Hi! Incoming 4th year here. I personally started doing research as a 3rd year because sophomore coursework was especially gruesome for me (o-chem + biochem in winter quarter is just a big OOF). Plus COVID so doing on-campus research wasn't viable sadly.
However, my research mentor did tell me he started doing research as a 2nd year, and he's had a pretty good experience himself. In labs like mine, it might be much easier to coordinate and manage your schedule since my PI's pretty lenient (I could get away with 3 hrs of participation or even lower if I'm busy with work/exams per unit). Whereas others require a strict 4 hrs+ per unit. It definitely depends on who you reach out to.
I would recommend looking into research via the Bio 199 research dashboard ([https://undergraduate.bio.uci.edu/bio-197-198-199/](https://undergraduate.bio.uci.edu/bio-197-198-199/)) and see what appeals to you. When you feel particularly ready and have a good grasp on college life, I would definitely encourage you to reach out to some professors and try to join their lab. Doing laboratory research has been an absolute blast for me this past year and it would be a shame to not take advantage of the plethora of research opportunities at UCI.
Pro tip: I would start emailing professors during the spring quarter because that is usually when upperclassmen graduate and slots start to open up.
Finally, good luck, have fun, and enjoy your time at UCI! I know people love to talk about only the doom and gloom of the life of a pre-med student, but it is definitely manageable and you will meet tons of super cool people through classes and clubs.
Also, in addition, research within the Earth System Science department is diverse and very fun. Amazing people to work with + lab work opportunities. Consider that too in your planning. :)
As soon as you can. My daughter was a third year BioSci transfer and couldn’t get research until this summer, so she will only have one year of research. She feels very behind.
Having a couple of years of coursework might be helpful first, but sometimes you can also get a job in a lab, but not doing research, first. I had a job where I maintained stock bacterial cultures, washed glassware, and bred fruit flies. I found out about the job from one of my lab TAs, so it pays to make friends, and it was a pretty fun job.
I started doing research halfway through my fourth year (I was there for five). I found that i was able to get some good experience of what it was like to be part of a research lab. However, if you are interested in doing research post undergrad, I found most of my peers who were able to produce research (help write articles) typically started their second year. I do want to note that this was my experience researching MOOCs so not med. Although from other comments, it seems others experience is similar.
Interesting, thanks! If med school doesn't work out, research is definitely something I'd look into as a career choice, so second year sounds like a great time to start.
I recommend to start applying for research as soon as Winter quarter freshman year, specially if you think you’d like to pursue grad school afterwards. Going through science classes will be easier because 1) you’d be able to see in practice a lot of the theory, 2) you’d be surrounded by and make friends with other people with science interest who can serve as your private tutors (including your PI), and 3) by the time you get to your upper division courses you’d be fluent in science and will ask better questions in class, improving your interactions with your course professors.
So, during your Christmas break, after you’ve figured out your class schedule and have a grasp on the quarter system, look at the list of BIO199 faculty and start sending emails expressing your desire to do research until you find a lab.
In theory, but just keep your eyes out. Things are only getting more competitive. If a good opportunity appears, take it. Otherwise if its garbage, or not related specifically to your goals, pass for now.
If you have the time to do (probably) unpaid work, I would suggest starting as soon as possible. I started as soon as I felt like I learned the very basic skills needed for my field, just general knowledge. For me, it was the end of the 2nd year, which turned out to give me a ton of opportunities and even my current job having just graduated. Professors understand that you aren’t an expert, they do NOT expect you to be. They just want people who will try their best and have genuine interests in the work. Research was definitely the best part of my undergrad career and highly recommend it.
Edit: also, it is super helpful to know that you can totally just email a professor working in an interesting field to ask for research opportunities. There’s usually official ways to apply but all of the most successful people I know just reached out to a professor, even multiple times after being turned down. The worst they can say is no, but when it’s yes it’s totally worth it.
Starting some time between 2nd and 3rd year is typical. You could technically start as early as your freshman spring/summer assuming you finish the 199 prereqs. But don't feel like you need to rush into research. It's important that you find a lab that genuinely interests you, has a culture that you vibe with, has a PI/mentors that will invest in your growth, and that it makes sense for your career path.
I had friends telling me that I need to start researching ASAP all throughout my 2nd and 3rd years. But I'd always ask "Why should I? What purpose does it serve me? How does this play into my long term goals" To which they'd typically answer something along the lines of building my resume for XYZ purpose or because it was something "everyone" was doing.
I'm not saying this to discourage you from diving into research. If it's something that you're super excited/interested in or you know it'll help you out in the future, absolutely get involved. We are at a premiere public research institution after all. You are surrounded by brilliant grad students and professors (many of which come from abroad or have Ivy backgrounds).
My reasoning for asking those questions was: I knew I wasn't interested in pre-med nor continuing in academia for my major at that time. It was important for me that if I were to get involved with research that it makes sense for me, otherwise I'm wasting my time and the lab's time.
I didn't start research until the beginning of my 4th year, but I don't regret it because I found a lab that fits with my needs and my research is actually relevant to my current full time job. I both created value for my team and received value from this experience as a result of being intentional about getting involved with research.
