<p>I e-mailed a professor asking if I could work his his lab, and went and spoke to him yesterday. He said he would gladly welcome me, but that I'd be working under/for a graduate student. He expects about 10 hours of work each work (unpaid, I'm guessing) and he also said that this lab isn't a short term project, meaning that I can't just work for a year and then bail... so it seems as if I'm expected to work there for the next 4 years, basically. That's the part I'm iffy about- it seems too long a commitment. However, this opportunity is so readily available to me that I'd feel stupid not taking it.
Based on what you know about undergraduate research here at Cal, would you say this situation is pretty standard?</p>
<p>I would say that most professors will be looking for around 2 years of commitment.</p>
<p>well you could always join…he cant really keep you bound without a paid contract anyhow, im guessing.</p>
<p>but if you do bail early after acepting the position (implying you’ll stay for 4 year), i dont think he/she would be pleased to write you any rec letters for grad school. might wanna keep that in mind.</p>
<p>I definitely think the a four year commitment is rather rare and intense. May I ask if you are only a freshman? I think you should definitely find out more about the research - the time commitment, the amount of work you will be doing, the type of work, the topic of the research itself. It’s a great opportunity to have. But i feel like it would be rather counterproductive if you ended up with something that you are not passionate about at all. </p>
<p>Either way. It’s ultimately up to you. And I agree with Waiting4College, bailing out on a professor will definitely leave him a bad impression. Be wise and proceed tactfully if it absolutely came to it. And if you end up letting this opportunity go, I am sure there will be plenty more, especially for bright student like you who are willing to take initiative.</p>
<p>Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>You should take it. I thought I was interviewing for just a summer position 2 years ago, but I’m still in that lab and will be until I graduate. I started off working with other people, but got an independent project that I got to help design and now I’m almost finished with it. I’d say experience like that is worth a lot more than switching around multiple labs. Be happy you got this offer and take it!</p>
<p>Yes, I am a freshman. I am quite interested in the overarching topic of research that the professor is conducting, like as in the “big picture” but I wouldn’t say it’s something I’m totally passionate or knowledgeable about. I’d love to learn about it though.</p>
<p>That’s why I feel like it would be stupid of me to decline this position seeing as how it’s rare for freshmen to find long term research.</p>
<p>I don’t know how meaningful it will be. I feel like I’m going to be assigned menial tasks in the beginning, I was too intimidated to ask the professor if I was just going to be like their lab janitor, just washing dishes and such. I think it’ll probably depend on the type of grad student I’m paired up with, huh?</p>
<p>I’m going to be working under a graduate student, instead of directly under the professor, but I’m sure in time I could work my way up. </p>
<p>It’s just that the professor’s warning of commitment and how long she expects me to work with her scares me off, because what if I end up hating it…lol. </p>
<p>I’d love to hear from other students who have worked in labs as undergrads! What were your experiences like?</p>
<p>if you are undergrad, especially freshman, you will never start off working alone, as in directly under the prof.
Grad students really are great bridges between you and the prof, and I think what’s more important is whether the subject/research topic of the lab is of interest to you </p>
<p>for example, if you hate math but ended up in some lab where you have to do a lot of calculations (yes they do happen even in bio/chem labs), you would be miserable for a long time</p>
<p>Also, you are not getting paid (almost no one is, until they have good amount of experience and coursework - I haven’t heard of freshman getting paid to work in lab right away), but you might be able to get course credit - so talk to your advisor about that</p>
<p>Of course you will be assigned to menial task. You are undergrad. and you are freshman. Everyone starts at bottom, and not just start doing rocket science. You are at the bottom of the research ladder. Face it.
There are undergrads - grads (which divide into masters/phd) - postdoc - profs (diff levels)</p>
<p>at the bottom is undergrad - and you are at the bottom of the bottom. You shouldn’t be complaining about doing menial task. You might be the brightest kid in your gen chem class, but that really has no meaning when it comes to lab settings.</p>
<p>I’d take it if I were you. You said it was around 2 year committment. If it really doesn’t work out, you can move starting junior year. However, you will at least have the 2 year experience which will give you a great edge over others, and help you land position in lab of choice.
Freshman and sophomore often are not the first pick for the labs and profs, and rather than waste that time, use it wisely and gain the experience if it is something that you’re interested in, even if not passionate.</p>
<p>You are SO LUCKY to be offered a research position in your 1st year. Many professors turn away freshmen because they haven’t taken too many related classes yet. </p>
<p>I would say work 1.5 years for the Grad student then decide if you want to stay in that position. (Most professors want sophomores and above, so it’s not to your disadvantage if you stay till then).</p>
<p>What field is this research under?</p>