<p>I'm currently a junior at Berkeley and I might not be able to do research this semester (3rd to last semester) and have never done research before. I do want to squeeze in a semester of research but was wondering if it would be too late to do it senior year. Wouldn't job apps, college apps, etc... take place at that time? Any suggestions at all about the timing of this would be appreciated. Perhaps I could do research over the summer? Do professors offer this at all? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>There are gigantic multitude of summer research programs, you just need to search them out. Practically every university has some sort of REU in something, I'd be surprised if Berkeley doesn't. Caltech has SURF, UIUC has materials REU's, Northwestern has nanotech REU's, and the list goes on to practically infinity (just google them).</p>
<p>You could try looking for research right now--the semester is still young. Just read up on several professors' research and inquire about any openings in their lab during their office hours. The important thing is to show that you're enthusiastic and are willing to work hard.</p>