It felt like S was venting about his abusive relationship–but he was describing his laboratory. S, a Duke upperclassman and research assistant, spent the night before sleeping on the floor of his lab to keep pace with his laundry list of tasks.
It was only mid-week, but he had been toiling in the lab for 20 hours. His PhD candidate mentor was demanding and unforgiving; yet she had the authority to tell him when and what to do for the project, including to skip class and miss sleep. S was wholly miserable with his position. But he just couldn’t leave it. As I listened in horror, S checked the time and hurriedly waved goodbye, heading back to his lab.
My head spun. As head of the Duke Undergraduate Research Society mentorship program for over two years and as an undergraduate researcher involved with several projects on campus myself, I have come to appreciate research as an enriching landscape for self-exploration. Participation in a research team provides undergraduates with a social space and a workspace that is different from the classroom, valuable for professional differentiation, and integral to developing our scientific toolkits.
But as I’ve learned from horror stories from friends like S, research can also prove uninspiring and even toxic for many students. What forces compel undergraduate researchers like S to tent on their lab office’s floor? How do undergraduate students get stuck toiling on a project they don’t even care about? Can “true love” ever exist between Duke undergrads and Duke labs?
Although many of the problems undergraduates face in research are due to forces outside of our control, including graduate student exploitation of power differentials and a culture of devaluing undergraduates in research, there are many steps that students can take to properly navigate an undergraduate research experience–especially now, as many first and second year students begin to search for their “true love.” Below is a list of the wisdom I have gathered throughout my years directing the undergraduate research program and during my own experiences as an undergraduate researcher:
1. The FOMO feeling: If I don’t start now, I’ll miss the boat
Many first-year undergraduates from a variety of pre-professional interests feel a sense of urgency when seeking to join a research project. Some even hope to find a fit as early as their first fall.
This urgency poses a tradeoff. Joining a lab early maximizes your familiarity with the material, and thus enables greater independence, depth of relationships, and recognition down the road. But a premature commitment, particularly before research interests have crystallized, is an inefficient and ineffective use of one’s time.
So, as a rule, I advise interested students against joining a lab during their first-year fall. Beginning at Duke is a vulnerable, formative time, and joining a research team is a deliberate, measured choice. Sit in on seminars, scope out faculty, and get your Duke sea legs before you hop on the research boat. Remember, if your dream lab is out there, it will wait for you.
2. He never writes, he never calls: On radio silence
Beginning researchers also often approach me asking why the professors they’ve approached for research opportunities haven’t yet responded. This silence is not a rejection.
Professors are swamped with emails from undergraduates, and they quite often overlook the tens of research requests they receive. I advise many students to persist with a follow-up, an update email, or even a visit to the lab if they don’t hear back after their first message. But I also remind them that a nonresponsive professor could be a harbinger of a worrisome experience: overextended supervisors may not have time for you.
If you seek mentorship, guidance, and close communication, perhaps a non-response is a sign that the research team you approached is a poor fit. And consider it a blessing that they didn’t swipe right.
3. iUndergrad: The lab automaton
I’ve worked with several first and second year students who are treated as automatons, are compelled to fulfill menial tasks, over-worked, and struggle to establish their intellectual authority in their respective labs. Undergraduates may fall into this unsavory role due to their own complacency.
However, it is more likely a result of a sense of indebtedness to their mentor–with recommendation letters, independent study grades, or work-study hours on the line. And although many Duke lab mentors who buy into the problematic research “food chain”-type hierarchy, the undergrad has power to define a culture of respect and autonomy. I tell students to maintain open dialogue about their ideas, availability, and interests. Making candid statements about what you hope to gain from your undergraduate research experience as early as your interview help set the tone. As with any healthy relationship, open communication about expectations is key!
4. The Wrong Boat Problem
Some undergrads who prematurely hop on the proverbial research boat later realize that they want to jump ship due to changing research interests, dissatisfaction with their experience, or realizations about their limited bandwidth. But, for some reason, they just can’t initiate the break up. Many students, particularly pre-med students, have explained to me the reasoning behind succumbing to inertia. Most often, undergraduates feel that if they end the relationship, their efforts thus far will go unrecognized in eventual publications. Although there is a degree of truth to this fear (if students only partially complete their job, they might only receive partial acknowledgement), it’s largely unfounded. Labs will not dishonor valid contributions. And, more importantly, the time undergraduates spend involved in research projects they don’t enjoy is wasted time that could be spent on more enriching projects. Your four years at Duke fly by! So spend your precious time with a lab that makes you happy.
Sarina Madhavan is a Trinity senior. Her column runs on alternate Thursdays.
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Sarina Madhavan is a Trinity senior. Her column runs on alternate Thursdays.