<p>Hi i am currently a 3rd year electrical engineering student. i am thinking about doing 199 research this spring quarter (not sure if it's too late). i'm sure the other 199 research courses from other science departments are similar but what is the best way to find a professor and approach the professor. everytime i think about this, i am a bit scared because of my not so good gpa 2.9 (but going up). </p>
<p>i know that most people will say to show compassion and enthusiasm for their research area but i'm not sure what's the best way. i know i can't just go up to him/her and say that i am very interested. any advicee?</p>
<p>I doubt that they ask your GPA. As a research assistant, you do the ‘dirty jobs’ which are organizing data, making tables and etc. Before you talk to them, read their working papers or the published ones and ask questions so that they know that you are interested in research. I am assuming that you are thinking about graduate school, you better bring your GPA up. Please do not make any excuses like the professor was lazy and unorganized, the upper division classes are hard or whatever. Get the best grade you can get in rest of your classes. I say 9 out of 10 students who apply for graduate school will regret that they did not study as hard as they could.</p>
<p>well i’m not sure about graduate school yet. i actually think that the upper division classes are easier to learn then the lower divisions because they talk about subjects that are much more closely related to the major rather then just math or physics. just making sure though, are we talking about the 199 research course (in my case eecs199). what is the best way to choose a professor though? and how should i email him (as in the contents)? i know that i should read up on their research and publications but how would i link my questions to show that i want to do research with them rather then just answering my questions? i hope my questions don’t sound too superficial because i really do want to get into research and explore a field that i am passionate about.</p>
If they ask, tell them. Worst case scenario, they say bye. All you’ve done is waste 2 minutes of their (and your) time. </p>
<p>
Two ways to go about this:
Find professors who are doing research you’re interested in and ask them. If you like optics and stuff, maybe professor Boyraz would be interesting, for example. Signal processing, the new girl Anandkumar might be interesting. etc.
Find professors who have good reputations for mentoring undergraduates. The actual material you learn now isn’t that important. Its really about getting your feet wet learning. You can always change specializations in graduate school or when you apply for jobs.</p>
<p>Ideally, you would get a professor who fits both. </p>
<p>
It’s unlikely you’ll really understand their research on a technical level. And you probably don’t know anywhere near enough to be able to come up with unique and interesting questions. Look at their overall research and the particular projects they have going on. Just coming into their office with something to say about their research shows you’ve done some work and puts you head and shoulders above lots of other kids. </p>
<p>
I’m not sure how it goes in engr, but in the hard sciences (where I am), grades are not super important for graduate school. Above a 3.3 and you’re fine. The big factor is research experience and what professors say about you in the letters of rec.
Although I’ve heard this is way different for engr. Apparently, its uncommon for undergrad engrs to do research, so most people have to do research during their M.S. degree to advance for sure into the PhD program. The sheer number of classes, and senior design projects, seem to leave little free time for a senior thesis. (APPARENTLY).</p>
<p>a former uci student, jas0n, who is doing his PhD at UCLA (in ee) could probably shine more light if/when he comes around… and if PhDs matter to you.</p>
<p>EDIT: I didn’t realize you were at a 2.9. Most schools need you to be at least a 3.0 to even be considered…</p>
<p>Make an appointment through e-mail saying that you are interested in his/her working papers and have questions. (To show your passion, print out part of the working paper and highlight some stuffs that interests you). From there, visit 2 or 3 times (once a week) to make connections
Here are some general tips:
each meeting should be at most 15 minutes
do not send any emails longer than 5 lines</p>
<p>I am just giving an example so you do not have to follow this exactly…
first visit, ask questions about the research paper (make a reason to leave after 10 minutes i.e. you have a study appointment or somethinig)
second visit, ask if there is any research opportunity</p>
<p>You still have time. You need to concentrate on bringing your grades up first and foremost. Lighten your load and take as long as you need (beyond 4 years is ok). Try finding research next quarter and get better grades this quarter unless you are applying for graduate school right away. If you are, let me know. Please message me privately if you need more assistance. As flemmyd said, I graduated at UCI in EE and am now pursuing a MS/PhD at UCLA.</p>
<p>Havn’t looked at the other responses but anyhow, kevin have you had any classes where you were interested in the subject and got an A/B? The best way that I know of is just going up to a professor during their regular office hours, saying something along the lines of “hey, i was in your class i thought it was interesting…do you have any spots open in your lab?” and usually if you sound excited enough the professor will let you work with them. I havn’t heard of professors asking for transcripts yet, but if they ask about grades you can just tell them what you got in their class.
Oh and look up their papers / try to find out about their research before you approach them. It seems really intimidating at first but it’s not that bad at all.</p>
<p>When I wanted research I signed up for that professor’s advising session and during the advising session I brought up his research, which I looked up beforehand. He asked me to follow up and send my resume, which I did, and I ended up researching under him for about a year–I also did the SURP fellowship with him as an advisor too. It was a really good opportunity. </p>
<p>I recommend just looking up their research beforehand and then talking to the professor (maybe just email them to set up an appointment) to see if they’re interested in taking you on or if they even have room for more undergrads. Just bring along a copy of your resume/transcript in case they ask for it, they might not even need it.</p>