Lecture is useless. This is one truth that almost every class I’ve taken at RPI has served to reinforce. Alright, so that’s a bit harsh; knowing theory is imperative to doing any kind of scientific research, and some lectures are even entertaining in addition to being informative (George Plopper’s Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology course is an example of this rare breed). But theory can only get you so far. Experience in the laboratory is crucial to cementing and expanding on what you
learn in your lecture courses. As painful as organic chemistry laboratory was, that little one-credit class taught me more than
any other class I’ve taken here, and much, much more than o-chem lecture. Laboratory courses not only teach you specialized skills for carrying out your craft; they bring the abstract, hard-to-visualize concepts from your lecture courses into focus.
Even more valuable than laboratory courses, however, is the experience gained from working in a professor’s lab. Lab courses offered alongside a lecture often teach you basic techniques, safety practices, and notebook organization, all in a four-hour block carefully designed to emphasize the theory you just learned. In the future, however, you won’t be doing pre-labs and following a careful set of instructions from a textbook with a class-full of people doing the same under a teaching assistant’s watchful eye. Doing research with a professor gives you insight into how a real lab works; in addition to experimental methods and the scientific process (for real, not the eight steps you had to memorize in sixth grade), you’ll learn how to manage time in a laboratory, which safety rules are acceptable to break, and how to keep an actual lab notebook (hint: no pre-lab exercises on pretty carbon-copy paper). You’ll also experience the social hierarchy inherent in any lab (from the very bottom!) and observe the lives of grad students in your major. It’s a terrifying and enlightening experience, and, much more than any lecture, it will allow you to examine whether this is really what you want to do for the rest of your life.
If you’re a scientist planning to attend graduate school, research is probably the most helpful experience you can have in your undergraduate years. And at RPI, it is unusually easy to get involved as an undergraduate. Every experience I’ve had, as well as those of all the friends I’ve talked to, has been positive. As a freshman, I was afraid that a professor would be aghast if I asked to work in his lab and berate me for having the gall to suggest something so presumptuous! Fortunately, this seems to happen rarely, if ever, and I’d encourage any freshmen in a scientific field to speak to professors whose work interests them. Getting started on research early is extremely advantageous, and most professors are kind and receptive if you show interest in their research.
Of course, actually finding someone whose research inspires you might be the hardest part. Information is usually available in the form of a faculty profile on the respective department’s website, though it takes time and motivation to sift through those. In addition, it’s always a good idea to consider the personality of the person you want to work for, so if you haven’t met a professor, try talking to friends who’ve interacted with him or visiting http://ratemyprofessors.com/ to check out his students’ opinions. Beware of that last suggestion, however—you should take what’s written there with a grain of salt. One disgruntled student may write an angry rant after failing a test while 97 other satisfied and happy students stay quiet. But if there are seven different students attesting to the professor’s
strict punctuality and you’re perpetually running late, it’s probably wise to find someone whose style is a better fit with yours.
