marz Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'm a first year student and I got a research position at st. mikes in neurology. My question is - how much do they really expect me to know? I'll really have no previous experience of neuroanatomy or neurophysiology.... I don't want to walk in there looking like a total fool .... Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OIC Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 You are expected to have next to zero useful lab knowledge. However, you are also expected to be ready and willing to learn and put in significant effort. Thats about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rar Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I would read some relevant papers, textbook chapters on the topic beforehand. It would definately help you out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marz Posted January 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 at the time of my application, they asked for research interests .. i kinda just wrote whatever sounded interesting to me... do they really expect a first year to have developed specific research interests??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curi0user Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 at the time of my application, they asked for research interests .. i kinda just wrote whatever sounded interesting to me... do they really expect a first year to have developed specific research interests??? Wrote? you sent an email to the PI? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp.mylittlepwny Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 You are expected to have next to zero useful lab knowledge. However, you are also expected to be ready and willing to learn and put in significant effort. Thats about it. ^that was pretty much how I went into my first lab position. Have been asked back subsequently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OIC Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Nah, you aren't expected to have very specific interests. Being in first year, so far your exposure has been general and not specialized. That being said, you should have broader areas of interest and you may decide to pick a couple of these areas and explore them further when answering that question. When I worked in a virology lab after first year, I had no idea what was going on because I had zero molecular biology or microbiology lab experience, but they know that you are missing key knowledge and you get the support you need. Having worked in several labs as an undergraduate and now graduate student, I can tell you that you aren't expected to be fully independent as a first year student. You will most likely be under direct supervision of a graduate student and you will likely not have to develop original ideas. You need to be able to follow instruction and know when to ask questions. Other than that, just enjoy the experience and soak it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgt.pepper Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'm a first year student and I got a research position at st. mikes in neurology. My question is - how much do they really expect me to know? I'll really have no previous experience of neuroanatomy or neurophysiology.... I don't want to walk in there looking like a total fool .... Any thoughts? paid? (10 char) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 i asked my first pi after a course when i ran into him in a cafeteria, i had actually swore at him after an exam a few months earlier, but he was a weird guy and was pretty unprofessional, he use to ask me to "clean the lab for a couple hours" for a weeks work (i started working for him in a research class) and he'd tell me to help myself to the booze fridge, which was always pretty stacked... easiest a's i ever got ditto with my nsercs, i just asked a prof after class, and she said sure, if i got the award, profs always love cheap labor... believe me, unless they're a superstar with a 4 million dollar budget to study prions people love to have you so just get a good mark in someones class and get to know them in the class, then ask them after the class is over if u can work in their lab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 just read a basic intro text to neuro and you'll be fine, i'm assuming you're prob gonna get a scholarship so you're practically free labor, so they prob just want enthusiasm some students have research interests from undergrad, my friend did a year work internship doing stroke research on mice in a psych lab for example, so he'd prob have some particular interests, i don't think it matters that much in the end though at the time of my application, they asked for research interests .. i kinda just wrote whatever sounded interesting to me... do they really expect a first year to have developed specific research interests??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 If you know your PI, it's probably a good idea to read up on their latest publications to get a general idea about what they do in the lab, what they're currently researching etc... But all that is just to be up to date and to impress the PI, and not necessarily required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedPen Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'd say show up on time, be courteous (clean your work area, do not leave dirty glassware lying around the lab, borrow people's stuff without returning it etc...), be willing to do whatever they assign to you, and ask questions when you don't understand. The one thing you definitely shouldn't do is pretend you know how to do something when you don't: no one will be think less of you if you admit you don't know (you're supposed to not know) but they will be pissed if you say you do when you don't and screw it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Having worked in several labs as an undergraduate and now graduate student, I can tell you that you aren't expected to be fully independent as a first year student. You will most likely be under direct supervision of a graduate student and you will likely not have to develop original ideas. You need to be able to follow instruction and know when to ask questions. Other than that, just enjoy the experience and soak it in. I'd say show up on time, be courteous (clean your work area, do not leave dirty glassware lying around the lab, borrow people's stuff without returning it etc...), be willing to do whatever they assign to you, and ask questions when you don't understand. The one thing you definitely shouldn't do is pretend you know how to do something when you don't: no one will be think less of you if you admit you don't know (you're supposed to not know) but they will be pissed if you say you do when you don't and screw it up.+1 to both of these posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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