So today, there was supposed to be a Graduate Research Symposium for our Computer Engineering departments, but I went when they said to be there and didn’t see anyone else there at all. I was about to head home, but as one would expect, another few people came in looking for the same thing. We were all a little disappointed that we weren’t going to get any free food see the presentations by researchers in our departments that day, but as luck would have it, we still managed to have a good time. See, they were both undergraduates, coming to the event to get some insight into a possible future in research, and I was going there to meet new people. While there was no symposium or presentations, I had the pleasure of sharing some of my insight about how to get an early start on research and how to direct your studies to have a good Graduate School application.
The general rule of thumb is that it’s never too early to start doing research. As an undergrad, it’s very easy for a professor to take you on and work with you, or at least put you with one of their Ph.D. students to put on a project. Undergrads are a low-risk way to help out with personal projects of interest when they might not be able to secure funding for a project, but want to pursue it anyway. It’s much harder to risk an entire semester of tuition on a new grad student who needs his fees paid but has no experience that suggests he will be able to produce.
I’m currently in the situation where I’m working with an undergraduate student on an independent research project. While the student is supposed to be self-driven, it’s often very difficult to find somewhere to go in the vast world of science. As such, it’s a good idea to give them a concrete job to do with clear expectations at the start, and as they move forward in a direction, let curiosity pick up where the job leaves off and see what thoughts they have and which direction they feel they can take the research. In this situation, both the advisor and the student gain something – the advisor is able to offload tasks, and the student is able to learn from them and have a positive experience.
If the advisor doesn’t work with the student – especially an undergrad – then the entire experience is wasted. The student spins their wheels and leaves with nothing to show for their work, and the advisor was at worst burdened with the responsibility of dealing with a student that had no output. It’s a synergistic relationship, where both parties are able to help each other while still helping themselves. I look forward to seeing how things go with my new mentee.
As for results, the best goal is to go for a workshop paper at the very least. Workshops are best for rough new ideas that scratch the surface, without the depth that’s expected for a conference or journal paper. A publication during one’s undergraduate career will do wonders for Grad school applications (and fellowship applications!), and every professor you do research with becomes an excellent candidate for a letter of recommendation, since they can speak directly to your research skills, as opposed to your performance in lectures and on tests.
The moral of the story is, if you’re thinking about doing research, stop thinking about it. The earlier, the better – research is all about individual motivation and taking the initiative.
