By: Monique "Kiki" Bispo
When you have figured out what line of work you want to go into, or at least what field of study you’d like to pursue, ask a professor in that field if they know of any possible research you could get involved in. Many times you will get referred to another professor. If you don’t personally know of any professors, just do a search on-line or through a school catalog and find one. Most schools have on-line links to professors that even include what exactly they have studied and what type of research they are involved. This is a very beneficial link. Look through a number of professors and find one, or a couple, who are doing research in the type of material you’d like to study. Again, if you can’t find anyone, just pick a professor from the department and they can refer you to someone else. The easiest way to do this though is to contact a counselor in the department. They will probably have many sources for you to go to.
Another good resource for research is an actual research program. Most colleges and universities have actual research programs that can hook you up with the specific type of research that you want to do. You will have to do some searches on your campus to find these groups. Again, the easiest way is to talk to a counselor.
Once you have found a professor, make contact. E-mail or a phone call to their lab/office may be the best options for a first attempt. In either discussion, give a brief account of yourself (e.g., “Hi my name is Kiki, I am a 2nd year student here at UCLA, majoring in Psychobiology.). Then, mention that you are interested in starting some research. If you already know what they research, mention that you know that they do that particular research and it is of interest to you. If you don’t know what type of research they conduct, you can always say what you are interested in. If you don’t know exactly what you’re interested in, mention that at the time, you don’t know exactly what you’d like to go into, but would like to start getting involved in research for experience and to help you find your interest. Provide them with contact information. If you need money, look for research positions that pay. If you can afford to volunteer, then mention that. Of course, you can always discuss this more once you meet.
An important point to make is that you are not confined to do research only at your college/university. Explore your options. It doesn’t hurt to build connections with other institutes. Also, sometimes the type of research you’d lie to conduct doesn’t exist at your school, but may at another. Most schools will be glad to have you help them out; they are usually not bias. Besides, experience is experience, no matter where it comes from. It is the type of work that you do and how hard you work that really matters.
It’s also very important to know that you are not restricted to do research in your field of study. If you are an arts major (e.g. English, History, Dance) you can still conduct research in science, and vice versa. Just make sure that you convey to the professor that while your major is in one field, you have interests outside of that. However, be aware that certain types of research require prior knowledge, classes, or skills, so this can restrict you. Don’t limit yourself though; don’t assume you won’t be prepared to do research. Talking with the professor/researcher will help. If you need more experience, they will tell you and you can go seek it, then go back to have another try at the research.
There is also the option of work study. This is for students who have financial aid. You can conduct research or work for a professor and you can either earn course credit or receive money for tuition. Check with your institution and ask a counselor or professor for more information.
Research can provide you with many benefits: it can enhance the material you are learning; it can build your interest in a particular field, or make you realize that it’s not what you are interested after all and you can move on to another field. Get the experience though! It’s more beneficial than it sounds and not boring! Research doesn’t always mean going to the library and reading countless books and articles. Research includes working in labs (of all sorts), doing fieldwork (going out into the community or other field of work and conducting experiments or making observations), attending seminars, and working with others in all sorts of environments. Most importantly, research provides you a lot more than you would get from simply reading a book or sitting through a lecture. As well, employers always prefer those with previous experience, and graduate and medical schools also hold experience high. So, do yourself a favor and research!