Welcome to our Weekly Study Tip post! This week we're all about how to find a research job on campus.
You can check out our weekly YouTube video for some hints - we hope you find it helpful!
1. Get your Resume Ready
Make sure your resume is updated and you understand what kind of message you want to be sending in your cover letters (or outreach emails) to professors on campus - visit the Career Center during drop-in hours (2-4 Monday-Thursday in Math/Psych 201) or make an appointment with a counselor!
2. Do your Homework
Check out the research happening on campus by visiting the Biology and Chemistry (or other related field of interest) research webpages. Browse through these and make a list of all the labs that interest you -- a long list is best! Read about each lab and, if you have time, you can even check out some of their publications to reference in your outreach to these professors.
You can also visit office hours with a current or former STEM professor to ask them if they have advice on which labs might be looking for undergraduate research assistants. That's the best place to start!
3. Send your emails
Write a formal, professional email to each professor whose lab interests you, making sure to write a short paragraph introducing yourself (include major, career goal, research interests, why you're interested in working in a lab, and any relevant coursework), and then write a longer paragraph about why you want to work in their lab in particular. Reference some things you read on their research websites and/or in their publications! Make sure to be polite and explain that you know they might not be taking undergraduate research assistants, but you're just reaching out to see.
You might get loads of replies, but you might only get a few! Don't bother folks who don't reply with lots of persistent nudges, but keep casting your net wide. All research experience is good experience.
This Week with CNMS Advising:
Monday 4/1
2-3 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with CHEM101 focus
Tuesday 4/2
11:30-12:30 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with BIOL141 focus
2:30-3:30 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with BIOL302 focus
Wednesday 4/3
11-12 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with BIOL142
12-1 - URCAD Scavenger Hunt workshop with pre-health advising in TLC (UC115)
3-4 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with CHEM102 focus