Author Topic: Research Questions (Read 7400 times)

anakinsolo · « **on:** November 15, 2006, 08:10 PM »

How do JHU students get involved in research? Is it instantaneous where you walk through the door and they give you a research position or do you have to seek the opportunities, such as asking a professor?

JHU_Toni-Marie · « **Reply #1 on:** November 16, 2006, 01:31 AM »

Hey,

So, that is a really good question. Research positions are not assigned to you right when you get to Hopkins, you have to do some searching for them. The process is very easy though, and most anyone who wants to do research can. As long as you find some labs or professors that you want to work with, you send them an e-mail, and if they have spots and you are qualified, you can get a spot. It is as easy as that.

I started working in a lab the spring of my freshmen year, and that was with no previous experience. Most people are simply looking for intelligent, motivated people who want to learn.

Hope this helps!

JHU_Stefanie · « **Reply #2 on:** November 16, 2006, 10:51 AM »

I briefly touched on this in my blog (the link is at the bottom of this post). Basically, nothing is ever handed to you at college. There are so many opportunities, but you have to be the active one and pursue them. As for research, Toni-Marie is right. You can look for labs you're interested in, and e-mail the professor. That applies to Homewood and the medical school.

However, an easy way to get a research position is through the job site. www.jhu.edu/stujob A lot of people from the medical school posts needs for research assistants and what not. So for these, you just have to apply, wait, and see. And you'll even get paid!

JHU_Adam · « **Reply #3 on:** November 16, 2006, 01:18 PM »

So here's the deal. If you get accepted you recieve a book about every major/division on campus along with a bunch of other mailings. Hopkins stresses that it wants to provide research to everyone who desires to do research. This means that it is not simply limited to upper classman. Labs are in search of freshman as well as grad students. What your job is to do is to look at the book i was telling you about. Go to the Subject/Major of interest. On the first page it will list each professor in that Department/Major and list what research he or she is doing. Your next task is to present yourself. Simply send emails before you get to campus or after you get to campus and explain that your interested. Set up a meeting and see how it goes. Dont get upset if you get turned away from a lab because its already full, cause there are plenty of labs for you to join...

BOTTOM LINE: IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN A LAB, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO, IT JUST TAKES INDIVIDUAL EFFORT (kinda like what Stef and Toni said)

Good luck!!

JHU_Juinting · « **Reply #4 on:** November 16, 2006, 02:27 PM »

Haha, I'm "researching" right now. Okay, so actually I'm just waiting for something to finish running, but anyways. What Toni, Steph, and Adam have said is totally right. Most of the time, just find some profs that are doing interesting research and email them. Usually pretty simple if you're just doing it for credit (doesn't cost them anything ^^). That's not to say that there aren't professors who just don't have room, you might actually get some no's. Overall...pretty simple.

Oh, and another cool thing, you don't have to do research within your own department. So like, if you're an Art History major, nothing's gonna stop you from doing research in a neuroscience lab.

Rachel · « **Reply #5 on:** November 16, 2006, 09:28 PM »

I know that I want to be able to do research in college (that's what turned me on to Hopkins! :) ), but is it really possible to do research even if you don't have much/any real experience? I know that I'm motivated and a hard worker. If I want to get a position in a lab is that all it takes?

Thanks in advance! The more I read about Hopkins (from the website, blogs, message boards etc.) the more I want to apply!

Rachel

JHU_MichelleT · « **Reply #6 on:** November 16, 2006, 09:34 PM »

It's really easy to start research without any experience. Most of the labs are looking for people who will stay with them for a few semesters/years, so they're more than willing to train you. Plus, in most cases, the things that they're doing would be really unlikely to have been covered in your HS classes, and they understand that...so they just make sure that a postdoc, a grad student, or an experienced undergrad will help you out.

In my case, a professor made an announcement at the end of the first semester, saying, "A lot of our labs (in cog sci) need undergrads....if you're interested, email me, and I'll hook you up." So I emailed him, and he asked what I was interested in...and then I met with people from a few labs to see what I found most interesting. I worked on a short project for one lab my 2nd semester, and since then I've been with the same lab for 2 and a half years.

Every week, I work about 6 hours, including a 1.5 hour lab meeting, where we all get together with our professors/grad students/undergrads to read and discuss a paper or some research that we're working on. In general, one credit = 40 hours or about 3 hours a week...so for 2 credits/semester, that's about 6 hours, or 3 = 9 hours, etc. You can do up to 6 credits of reserach each year.

And like JT said, you don't have to do research in your department...we have a bio major in my cog sci lab, and we've also had behavioral bio and philosophy majors, too.

JHU_Phil · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2006, 02:44 PM »

If I ever work in a lab in my life (besides coursework) I will not be happy. But I still want to be involved in some new things regarding medicine.....so, I looked specifically what I wanted to do.....Ophthalmology....and emailed a fwe ophthalmologists at the school, and preferably one with an international perspective....I emailed him, met with him, showed him my interests...and now I follow him aruond twice a week, soon I will start on a clinical trial, and over winter break I'm thinking about going to China......so...that;s my expereince.

