How to Gain Research Lab Experience in High School?
By Path Mentor M.Q., a graduate of Columbia University majored in Neuroscience (Originally Posted on June 11, 2019)
The value from a lab comes from understanding what you are doing on the day to day. By understand I mean you should be able to explain to anyone in simple terms the background of your research, how your research is new, and how your experiments work. There is no point in joining a lab just to shadow someone as a passive observer. This will not yield a memorable essay because your passivity will be reflected in the quality of your writing about the experience. To really get something out of a lab experience, you need to be active. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and always be asking if you can help with anything.
The first step to getting into a lab is to have a solid science base. If you are applying for a biology lab, be sure to take the highest level of biology that your school offers. If you are interested in Neuroscience, take Psychology and biology. Doing complex, nuanced experiments without understanding the very basics will not get you very far. Again, your lack of understanding will be reflected when speaking about the experience to others, such as to admissions officers. If your high school does not offer courses in then take the time to learn about the topic on your own. Another reason this solid science base matters is because it serves as proof for a lab of why they should hire you. If you take the initiative to take the hardest science classes and self teach about their topic of research, they will see your work ethic and hopefully allow you to join the lab.
After attaining a science base, begin researching labs based off of what you are interested in. The pace of lab work is slow and can even make an exciting topic seem slow. If you are working in a lab that does not interest you, you will grow to dread it. Do what truly interests you. Identify researchers who are working in that field. One way to do this is to look at university department pages or research organization websites like the NIH. Usually these are organized into subfields. For example, Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute separates the neuroscience research into subcategories of computation, disease, evolution and many more options. Usually these pages will take you to a list of researchers in these fields.
Once you identify researchers you’re interested in working with, read the scientific articles that they feature on their websites. These featured articles are usually the work they are most famous for or most proud of. This is where the basic science comes in - you must be able to understand at least a little bit what they are trying to achieve in the lab. Then use that knowledge to compose an email to the researcher outlining what you find interesting about their research and why you want to work there. The email should introduce yourself in the first paragraph and your interest in the field. In the second, explain what you find unique and interesting about their specific research and state your desire to work with them. Be very specific here about what you want: do you want to come in after school just to see what lab life is like? Do you want to learn about the research to eventually be able to conduct your own experiments? Do you want a full time summer internship? It’s good to propose what you want so the researcher knows exactly what you want to get out of the experience.
After you send the email, all you can do is wait. I sent 48 emails to different labs my junior year in high school. Only around 6 professors replied and most said I needed more advanced coursework or previous research experience to join their lab. Don’t be discouraged. If you get a no response, then email back asking for advice on what you should do to eventually be able to work in a lab. This demonstrates your genuine interest in the research. Researchers can see through high schoolers who only want a research experience to be competitive on their college application. This continued contact and reading their publications will make them more likely to see your interest as genuine. Out of 48 emails sent, I only received one yes. But that yes was all I needed.
