Volunteer research with professors - what am I doing wrong?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on a potential graduate in Electrical Engineering seeking research opportunities with professors but receiving no responses despite personalized emails. Key factors identified include the absence of a transcript and lack of personal connections with professors. Recommendations include obtaining letters of recommendation from professors, engaging in face-to-face interactions during office hours, and emphasizing relevant project experience in communications. The importance of personal engagement over email correspondence is highlighted as a critical factor in securing research positions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of effective email communication in academic settings
  • Familiarity with the process of obtaining letters of recommendation
  • Knowledge of how to approach professors during office hours
  • Experience in presenting relevant project work and research interests
NEXT STEPS
  • Research strategies for effective networking with professors in academia
  • Learn how to craft compelling letters of recommendation requests
  • Explore techniques for presenting research interests and experiences in person
  • Investigate the importance of personal connections in academic research applications
USEFUL FOR

Undergraduate students in engineering fields, aspiring researchers, and anyone seeking to enhance their chances of securing academic research positions through effective communication and networking strategies.

Ngineer
Messages
62
Reaction score
1
Hello everyone,

I am a potential graduate in Electrical Engineering. Being highly interested in doing research, I contacted several professors who lead research groups for possible research opportunities. I included my resume, but did not a transcript (my GPA is not spectacular) in my e-mails. I don't personally know most of the professors I contacted.

Even though, for some of the professors, my experience is highly relevant to their work, I haven't received a single response so far. The only response I got from a professor was that he's currently out of town and will be able to read e-mail in two days -- then nothing.

I contacted the research coordinator for a research center who said she forwarded my e-mail to all professors -- again, no response.

My e-mails were personalized to each professor and written in a professional matter, is there something that I have missed? What can I do to improve my chances of receiving a response from a professor?

Advice needed!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Do you have any professors who could write a brief letter of recommendation for you? That could make your applications stand out from the others. Maybe some professor whose class you did really well in, or one that knows you, or your adviser?
 
Something else that can help is talking to professors in person during office hours. This allows you to ask things like - whether they are aware of anyone else who might be looking for an undergraduate research assistant. And it can help you to get an idea of what working for them might really be like.
 
Ngineer said:
my experience is highly relevant to their work

Can you elaborate? This is highly unusual. Usually one needs to spend a lot of time teaching them.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Can you elaborate? This is highly unusual. Usually one needs to spend a lot of time teaching them.
For example, one of the professors I contacted works primarily on medical image acquisition and analysis. My SYP was in a related field; to mathematically model an Ultrasound transducer calibration device, including maximizing device bandwidth based on acquisition equipment noise margin / minimally acceptable SNR as well as other design parameters. I included a description of the project as well as a link to the report from the university Web site.

One of the extra-curricular projects I have worked on was to design a C-like signal processing / waveform construction language, to simplify data synthesis and acquisition, complemented by an fpga/microcontroller combination board for real time processing. I included a brief description of this project as well as a links to the github repository of the software portion, and a link showing some screenshots of the system in action (code and resulting output).

Interestingly, his Web site states that he welcomes undergraduate research assistants.
 
Do you have any professors who could write a brief letter of recommendation for you? That could make your applications stand out from the others. Maybe some professor whose class you did really well in, or one that knows you, or your adviser?
The only professor I asked thus far stated that she can say that I was among the top 5% in her class, but will also state that she does not know me personally.

Choppy said:
Something else that can help is talking to professors in person during office hours. This allows you to ask things like - whether they are aware of anyone else who might be looking for an undergraduate research assistant. And it can help you to get an idea of what working for them might really be like.
I have tried doing that in the past and it wasn't fruitful. Emailing them is easier in that it involves no personal embarrassment in case they are not interested.
 
Ngineer said:
I have tried doing that in the past and it wasn't fruitful. Emailing them is easier in that it involves no personal embarrassment in case they are not interested.

Well, if you decide to go the easy route, then you should expect this outcome.
 
Ngineer said:
The only professor I asked thus far stated that she can say that I was among the top 5% in her class, but will also state that she does not know me personally.I have tried doing that in the past and it wasn't fruitful. Emailing them is easier in that it involves no personal embarrassment in case they are not interested.

It is just as easy for them to ignore your email as it is for you to write it.

I don't understand how it is embarrassing if they are not interested.
 
Definitely go to their office hours. E-mails get lost in inboxes, people think to themselves "I should respond" then don't, etc. It's pretty hard to ignore a person standing in the doorway of your office.
 
  • #10
I received a positive response from a professor, and in a field I am highly interested in. He is someone who I did talk to in person before, so I guess e-mails by themselves really don't mean much.

Thanks everyone for your advice!
 

Similar threads

Other Name omitted from Professor's research paper- What should I do?
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
5K
Admissions PhD Admission: What Do Committees Want from an MS Applicant in Research?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
804
What can I offer to a professor for research?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Other Should we reach out to fellow researchers, or patiently wait for them?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
506
Programs Cal Poly SLO vs a UCSB Physics Undergrad
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
Admissions What REU's to apply to with a mediocre GPA?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Courses Quantum optics for graduate students
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Admissions How Can I Overcome Limited Research Experience for Grad School in Physics?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Programs Take a 5th year to do more research?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Programs Universities for Research in Dynamical Systems of Fluids
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K