Help with finding research job

I have cleared Year 11 and will be moving to college soon. I see research as a prospective career and wanted a chance to work in a research team even as an intern but I don't know how to become a part or even where to start. Please help...

Hi @SV:0,

What kind of research are you wanting to go into?

I study Psychology and I would like to do the same, specifically in child development and imagination during childhood. I have had 3 research assistant roles in the past and I have one now so if it is Psychology research experience you are interested in or any others I can try help.

Alia
University of Kent Student Rep

Hello there,

Thank you so much for that offer but I was hoping something more on the lines of Maths, physics, engineering or even chemistry. I absolutely love Maths and that would be my first preference.
Also just out of curiosity, what does a research assistant do and is there any other way I could to be one?

It's not a very realistic aspiration at the moment. It's like saying you want work experience being a ballet dancer when you can't dance. You might try and get a visit to a research lab - you'd have to pick a subject and write to a university or company that does research. But it's highly unlikely you can actually do any meaningful 'work experience' without an advanced degree.

To be a researcher, you have to pick a subject first. The talent for the subject matter and the exams come first, research opportunities come second.

Does research roles help getting into uni?

Hello there,

Thank you so much for that offer but I was hoping something more on the lines of Maths, physics, engineering or even chemistry. I absolutely love Maths and that would be my first preference.
Also just out of curiosity, what does a research assistant do and is there any other way I could to be one?

Does research roles help getting into uni?

Hi @SV:0,

It is so great to hear that you found a passion for Maths! I will outline below some of my past roles and a bit about what they involved.

First role - I conducted a literature review on a topic for a lecturer for an idea they had/wanted to research. My job was to read what research already existed and what they had found. I read papers and summarised them. After doing this I communicated what I found to her and discussed the research area. I did this role as part of the RES scheme (research experience scheme) we have at Kent. It is a chance for second year students to get involved in research.

Second role - I spent a few weeks transcribing interviews. This one was a bit tedious at times but it is still valuable. I was able to develop a great relationship with my lecturer. I learned a lot about an area that I was not familiar with at all.

Third role - This is one of my favourites so far. For this one I went to an English Heritage site to collect data across all ages. This project was based on imagination. We wanted to see how imagination changed across childhood. I did most of the data collection with a team and other postgraduate students analysed the data.

The ways I found my roles were through my university. It is worth talking to staff at your previous school if you can, family or friends to see if they know anyone. Another idea might be to contact researchers who are doing research in your area of interest at college or in a university closest to you and see if there is any way that you can get involved. If you cannot get experience this way, reading by finding papers on google scholar and using LinkedIn to create connections with like minded people.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Alia
University of Kent Student Rep

Not really, unless it is part of a competition in which case you can put it in your personal statement. However, when you appeal your rejection from a university you can mention that you like their professor's work, if you've worked with a professor from that university.

-Kao (Lancaster Maths & Stats Student Ambassador)