Guest sweetstuff25 Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 I'm in second year undergrad and planning to do a three year general science degree. I'm worried about not having enough experience before i apply for med next year (hopefully). it's quite intimidating to read the many ppl's post on how much experience/extacurricular they have for example athletics, volunteering, research..etc on top of school. so far the only thing i've done is volunteer at one hospital for three years but i'd like some advice on how to gain research experience. do i just ask any prof. at the univ. to see if they need any volunteers or do i talk to the dean..or what? i'm so confused...summers are so hectic cause i also take a buncha classes so dedicating 8hours a day isn't an option but volunteering for few hours is acceptable. someone please tell me how they get all these great experiences! 90% of researchers are looking for ppl WITH experience..but how do i gain that previous experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lactic Folly Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 Yes, you can just email professors whose work you're interested in.. you don't necessarily need much experience if you're willing to learn. You can also ask your current instructors for leads.. you might have to contact quite a few people to get some replies but that's ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve U of T Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 Some schools have summer undergraduate research programs through various departments or hospital research institutes. They give you a list of faculty members willing to take on a student, and often include a weekly lecture or seminar for all the students in the program, and the opportunity to do a poster presentation at the end. Take a look around your school, or the nearest university to where you'll be spending your summer for such programs. If you want to do summer research in Toronto, U of T's Institute of Medical Science has a great program that I've done for the past 2 years. The deadline is February 28, and most supervisors will have selected their students by now, but you may still be able to find one. You don't have to be a U of T student. Medical students are eligible for the IMS program too. The application form and supervisor list is available at www.library.utoronto.ca/i...summer.htm The profs listed have all expressed an interest in hiring a student, so they won't mind you emailing them. True, there are some profs that only hire students with experience, but there are others who specifically hire students with no experience, but have demonstrated academic potential. An A- average should be sufficient, although you may be able to get away with a B+. I recommend contacting as many profs as you can (although only if you're interested in the topic). There is also the Samuel Lunenfeld program through Mount Sinai and Sick Kids Hospitals, and a bunch of other programs through other departments that are similar. Those are the best ways to get started in research, but the competition is stiff (my supervisor told me he received over 170 emails for one position last summer), and most people started contacting potential supervisors in January. Still, it may not be too late for you. If you can't get a paid research position, I'd recommend looking for a volunteer position. In medical science research, the equipment and reagents often cost more than your salary, so volunteering may be a pretty expensive venture for the supervisor. Still, many profs would jump at the chance for free labour. I'd say you should go through the faculty list in a department that interests you. Read a few abstracts (and perhaps the methods section) of recent papers by a prof to get a feel for what they do in the lab, and then contact the prof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetstuff25 Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 WOW, U of T has undergrad summer research programs? i'm surprised a university puts there foot forward to provide research experience for undergrads, thats awesome. I would consider it but i'm kinda stuck in manitoba for summer classes. I will definetely consider applying next year. Too bad UofM doesn't have positions like such or if there is, it is pretty hard to find. >: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 007 Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 Hi, I've got several friends who volunteer in labs during the school year. Just approach any prof (they don't have to teach you necessarily) and say you're interested and they might be willing to take you on! I bet you could even get started on it now...maybe it will carry you through the summer, or you can pick it up again next year. Good luck! 007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetstuff25 Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 awesome, thanks to you all! i'm gonna go hunt down some profs ...in a good manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Adamanda Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 You may want to check out u of Ts Medical Biophysics summer research prgm -- it is great, I did it summer of third year and worked in a structural bio lab at the Ontario Cancer Institute. It pays about $1500/month. Not sure if application deadline has passed, info is avail at medbio.utoronto.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 0T6 Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 MBP is great, I was there last summer, but their deadline was a week ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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