When looking for research labs, it is key to have a tracking system to know who you have applied to, their responses, and when to follow up.
- Research Lab Tracker: This link creates a copy of the document to your own Google Drive.
Using the Tracker
The tracker can be adjusted to whatever is most important to you. Using this tracker when meeting with PsyAdvis about research is very helpful for the advisor to better assist you as well. Here are some tips and information on what to track when it comes to research labs:
- Lab Name (if applicable): Some labs have a specified name which is helpful to track, especially if different from the faculty name.
- Faculty/Principal Investigator (PI): This is the person in charge of the lab, a faculty member who is the primary investigator in the research.
- Contact Name: Labs may have a coordinator or point of contact for applications other than the faculty.
- Department: List the home department for the faculty/PI.
- Area: As you expand your search, keep note of similar research in areas outside of your direct interest. This also helps you quickly to identify if you're are being open in your initial approach. Are you ONLY looking for opportunities in one area of Psychology?
- Course: Students in Psychology may receive credit for their work in the research lab of a Psychology faculty mentor. PSY 5993 is the most common.
- PSY 5993 - Always set at 3 credits and available only in Fall or Spring semesters. This is for students working in labs with a Department of Psychology Faculty.
- PSY 4993 - Variable credit registration, 1-6 credits and offered all semesters. Primarily for students working with Adjunct Faculty members of the Department of Psychology. This is also registration for students who seek petition approval to work with a University of Minnesota faculty member who is not an adjunct faculty member.
- CPSY 4994 - Students may earn research credit in the Institute of Child Development with faculty. The default tends to be 2 credits. Psych BS majors should inquire about registration for 3 credits to match the requirements for Capstone.
- Link: Keep a website link handy for quick reference, which could be the lab page or a faculty profile.
- Student Expectations: Copy and paste this information from a Psych Scoop posting or from the lab website (if available).
- Qualifications Needed: List out all stated preferred qualifications and skills (if available).
- Commitment: Most labs do want a 2-semester time commitment. Training and onboarding new research assistants takes a lot of effort, plus, students benefit from the longevity of experience and connection with the lab team and faculty mentors. 16 weeks (1 semester) is typically just the starting point for a lot of labs. For the Psychology BS or BA, students may receive Psychology Elective credit for "additional" semesters of a PSY 4993/5993 registration.
- Application Materials Sent: Anything sent to the lab or faculty for an application (for example, an email, a resume, a filled-out online application, etc.)
- Application Materials Needed: Anything that wasn't sent with your application but you still need to submit.
- Applications Due: The due date for all of your application materials.
- Date Applied: The day that all application materials were submitted. It can also be good to add a note of how you submitted your application as well (over email or an online form, for example)
- Follow-up Communication: If you do not hear back from a lab, a follow up should always be sent.
- Interview Date: If offered a position, an interview may be required.
- Status: We recommend using "Pending," "Denied," and "Accepted" for status tracking. Feel free to use whatever makes sense to you.
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