Lab Opportunities
If you're interested in doing more psychology out of Stuyvesant, this is the place for you. There are so many lab opportunities that you can get involved with. Lab opportunities are great opportunities to learn about things you are interested as well as gain experience in clinical settings.
Advice: How to Get Lab Opportunities
How to Contact Labs
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Look up labs that are of interest to you. You can start by looking at this spreadsheet, which includes the link to the lists of labs from different colleges in New York.
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When researching, read through some past publications by the labs of your interest. You should know about the primary focus of the lab before applying.
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Create your resume and cover letter introducing your grades, relevant skills, extracurriculars, and past projects.
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Write a very detailed email to the labs that interest you. You should make sure to include at least the following information: Name, Year in school, Why would you like to join the labs, Why are you interested in being a research assistant? (you can include a past history of working in these environments), Availability - when you would be able to work in the lab
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If the lab has space for your availability, they will contact you and set up an interview!
If you do not receive a response, please do not feel discouraged! It is always recommended that you apply for multiple labs to maximize your chances. It may also be helpful to look back at your resume and cover letter to see if there is room for improvement. If you do not feel competent about your current experience, you can check out the opportunity page where you can find programs that will help you build your skills. Good luck!
How to Navigate Through Each Lab Website?
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Before checking out the lab websites, think about a topic of your interest. It can be a broad topic such as developmental psychology, gender studies, you name it!
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To find out about the research focus of each lab, the best way to do so is by reading through its latest and most important publications. However, reading through papers after papers for every single lab on the list may be hectic. Instead, you can first start with the home page of each lab website, which generally includes a brief description of the lab’s focuses.
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After selecting 3-5 labs, you can start navigating to the “Publications” and “Who We Are” pages to learn more about its important publications and current faculties. Hopefully, by this point, you are able to find the lab that you would like to apply for!
Some strategies when reading through publications…
Usually, you can directly access the publications on the website. You can also search the names of the lab’s faculty members on Google Scholar. Generally, it is recommended that you read the most cited and the latest papers from the lab. Again, instead of immediately reading through the entire paper, start with the introduction! Skim through it and see if the paper talks about a topic of your interest. You can use this method to select a few publications that you will then carefully read through. When reading through these publications, take notes and think about what intrigues you. Is there a particular aspect of the paper that you would like to learn more about? What is the potential implication of the research? This can help you think about why you want to participate in the lab.