<p>I am currently planning for college and am looking for a mentor and work in his research facility. I am only going into sophmore year next year, but I have already taken 3 AP courses and got 5s on all the tests last year (Biology, Statistics, Chemistry). Took the Chem and Bio SAT II and got 800s on both. Also, I am in a very selective magnet program that only allows 20 students of the ~500 than apply. They are heavily focussed on science, mathematics, and engineering/research. </p>
<p>Currently, I have only lab experience from school, but I am very interested in the research field. I have also read articles from journals of medicine and how people conduct experiments. I have compiled a list of possible local mentors whom I could do work with. I am planning to do community service in the facility they work in/have them be a mentor. I am very passionate in the research field and would like to use the recommendations from a research mentor for later college apps. I have the e-mails of these mentors whom, if they respond, I would probably do an interview with them. </p>
<p>Questions: </p>
<li><p>What exactly is a research mentor? Is it someone you work with in their facility or someone that is 1 on 1 with you and guides you to do an induvidual project or can it be either? I am planning to work with them in their lab. I know people that did this, so I probably won’t be doing anything exciting/useful, but so long as I can be there and watch them do it and gain insight from them, it is good enough for me.</p></li>
<li><p>How should I go about contacting them? What should I talk about? What approach do most people use, when they want to work with a researcher who could mentor them? Do I talk about my past experience, passion for research, credentials, etc.? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>I need to know this in the next few hours because I need to send this out ASAP to get early notice. Thank you to anyone that can answer. I REALLY appreciate it.</p>
<p>I wish I could help you. But since you're more accomplished than me (rising senior vs. rising sophmore) and I have no experience about research labs whatsoever, I will try to look it up for you.</p>
<p>Before sending the info, it would be a good idea to talk with others who have gotten research mentors to find out how the students got the mentors and what they did for the mentors, and how the mentoring worked.</p>
<p>This would be very wise to do before you send the e-mails because you should know what you're getting into and exactly what you want before you ask someone to do a favor for you, which is what a person would be doing who'd agree to be a mentor for you.</p>
<p>I talked with some upperclassmen in the same program, though it didn't go in that much detail. They said they did mostly odd jobs like spectating, pipetting, reading the information of what they did in the lab, etc. </p>
<p>To get one, they mostly mentioned talking about the curriculum that is oritented towards the research field that the mentor is in. I am looking for what else a mentor would want to hear, to make them consider me as their protege.</p>
<p>One of the other most important things you could do before sending the e-mails is read in depth about the research by the people whom you are considering asking to mentor you. Make sure that you read journal articles by them. Make reference to this in your e-mails, which should be individualized.</p>
<p>If you know students whom they have mentored, also make reference to your familiarity with what those students did, and your interest in doing something similar.</p>
<p>Include your resume highlighting academics and ECs that demonstrate your interest and skills in their field.</p>