Should I find a different lab for undergraduate research position?

Student Lounge College Life
1

Hi,
so I am currently a freshman majoring in computer science. I am working at a lab that deals with AI and I find the general focus of the lab to be very interesting. However, I am concerned because I am working with a group of all undergraduate students, where we meet once a week, and we only meet with the professor/graduate students for advice around once a month, and our group is also expected to compose our own research question. Thus far, I feel that the timeline for our project has not been very well-structured and the amount of support we get from the professor and graduate students is very limited. Since we are all undergrads and relatively inexperienced in research, coming up with a research question has been especially difficult.

In high school, I worked at a simulation lab where I would go to the lab regularly for about 15-20 hours each week (instead of meeting just once a week) and I basically assisted a graduate student in his work. Thus, I was able to ask questions and seek guidance any time I was at the lab.

At this point, I am wondering if I should consider quitting my current AI lab position and find another lab, since I would much prefer to have much more guidance from graduate students/the professor like I did in the simulation lab. Most of my friends who do research (most are in biology labs) go to their lab for around 15 hours each week and have direct support from graduate students. However, I also heard that most other computer science laboratories all have similar situations for undergraduates as my current AI lab, where most of the work is not done in a set location and support is limtied.

What are you guys’s opinion on this? Do you think I should try to find a different lab that would offer more support? Do you have any experiences with CS labs that you are willing to share? Is the amount of support given by the faculty similar in your lab?

Thanks!

2

I think 20 hours/week is a lot as a freshman college student.
However, this group doesn’t seem like the right one for you either.

3

I’d switch labs.

4

I’d also advise switching labs. In my experience, this is an unusual setup, and as you’ve noted you don’t necessarily have a lot to learn from your undergraduate classmates. You should at least be meeting with a grad student or postdoc once a week or every other week or something.

5

Perhaps you could mention as a group that you would benefit from a grad student attending each meeting to offer direction and support, but otherwise you should find a different project.