I will keep this short and sweet. You need a 4.0 GPA, you need lots of experience, and realistically there is a good chance the professor will never answer your well-worded email asking to join their lab. Hopefully, you know that I am completely joking, take a deep breath! It is so much easier than you think!
The truth is, there is no “age requirement” to get into research. You don’t have to be a sophomore/junior or senior in college to get into a lab. I was able to work in a research lab during my senior year of high school at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. It can vary from researcher to researcher but very simply I sent an email to someone that had no idea who I was. I was in a medical program for high school students and one of the guest speakers was Dr. Russell Buono, a neuroscientist who went by Dr. Brain Dude. I liked how he inspired kids to get into science so I read through his research and spent an hour writing a long email to him. I detailed who I was and how I liked certain areas about his research (you don’t need to read every paper or know every word of a paper… it can seem very daunting at first) and that I would love to shadow or help in his lab. I mentioned that I don’t have any experience but would love to just be there. I wasn’t expecting payment and in truth, you won’t be paid until you get some experience under your belt, and starting early is going to help in the long run. While you won’t be paid in money, you will have experience, connections, mentorship, and possibly even college credits (more on that later).
Dr. Buono got back to me a day later and said that unfortunately, his lab was full for the summer. However, he said he could help me find a lab to work in. After various emails back and forth, I found a lab that worked for me and got incredible experience doing experiments by myself. A simple email that I originally was too nervous to send ended up getting me into the door to the research world.
Another way to get into research is during office hours. I had a class called Exploring Careers in Biology with Dr. Fried, and I really liked his research and energy (also a huge nerd which I loved). You don’t necessarily have to have a reason to go to office hours. I just went up to him after class asking if I could see him during office hours. I didn’t have a reason besides just chatting and introducing myself. After a few office visits and emails, it led to him inviting me to apply for his neuroscience summer program, where I am now a senior member in his lab.
Simple conversations can go a long way in your career. A big thing about Rutgers is that the more you put into this school, the more you get back. Reaching out and chatting with professors opens doors and can get you the research experience to land paid opportunities in the future. This applies to any field, not just biology or chemistry. Being outgoing and standing out by showing interest is much more valuable than just being a good student in the class.
To wrap up, make sure you are choosing a lab that you feel is a good fit for you. If you aren’t interested in the actual research or don’t mesh well with the professor, you won’t enjoy it. Make sure to introduce yourself and talk about their research and what you enjoy about it, and to make sure you have someone look over your email if you are sending one. Finally, make sure you take a deep breath. It may seem scary to reach out to a researcher, but remember, they were in your shoes before too!