Summer Research After First Year.

[WatermelonPig]

Yo,

I'm a freshman mechanical engineering major. I applied to 5 summer internships, but I am really not feeling it at all. I think I should start contacting some Profs. at some local universities (including mine) about assisting them with their work this summer. I just want to do something interesting this summer. How should I go about doing this? I plan to shotgun this and send maybe 50 emails.

[eri]

Bad idea. Freshman really aren't useful for getting research done (most undergrads aren't, even many grad students aren't all that useful) so any prof taking you on would be doing you a big favor. You need to make personal contact with a prof and convince them that taking you on isn't going to be a waste of their time. Start with the professors you know, and if they can't take you, ask for them to recommend someone who might.

[DR13]

Bad idea. Freshman really aren't useful for getting research done (most undergrads aren't, even many grad students aren't all that useful) so any prof taking you on would be doing you a big favor. You need to make personal contact with a prof and convince them that taking you on isn't going to be a waste of their time. Start with the professors you know, and if they can't take you, ask for them to recommend someone who might.

This is half right. I would say that it is a bad idea to shoot out 50 emails to random profs. Rather, email professors at your university. It's not necessary that you had them (though that would help). You can ask around to older students or academic advisors about which professors would be open to taking you on.

What is wrong about what eri said is that freshman are useless. While they are obviously less capable, they do have a role. There is "grunt work" that needs to be done. Also, if you are planning to actually stay at the lab for the duration of your undergrad life then getting an early start can be valuable to the research group. By the time you get into your latter years of undergrad you will have a great head start and will become very valuable.