<p>How hard is it to get research opportunities in a lab you're interested in? Do you hafta compete with grad students much? I mean obviously you do...but I just want to know if I'm screwed for not having done research in high school...</p>
<p>There are many, many opportunities. </p>
<p>Don't worry. It gives you a leg up but there are many spots for bright, proactive students.</p>
<p>yay! I hope I count as one of them haha. I am dreaming to get research as early as freshman year and keep it up til the end.</p>
<p>No, it's easy to research. In fact, the Stanford physics dept. has lots of money to give out for summer interships (I'm sure there's similar programs in other departments) - they don't really care what you've done, they just want to give every physics student a chance to participate. I'm a relatively inexperienced freshman, and I secured an internship at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and also got one from the Stanford geophysics dept. And doing research doing the school year is possible, too (haven't really looked into it) - but don't do it freshman year. Too much on your plate already, and there's plenty of other years to get good research experience.</p>
<p>I've just became manager of one of the labs in the Stanford Medical Center. We're going to be putting up intern applications around June; from my experience applying originally as an intern, it's not very difficult. Just show that you're extremely interested in data collection and the research. We also offer work study and internship credit for humbio majors (unsure if it applies for other majors).</p>