<p>Is it hard is it to get research opportunities the summer after freshman year (specifically, in CS)? I'm concerned because it seems difficult because you won't have gotten to know professors AT ALL (in 400 person lectures...), and you won't have had very much depth in CS either.</p>
<p>If I can't get research, is it really competitive to get internships for that same summer? I imagine you'd be competing against 25k undergrads...</p>
<p>No, and no.</p>
<p>You can get some research experience the summer BEFORE your freshman year if you really wanted to (which is what some of my friends and I did).</p>
<p>How did that happen?</p>
<p>It’s not at all difficult to participate in research over the summer but it is much more difficult to find a paid position.</p>
<p>I don’t know about research, but I don’t think attaining a paid internship is that hard (especially in CS), assuming you know your theory really well and have good interpersonal skills so that way you don’t mess up an interview or job test. Knowing my CS theory and being a good communicator was what I believe the only two reasons that I was picked for my software engineering internship last summer.</p>
<p>(Also your GPA should be decent obviously. Not necessarily a requirement but it is generally used as an indicator of concept mastery, especially at bigger companies, and gets you the chance to get the interview)</p>
<p>How do people get research position except for through URAP? If contact professors, then how do you FIND them??</p>
<p>I am especially curious as to how Foraminifera got research the summer BEFORE freshman year, given that you don’t know anyone yet.</p>
<p>there’s a summer internship program here.</p>
<p>You don’t have to know anyone to get research…you just have to email professors expressing an interest. It doesn’t matter if you are an incoming freshman; if you have read the professor’s entire website and a lot of his/her papers, are interested in learning about the subject, and are willing to work for free, at least initially, you have a very good chance of getting into the lab.</p>
<p>The best part about Berkeley is the insanely large number of professors. Getting an unpaid research position is cake.</p>
<p>If you want to be an unpaid research assistant, this isn’t too hard to find if you’re willing to work for the entire semester or two because free slave labors are always welcomed. However, you still need to take the time to apply and sell yourself. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if you are looking for paid internship over the summer at a reputable company and you’re not a CS, be prepared for disappointment after disappointment unless you have something outstanding about yourself that separates from others. I could put sexist comments or racist comments regarding this b/c I think it is true, but you get the idea.</p>
<p>I agree with UpMagic, it’s way easier to get internships if you are from a background considered “underrepresented in the sciences”</p>
<p>No, it’s easy, and if you’re intending to go to graduate school/pre-med it’s pretty much expected that you’ll be doing research throughout undergrad years.</p>
<p>For CS specifically, trend seems to be working at tech companies rather than doing research, but I imagine this is a case of preferences rather than a lack of opportunity.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you’ll probably get units rather than $$</p>
<p>For grad school, do they care if your research is paid or not?</p>
<p>No they don’t care if your research is paid or not. In most cases though, if you work at a place for long enough they’ll start paying you. </p>
<p>Let me post the emails I got TODAY from the MCB department about potential research/internship opportunities! I’m not going to post the details on here in case it isn’t meant to be public, but just so you all get an idea:</p>
<hr>
<p>To whom it may concern,
I am an assistant professor at UCSF, and was wondering if it would be possible to post on your listserv offering the opportunity to volunteer in the lab helping to work on a project over the summer. We have a variety of projects on understanding signaling and congenital disease using the mouse as a model. A more detailed description of my lab’s research interests can be found below. Interested students are welcome to email me directly.</p>
<p>Thank you for your help!</p>
<hr>
<p>Job Title: Medical Assistant</p>
<p>Job Qualifications: Enthusiasm, strong work ethics, leadership, desire for learning, observant, and compassion</p>
<p>Job Description: Busy and friendly solo ophthalmologist’s office seeking medical assistant. This is a FANTASTIC opportunity to get hands-on experience in the medical field and to explore a career in medicine! Interested assistants have the option to observe ophthalmic surgeries in the operating room. In the past, many assistants have listed the experience on their CV and obtained letters of recommendation for medical school applications.</p>
<p>Responsibilities include: eliciting medical histories, checking visual acuity, autorefraction, performing visual fields, answering phone calls, making appointments, and organizing medical records. </p>
<p>Job Duration: One year minimal</p>
<p>Number of openings: 1-2</p>
<p>Desired Start Date: May 2012</p>
<p>Salary Level: $11/hr</p>
<hr>
<p>Job Description:
_________ is seeking a bright and self-motivated intern with an
interest in medical devices and translational medicine. The intern will
be responsible for completing wet lab tasks and performing experiments
with bacteria and fungi. The right candidate will be able to drive the
project to a successful conclusion with minimal guidance, while seeking
information from the appropriate microbiology and clinical advisors to
fully constrain the problem and verify that objectives have been met.
Internship is for the summer (10-12 weeks of start-up immersion) and has
the potential to turn into a full-time position. Highly qualified
candidates may be offered full-time position immediately.</p>
<hr>
<p>We are looking to hire academic tutors who have a defined knowledge in one or
more of the following fields: math (algebra, geometry, trigonometry,
calculus), science (chemistry, physics, biology), history, English/writing
or study skills. Start date is late August/early September, though we may
have some demand between now and mid June 2012 as well if you are
available. Tutors may work between 6-40 hours per week. The tutors must
be able to make a commitment through mid June, 2013. The tutors must have
their own car. The pay starts at $20/hour.</p>