Step 2. Land the Right Opportunity

Once you find research groups that you are interested in joining, you’ll need to start reaching out to professors either in-person or over email, whichever works best for you.

If you write an email, do not write a generic email saying, “Hi! My name is ____ and I’m interested in doing research with you. When can I start?” You’ll almost never get a response. You must put some time into this if you are serious about doing research. You can think of this process as being very similar to finding a job.

Here are the elements of a good email to a professor.

• Introduce yourself: “Hi, My name is _________.”
• State your purpose: “I am planning to go to grad school in chemistry and am looking to gain some research experience in a lab before I apply.” OR “I’m thinking about becoming a chemistry major and would really like to get involved with research in the department.”
• Give some background about your experience: “I’m a sophomore chemistry major with an overall GPA of 3.4, and a chemistry GPA of 3.8. I have taken 103/104 and am currently enrolled in 311 and 343.”
• Talk about your interests: “I’ve always been interested in polymers and would really like to understand their environmental impact.”
• List a specific project from the group that you’re interested in: “I saw on your website that you were conducting research with biodegradable co-polymers and would love to learn more about this project.”
• Ask if they are taking students: “Thus, I was wondering if you are taking any undergraduate researchers this semester.”
• Ask to set-up an appointment: “If so, may I set-up an appointment to further discuss your research and this opportunity?”
• Make sure to say thank you: “Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing back from you.”

Remember these points are guidelines. You can add your own personality and enthusiasm in your email, so arrange them however you see fit. Feel free to add any information that is particularly relevant to why you want to do research.

Professors are very busy and might miss your first email. If you don’t hear anything back in a week or two, try emailing again by replying to your previous email. This will show the professors that you are following up on a previous email.

Sometimes it helps if you know someone in the group who may be able to introduce you to the professor. If you have this opportunity, don’t be afraid to reach out to your network.

If you’ve followed up at least 2 or more times with no response, it might mean that the group is not currently taking students. Sometimes professors aren’t able to take research students due to insufficient funding, limited lab space, limited personnel/mentors, etc. Don’t take this rejection or non-response personally. Stay positive and move forward with your next choice.

Many research advisors will ask you to interview with either them, their group, or both, to ensure that you are a good fit for the group before formally inviting you to join their lab.

For a successful interview, keep the following in mind:

Before the Interview

• Review the website for the research group, including taking time to read a couple of their recently published papers. They won’t expect you to understand everything on their website/papers, but it is important that you have at least a basic level of understanding of what their research group does.
• Be prepared to answer typical interview questions such as why you want to do research with their group, what you hope to gain from conducting undergraduate research, how many hours you plan to commit to research per week, how many semesters you plan to stay in the lab, what you plan to do after you graduate and what made you interested in their group.
• Prepare at least 1-2 questions that you would like to ask – either about the group, the research, expectations, and so on. Consider asking about the expectations of undergraduate researchers in the group (time commitment, number of research credits you need to enroll in, type of work, level of independence, etc.) and who your direct mentor will be (professor, post-doc, graduate student, etc.).
• Print a copy of your unofficial transcripts and your resume to bring to the interview. Even if you have submitted them over email already, it is helpful for the interviewers to have a printed copy on hand for reference.

During the Interview

• Arrive early or on time to the specified location. Make sure you know what room you are going to ahead of time, so you don’t get lost on the day of.
• Be prepared to present the best side of yourself. You do not need to necessarily dress-up, but make sure you look like you really want the position (i.e. Do not wear pajama pants to the interview.)
• Show your enthusiasm for the research opportunity.

After the Interview

• Follow up with the interviewers (professor and/or anyone who was there) to thank them for their time and express your enthusiasm for the research opportunities.

For additional interviewing tips, please check out Successworks’s Preparing For Your Interview module.