That is what seperates Hopkins is the vast amounts of things that are going on in all areas on all levels. they like to hire on intelligent undergrads who are there to learn and can add a helping hand. And if you want to pursue futher education...doing reasearch at Hopkins is one of the better opportunities you can have ANYWHERE.

JHU_Liny · « **Reply #8 on:** November 23, 2006, 12:58 AM »

to give you my own personal story about doing research at Hopkins...i actually started doing research in the Physiology dept. at Hopkins Med School when I was in high school (I'm from Baltimore County)

I basically emailed a bunch of lab directors who looked as if they had interesting research. Did alot turn me down? of course! some said their labs were full at the moment, and some were honest and said they didn't have time at the moment to train an unexperienced student...but at the same time, i still got a lot of emails back from lab directors who saw how interested i was and were willing to let me join the lab, and this was when i was still in highschool (so you can imagine how much easier it is when you tell them that you are an undergrad at Hopkins)

basically just make sure you show them that you are really interested in gaining research experience, and specifically the research they're doing, and also that you are committed to work with them for more than just one semester...not only is research good for the experience, but it also helps you build connections w/ hopkins faculty (and you need those for recommendations!!)

i started off just as a volunteer, and then after i got better and became a more independent researcher i started getting paid (lol but now i'm doing research for school credit because i figured it would help my GPA)

JHU_Laura · « **Reply #9 on:** November 29, 2006, 11:04 PM »

In addition to labwork, many Humanities students do other types of Research Projects.

For instance, History Students often take on serious research projects where they look at primary sourcework and write thesis' on the results of their research. One of my friends is applying for a Grant this summer to walk a pilgramage in Spain to conduct research on the modern versus the ancient pilgramage.

Additionally, Writing Sems students will often apply for research Grants to do research on something that they want to write about. For instance a junior in the department has spent his last two summers in spain working on a long piece/novella. One of my classmates is looking into applying for a grant this summer that would allow him to roadtrip across the country and write about his experiences.

Other students do research on public policy, health issues and anthropology types of things.

In addition to this type of research; Many humanitites students have internships. Students work for publishing companies (Last year I interned at JHU Press), magazines, political campaigns, marketing companies, etc...

JHU_Julia · « **Reply #10 on:** November 30, 2006, 02:32 AM »

Even in addition to the humanities, social sciences also offers a lot of research opportunities. My experience with this has been from the IR/Political Science perspective. It's not like the natural sciences where you get a job in a lab studying.....whatever it is that natural sciences people do (you can see I am not one of them!). In the social sciences, your research is very much based on your own interests and initiatives. For example, I know someone who is a senior now who studied the lives of Jewish people living in Muslim countries for her IR senior thesis. She spent her summer in Morocco learning about the culture there using grant money from Hopkins.
As they say, where there's a will, there's a way!

darkhope · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2007, 01:04 AM »

What does it mean exactly when one says that Hopkin's undergraduates have access to academic opportunities in Hopkin's med school and hospital? Is there any other things a Hopkins undergrad can do at these two locations besides clinical experiences and research? And is it really competitive to get a position for any type of experience in any of these two places? =(
edit: plz exclude bme exlusive opportunities since i am a bio major only thank you!

JHU_Tanmay · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2007, 03:27 AM »

Basically, they're referring to clinical and research opportunities. The Pre-Professional Advising Office runs a "Medical Tutorial" program where you can shadow a doctor every so often for a semester for academic credit. You can also do research in any department on either the Medical campus or the Homewood campus. Public Health students also take classes their senior year at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

To find research opportunities, you have to take the initiative and search for them. Pull up the faculty listing for any department, read through the research descriptions and email some researchers whose work you find interesting. Some faculty will already have a lot of undergrads working for them, but there are a ton of faculty members that will take undergrads. (This applies for everyone looking for research, not just science/engineering/pre-med types)

Also, even though the BME program has restricted admissions, once you get to campus, the experience is not restricted or different from other people. Students from other departments can work in BME labs and vice verse (generally it's mostly engineerings in engineering labs, especially in some of the more math-heavy fields). BME's live with other students (the group I live with now includes a History major, an Econ major, a ChemBE major and a Neuro major), take classes with other students and in general, aren't separated from the rest of Hopkins.

Hope that helps

-Tanmay

JHU_Liny · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2007, 10:03 AM »

tanmay summarized that up pretty well...and in regards to how competitive it is, i wouldn't say it is at all...of course with the research there's going to be a lot of people who already have enough undergrads and sometimes you may find doctors who don't have time for you to shadow them, but since hopkins has such a vast array of doctors and researchers, it won't be hard to get a position....and like tanmays said, pre-professional advising is especially helpful in securing you a position for shadowing

darkhope · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2007, 10:38 AM »

this is going to be an extremely odd question :rolleyes:
but is it possible to take any sort of class in like the med school?
-thanks for the rsp so far :lol: !

