references. At most you’ll need to submit a CV/resume.</p>

<p>

Probably not. My interview seemed to be largely to determine my level of interest and to get to know me.</p>

<p>It might be useful for you to check out [MIT</a> UROP: Current Research - Project Openings](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/urop/research/openings.html]MIT”>http://web.mit.edu/urop/research/openings.html) to get an idea of what’s expected from a UROP student. Note that your project does not have to come from this list–my UROP was not posted here. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>

For the record, this is almost certainly not even for graduate students (who must apply to an MIT PhD program, not to a specific lab), but for postdoctoral fellows. Neither undergrads nor grad students would be expected to have publications.</p>

5

<p>Many moons ago when I was a student, I got a UROP position. I took a look at the IAP offerings and found a “seminar” type class that I found interesting. It was a small group of interested students with two professors teaching it (along with a few grad and post grads). I, along with several other undergrads, got to know the professors during the seminar and it blossomed into a full blown UROP project and ultimately a NASA research contract under one of the professors.</p>

<p>While not a guaranteed way to go, I’m sure similar paths to UROP positions can be had.</p>

6

<p>

</p>

<p>It helps to be willing to take any UROP as a freshman, rather than to hold out for the ideal research opportunity. It also helps to go in during office hours to talk with a professor face-to-face. The student’s advisor can also be a useful resource. Finally, many UROP positions require some programming experience, so it’s important to gain some early on.</p>

7

<p>^True. But a lot of people also seem to recommend that staying with one lab is more productive than merely jumping around every semester. That’s why I would rather wait and start in the spring if it means I can have more options.</p>

<p>Does it help if I choose to take credit instead of being paid?</p>

8

<p>How you’ll be paid us something you would discuss with the professor - you don’t need to bring it up yourself. It’s not inherently preferable to take a student who works for credit, as some labs have dedicated funding for undergrads, and you can always apply for money from the UROP office anyway.</p>

9

<p>Is there a difference between whether your professor is an institute professor or an assistant professor?</p>

<p>I heard that you’ll get more attention if your mentor is an assistant professor, but you’re more likely to get published if your mentor is super famous?</p>

<p>Which one is more likely to accept you into their lab?</p>

10

<p>Assistant professors are generally younger, and it’s not unusual for an assistant professor to spend more time at the bench and with students than a tenured professor. Of course, it’s not universally true, and you’d get more reliable information by asking individual professors how often they meet with their trainees or (better) asking members of their labs how hands-on their mentors are.</p>

<p>To paint with very broad strokes, tenured professors tend to have more money and be better-established in their fields, while pre-tenure professors tend to have less money and be more interested in upending the established order. But all of the professors at MIT are outstanding enough to have been offered jobs at MIT – as an undergrad, it’s not going to make a great deal of difference whether the lab you work in is super-famous or merely famous.</p>

<p>As a side note, please do not ask a professor during an interview whether you will be published if you do work in his/her lab. It would be reasonable to ask whether that professor has a policy of awarding authorship to undergrads, but do not ask whether you specifically will be published.</p>