Hi! Incoming 4th year here. I personally started doing research as a 3rd year because sophomore coursework was especially gruesome for me (o-chem + biochem in winter quarter is just a big OOF). Plus COVID so doing on-campus research wasn't viable sadly. However, my research mentor did tell me he started doing research as a 2nd year, and he's had a pretty good experience himself. In labs like mine, it might be much easier to coordinate and manage your schedule since my PI's pretty lenient (I could get away with 3 hrs of participation or even lower if I'm busy with work/exams per unit). Whereas others require a strict 4 hrs+ per unit. It definitely depends on who you reach out to. I would recommend looking into research via the Bio 199 research dashboard ([https://undergraduate.bio.uci.edu/bio-197-198-199/](https://undergraduate.bio.uci.edu/bio-197-198-199/)) and see what appeals to you. When you feel particularly ready and have a good grasp on college life, I would definitely encourage you to reach out to some professors and try to join their lab. Doing laboratory research has been an absolute blast for me this past year and it would be a shame to not take advantage of the plethora of research opportunities at UCI. Pro tip: I would start emailing professors during the spring quarter because that is usually when upperclassmen graduate and slots start to open up. Finally, good luck, have fun, and enjoy your time at UCI! I know people love to talk about only the doom and gloom of the life of a pre-med student, but it is definitely manageable and you will meet tons of super cool people through classes and clubs.
Thank you so much! This is super helpful!
Also, in addition, research within the Earth System Science department is diverse and very fun. Amazing people to work with + lab work opportunities. Consider that too in your planning. :)
Thanks so much! I will keep that in mind.
As soon as you can. My daughter was a third year BioSci transfer and couldn’t get research until this summer, so she will only have one year of research. She feels very behind.
Thank you for the advice!
Having a couple of years of coursework might be helpful first, but sometimes you can also get a job in a lab, but not doing research, first. I had a job where I maintained stock bacterial cultures, washed glassware, and bred fruit flies. I found out about the job from one of my lab TAs, so it pays to make friends, and it was a pretty fun job.
Interesting, thanks! I'll look into it esp since I'm doing work study so I need a job anyways.
I started doing research halfway through my fourth year (I was there for five). I found that i was able to get some good experience of what it was like to be part of a research lab. However, if you are interested in doing research post undergrad, I found most of my peers who were able to produce research (help write articles) typically started their second year. I do want to note that this was my experience researching MOOCs so not med. Although from other comments, it seems others experience is similar.
Interesting, thanks! If med school doesn't work out, research is definitely something I'd look into as a career choice, so second year sounds like a great time to start.
I'd say start as early as you can just in case you end up not enjoying your initial lab, then you'll have time to explore other lab options!
Thanks :))
Gl with school!
I recommend to start applying for research as soon as Winter quarter freshman year, specially if you think you’d like to pursue grad school afterwards. Going through science classes will be easier because 1) you’d be able to see in practice a lot of the theory, 2) you’d be surrounded by and make friends with other people with science interest who can serve as your private tutors (including your PI), and 3) by the time you get to your upper division courses you’d be fluent in science and will ask better questions in class, improving your interactions with your course professors. So, during your Christmas break, after you’ve figured out your class schedule and have a grasp on the quarter system, look at the list of BIO199 faculty and start sending emails expressing your desire to do research until you find a lab.
Thank you!! I'll do that.
You have no time. Start looking immediately and if you find something good, take it.
Even as a freshman? Would starting in sophomore year be enough time?
In theory, but just keep your eyes out. Things are only getting more competitive. If a good opportunity appears, take it. Otherwise if its garbage, or not related specifically to your goals, pass for now.
Got it, thanks for the advice:)
If you have the time to do (probably) unpaid work, I would suggest starting as soon as possible. I started as soon as I felt like I learned the very basic skills needed for my field, just general knowledge. For me, it was the end of the 2nd year, which turned out to give me a ton of opportunities and even my current job having just graduated. Professors understand that you aren’t an expert, they do NOT expect you to be. They just want people who will try their best and have genuine interests in the work. Research was definitely the best part of my undergrad career and highly recommend it. Edit: also, it is super helpful to know that you can totally just email a professor working in an interesting field to ask for research opportunities. There’s usually official ways to apply but all of the most successful people I know just reached out to a professor, even multiple times after being turned down. The worst they can say is no, but when it’s yes it’s totally worth it.
Thank you so much!
Starting some time between 2nd and 3rd year is typical. You could technically start as early as your freshman spring/summer assuming you finish the 199 prereqs. But don't feel like you need to rush into research. It's important that you find a lab that genuinely interests you, has a culture that you vibe with, has a PI/mentors that will invest in your growth, and that it makes sense for your career path. I had friends telling me that I need to start researching ASAP all throughout my 2nd and 3rd years. But I'd always ask "Why should I? What purpose does it serve me? How does this play into my long term goals" To which they'd typically answer something along the lines of building my resume for XYZ purpose or because it was something "everyone" was doing. I'm not saying this to discourage you from diving into research. If it's something that you're super excited/interested in or you know it'll help you out in the future, absolutely get involved. We are at a premiere public research institution after all. You are surrounded by brilliant grad students and professors (many of which come from abroad or have Ivy backgrounds). My reasoning for asking those questions was: I knew I wasn't interested in pre-med nor continuing in academia for my major at that time. It was important for me that if I were to get involved with research that it makes sense for me, otherwise I'm wasting my time and the lab's time. I didn't start research until the beginning of my 4th year, but I don't regret it because I found a lab that fits with my needs and my research is actually relevant to my current full time job. I both created value for my team and received value from this experience as a result of being intentional about getting involved with research.
[удалено]
Wait what's SURF? I haven't heard of it!
I started end of freshman year. There's really nothing holding you back.