<p>Thing is, I have emailed everyone on the Research Assistant list yet not one professor has replied back. Confused, I went to major advising where they laughed in my face and said it was too late to do anything.</p>
<p>My concern is that I only have 2 years here and grad school applications begin next fall. Without research experience or letters of rec, I cannot apply. How am I supposed build up my application if not one professor wants to give me a chance? Is there something else I can do @ Cal instead of JUST going to school? Does anyone have any recommendations or ideas (I'll clean up feces if I have to)?</p>
<p>Hey - so is this your second year, or third year?
Hmm, yeah, I’m not sure who you talked to in the psych major advising, but they can be pretty discouraging at times…lol.</p>
<p>Here’s my tip: email as many professors as you can who do research in the area that interests you… but it is true that most post-docs/ grad students look for research assistants in the beginning of each semester.</p>
<p>Make something like a resume - including relevant courses you’ve taken, any other experience, and your interests. Then email 5-10 profs, wait for their response. If you don’t get anything this semester, just apply for positions next semester.</p>
<p>Also… you might want to look into taking a year off… tons of grad students have a gap year before they entered college, so they had more research on their app. good luck!</p>
<p>I dont think harassing your professors is going to get you anywhere. many of them already receive hundreds of emails per day. Adding to that load is just going to **** them off.</p>
<p>Anyway, I am a junior transfer. You’re right about the psych major advising people. The same lady gives me the nastiest looks and treats me coldly. Sometimes I feel like I am going to lose it and call her out on being such a ****.</p>
<p>Look at getting involved in a URAP project in the spring. Alternatively, does psych have a supervised independent research section? If so, see if one of your profs will act as your supervisor (This is how I started doing research and it led to more undergraduate opportunities for me). Make sure you did good work in their class before you approach them (grade of A or A-). Also, start getting your grant proposals in order for the spring deadlines (SURF, Haas Scholars, McNair, etc.). Getting one or more of these looks very good on apps. Go to research.berkeley.edu to see available opportunities…</p>
<p>yeah i know what you mean. i spent my entire summer in berkeley trying to secure a lab/research position and my sent email has like 80 emails sent to profs…with a reply rate of 10%-all of which were declines. i write a damn polished and polite email too-even read some of the abstracts of their publications and it got me nowhere i ask people all the time and they claim to have emailed 5 profs before getting offered a position and im not sure what im missing here either…</p>
<p>its weird cause psych always is looking for assistants too…</p>
i ask people all the time and they claim to have emailed 5 profs before getting offered a position and im not sure what im missing here either…</p>