It’s all about balancing your class schedule and extracurriculars with your research interests. Participating in research is a significant commitment. If you have a challenging courseload and heavy extracurriculars already, it may be difficult to add research to the mix. Reducing other commitments and time management can help you free up time. 

Yes! If you have previous research experience (like you did research in high school) or have technical skills through other experiences, be sure to tell professors when asking to join their lab. If you do not have previous experience, be sure to highlight your genuine interest in their research topic, willingness to learn, and any projects in your courses. Some laboratories appreciate recruiting freshman because of the return-on-investment… potential to be trained and contribute to the lab for many years. Other labs do not recruit freshmen because of their lack of experience. 

No, you don’t have to create a project from scratch to participate in undergraduate research. UF is home to hundreds of researching professors who want to help students gain research experience and have ongoing projects that you can work on. The best way to get started in undergraduate research is to connect with a faculty member who can mentor you on an existing project or help you design one of your own. We see oftentimes when a student is first starting  in a lab, they will be assigned to an existing project. Once they have been working there for a while, they can demonstrate their professionalism and ability to work on an independent project. In fact, some of these projects can become a student’s Senior Honors Thesis! 

Honestly, it can be hard to navigate HOW to get into research. Some labs advertise openings, but most don’t. See below list of internal opportunities and resources to help you find a good fit for you. A member of our team can also sit one-on-one with you to provide guidance! 

ProTips

• Each department website has a list of department faculty. Explore each faculty bio to see what research they do.
• You can use this UF Research search feature to find labs by technical topic (top right corner search bar)
• Attend department events that professors attend, as a low-stakes way of meeting professors and seeing if they have openings in their lab. 
• Professors will recruit high-performing students from their courses, so leverage your class time to make a good impression
• Network with older students in your department. If they are working in a lab, they can help make introductions and get you into a meeting. 
• Attend department research seminars 
• The UF Center for Undergraduate Research has a Board of Students who provide peer advising and workshops on how to find research. They also have a Canvas site with resources.
• Attend the Undergraduate Student Research Symposium hosted in Fall and Spring semesters to view current student projects and try to meet professors at their posters. 

YES! There are a couple of course-based methods to get into a research lab. They have limited offerings, so you still need to register as early as you can. 

1. The Active Learning Program has offerings in fall, spring, and summer semesters. Each research topic has a limited number of spaces available. This program includes interesting topics across the university. You must apply to be considered. 
2. CURE courses 
3. The UF Center for Undergraduate Research has a Board of Students who provide peer advising and workshops on how to find research. They also have a Canvas site with resources.

First, it’s important to determine why exactly your current experience is not meeting expectations. Is it the pace of the work (ie, too slow)? When starting in a new facility, oftentimes onboarding and training can feel slow until the real work begins! We recommend you wait a little longer and settle in. 

Perhaps it’s fit. For example, maybe it’s a mismatch between your graduate student’s mentoring style and your mentee needs. Or the technical needs of the project do not align with your interests. Or perhaps maybe it’s a mismatch with the general lab culture. Most importantly, it’s important that you communicate your needs with your professor so you can create a solution together. In general, it’s easiest to switch projects or mentors within a lab. But if the mismatch is significant, it may be better to seek another lab to join.