JHU_Jermaine · « **Reply #15 on:** January 30, 2007, 01:21 PM »

Hey Dark Hope. Your question is actually not that weird. The answer is YES. You can shadow a doctor in the clinical setting, conduct research, etc. at the Johns Hopkins Hospital (right across Monument Street(?) from the med. school). The Medical Tutorial Program, as it's called, is coordinated by the Pre-professional advising office, which publishes a listing of all the possible medical tutorials annually during August. You basically choose which tutorial you'd like to complete, contact the doctor(s), set up an interview, and create a schedule of days you'd like to go in. HOWEVER, freshmen are not allowed to do medical tutorials...I actually did a Medical Tutorial with the Director of the Fibroid Center at Johns Hopkins...it was a pretty cool experience; I got to see several surgeries, and two of the med. students (past Hopkins undergrads) taught me how to scrub in. If that's not cool enough, you get 2 credits for the entire experience.

darkhope · « **Reply #16 on:** January 30, 2007, 07:57 PM »

Thank you sooo much for clarifying what exactly the medical tutorial program is =D lol
edit: also looking at some past forums, some students claimed that they were able to get research positions before even actually enrolling at jhu. So like for a incoming freshman is it possible to get research positions? If so, how is a incoming freshm. evaluated, like by ap scores, etc?
-thank you!

JHU_Stefanie · « **Reply #17 on:** January 31, 2007, 08:27 AM »

A large portion of the research positions at the medical school is easily given to Hopkins undergraduate students. From my experience, I would say that many of the MD/PhD folks really trust you're capable based on the face that you go to Hopkins. You have to show an interest, usually do an interview, etc. It may help to give them your background in terms of grades, course work taken (ex. AP Chemistry, Physics, etc.). You can browse around and always just ask a doctor. It never hurts to ask.

JHU_Liny · « **Reply #18 on:** January 31, 2007, 10:54 AM »

yea there are medical tutorials and research you can do for credit, but as far as actually taking medical school classes, i'm not too sure about that...but i can say i do know a lot of public health majors that take classes at the school of public health across the street

regarding research, i started doing research at the med school in highschool...i basically emailed a lab director whose research i was interested in and he called me in for an interview...i brought with me my resume...him choosing me was a mix of both my accomplishments/grades and also my enthusiasm and eagerness to get research experience...and dont be discouraged if you do get some people that say no to you as a pre-frosh or even a freshmen, some lab directors are looking for older undergrads or simply don't have space in their lab at the moment, but there are still so many lab directors that there'll be manyy that would say yes

Judy · « **Reply #19 on:** March 28, 2007, 09:03 PM »

I was wondering if you have any advice for getting a research opportunity early on. Is it common for freshmen to do research?

JHU_Toni-Marie · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2007, 10:23 PM »

Hey Judy

Freshmen definitely can do research as early as they want/find a position. I started doing research my second semester freshmen year at the med school. Currently, I work in a lab on campus in the ChemBE department. I think second semseter freshmen year is a good time to start, it allowed me to get adjusted to Hopkins and to make friends before i took on a huge reponsibility.

My advice for getting a research position earlier in your career would be no different than a senior getting a position. Just do research on the labs you are interested in, send the professor e-mails, and hope that one of the is look for undergrads. It is important to remember that you can do research in any major, not only your department. Your opportunities are endless, don't let them go to waste.

Good Luck!

JHU_Liny · « **Reply #21 on:** March 28, 2007, 11:22 PM »

i agree with toni-marie...i started doing research actually back in highschool...so you can def. start as a freshman! just email the professors whose research interests you and tell them you want to gain research experience...some may reject you (i.e because they don't have space in their lab), but that's normal! just keep emailing until you find someone that'll take you

JHU_Laura · « **Reply #22 on:** March 29, 2007, 01:03 AM »

Yeah, like toni-marie and liny said, getting research is definitely doable as a freshman!!
Two of my best friends started their research second semester of their freshman years; they just found labs that sounded interesting and e-mailed the profs.

One of my other friends got involved with a lab this year because a senior friend of hers was working in it and she thought it sounded really interesting!!
Definitely look into it!

JHU_MichelleT · « **Reply #23 on:** April 01, 2007, 08:14 PM »

One of my professors freshman year said in class one day, "Anyone want to do research? Sign up here, and we'll hook you up with some projects you might be interested in." I've seen this happen in more than a couple classes since then.

I've been working in my lab since the beginning of my sophomore year (so I'm in my 6th semester now). I worked on another project 2nd semester freshman year; it's super easy to get research positions, but sometimes you have to work your way up within a lab before you can do the super-cool things. In general, departments & labs that have graduate students doing research also need help to assist those grad students...so they might offer additional opportunities to get involved.

Emailing faculty whose research you're interested in is a great way to get an idea of what reserach opportunities are available. That being said, you really don't need to do research right away or lack falling behind...it's perfectly fine to wait until much later in your academic career to join a lab or collaborate on a project. There are always labs looking for help, so you won't be out of luck if you don't jump in first thing.

Judy · « **Reply #24 on:** April 02, 2007, 05:38 PM »

Thank You. Just wondering, are there any paid research opportunities?

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Author Topic: Research Questions (Read 7400 times)