What To Do With Winter Break

Winter Break is fast approaching and with the new spring semester just around the corner, many pre-meds (especially freshmen as well as those who are new to the pre-med track) may wonder how so many students are able to get research and volunteer positions so successfully.

How to go about getting a research position

Professors are busy people. Their inboxes are flooded with important e-mails, so the chances of them responding back to an e-mail from a student whom they don’t know are very slim.

Earlier in the semester, I spoke with my faculty advisor, Dr. James Collins, about the dilemma I was in. I had e-mailed several professors, hoping one would get back to me about a possible research position. And when one did reply back saying he had a position available, I was ecstatic. But when the new semester approached, he suddenly notified me saying that he did not have any research projects that I could work on. Thus, I was back to square one.

Important advice that Dr. Collins gave to me was that professors know when you are mass e-mailing to try to get research. Many students will try to send the same e-mail to many professors all at once and see which ones reply back. However, you should try to really look into the 3 or 4 labs that you are genuinely interested in and ask the professors if you can stop by and maybe have them talk with you about their projects. This way, they’ll know that you are genuinely interested and are serious about research. This leads to the next piece of advice that Dr. Collins gave me. The point of research is not to get recommendations from faculty. If you don’t enjoy research, don’t do it. Professors are sometimes wary of undergraduates working in labs because some students are unaware that it is a long term commitment. Labs want undergraduates who are willing to sacrifice several hours a week, for many years (sometimes, until you graduate).

So, with all of this said, how am I supposed to find a research lab?

If you are taking a class and you really enjoy the professor, you can ask if they have a research lab. Most science professors also do research on the side so you are bound to find one. If you find his or her research interesting, perhaps you can go in during office hours and speak with them about a possible research project.

But if you don’t want to go this route, you can search for labs here: http://www.honors.ufl.edu/apps/ResearchDB.aspx/. These labs are on this list for a specific reason: they are looking for students to work with them. Take advantage of this and start browsing through this list to see if any are of interest to you. E-mail them and explain to them why you are interested in their specific field or area of science.

And if you want to take research further and are interested in possibly participating in the HHMI Science for Life Program in the future, you can look for labs here: http://sfl.aa.ufl.edu/idh3931/mentorlist/index.php. These mentors are looking for undergraduates who are willing to put in many hours a day to work on independent research projects. Again, e-mail them and explain why you are interested in their area of study. Make these e-mails as personal as possible. As Dr. Collins told me, don’t send general, nonspecific e-mails that you could send to any professor.

If you know a friend or classmate in a research lab, you can ask them if their mentor is looking for another undergraduate. I personally know of people who have gotten positions this way which is much easier and quicker than searching these databases yourself. But remember, don’t start in a lab just because you want research and they were the first to say yes. Choose one that you are genuinely interested in!

Which volunteer organization do I get involved with? There are so many!

Pre-meds, Shands is not the only place to volunteer at. A lot of people are under the impression that pre-meds have to volunteer at Shands because of the hospital setting but there are a ton of other opportunities out there.

If you have not subscribed to the CLS list-serv (http://www.leadershipandservice.ufl.edu/index.php), do it soon. I subscribed when I was a freshman just because I was so overwhelmed by the number of community service opportunities that UF and Gainesville offered but their e-mails are organized pretty well. They always update you on which service organizations are looking for help and provide e-mail address and phone numbers of those organizations (I found my current volunteer position through the CLS list-serv!). A database is provided here as well (http://www.leadershipandservice.ufl.edu/nonprofit-database.php) if you want to browse through some local non-profit organizations.

Note that you can also find great volunteer opportunities through on-campus clubs. You don’t need to directly contact the organization itself. There are many student organizations that are affiliated with local organizations such as Gators for Haven Hospice. Take advantage of this list provided by the Reitz Union: https://www.studentinvolvement.ufl.edu/StudentOrganizations/StudentOrganizationListing .

And of course, just asking around and seeing where friends or classmates volunteer at is also a way to get started. Maybe you’ll come across an organization that fits you just by attending a meeting or two with your friends. The advising/volunteering directors of pre-med AMSA are always available to help as well.

Written by: Christine Ho