How to Find Undergraduate Research Positions on Campus Over the Summer
As the Spring 2025 semester ends, another chapter begins—summer. It’s a fun, vibrant time and one of my favorite seasons, as it is for many others. Many people spend summer time differently, especially college students; some choose to spend this time with their family, some take summer classes to catch up with their academic plans, some work to save money, and some do many things as they desire. I like to spend summer time working, volunteering, exploring my interest in something new, and, last but not least, doing research with a professor at Arcadia. Despite the small campus, Arcadia offers its students many opportunities during summer time, from taking a class to research. In this blog, I will walk you through how an undergraduate can find a research position on campus each summer, regardless of your year. I discuss my experience of getting involved in research in the summer of my first year, which has continued until now.
I heard about the research opportunities for the first time when I did a campus tour during the college admission process. An ambassador (currently a PA student) mentioned that each department at Arcadia provides its students with an opportunity to research with faculty members. I still remember that from then on. To secure a research opportunity on-campus, first, I highly recommend you identify what type of research you want to do and when you know that. You should either ask the professor if you are currently taking a class with them or go to the Arcadia website to find out about their past research paper that has been published and read it to see if it interests you and aligns with your goal.
Next, if you have not talked with them yet, you can email them to ask. For the “subject” email, I would mention something specific about what you want to discuss. Also, I would write the email as professionally as possible. I would include your name, year, why you want to research with them, and what you can bring to the table, including your background, some skills, and how you can contribute meaningfully to their project. I know it can be challenging to mention these skills, especially if this is your first time doing research, but I believe many professors are very kind and willing to teach you anything as long as you desire to learn it. I, myself, had no idea before. Still, I was open-minded and willing to learn or help with everything to the best of my ability, and I ended up securing a research position after I reached out to a few professors.
When I emailed, I encountered one thing: you should not expect to get the positions you want from the lab or hear back from every one of them. Still, I would warn you that don’t take all of these personally; sometimes their lab is just complete and unable to accept more students; if that is the case and you are still interested in that, I would go and talk with them to see if there is any possibility to join next summer. Goals are goals, and it does not matter how long it takes, but the final result. I remember that, at that time, I explored many options and labs before I decided which labs to choose, and I am still grateful for that since I have continued to research with him until now.
I collaborated with Dr. Binckley on a project during my freshman year of research. We study how small mammals respond to predator cues by analyzing seed consumption at feeders treated with native and non-native predator scents. Under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher Binckley, my goal is to interpret previous data and conduct additional experiments. It was the first research project that I had ever done. I encountered a lot of struggles; I would be honest that sometimes, I had no idea what to do and wanted to give up. Still, I was fortunate to have a fantastic mentor like him and two more colleagues who worked at the same lab, and all of them taught me a lot, especially with Google Sheets and calculations.
Doing research in the summertime can be very beneficial, primarily since you can devote much time to the project. While research in school full-time is not impossible, it is challenging sometimes due to school workload and other commitments. Research helped fuel my curiosity and taught me how to work with a team member and communicate with others. Research also can help prepare you for future studies, especially for those who want to go to graduate school or health professional schools in the next few years, where research is essential in their studies. Research has allowed me to learn something new in the medical field.
Research can be challenging, but it is doable for everyone as long as you work hard. At Arcadia, there are a lot of professors who are willing to help with every step along the way. Ask for help if needed. Also, remember that this is the time to learn something new. Don’t assume you cannot secure any research opportunity because you haven’t had any experience before; email them, let them know what you want to get out of it, and open your mind to learn something new.
I know this sounds difficult for the first time, but as long as you give it a try, you will succeed. Balancing research and other commitments in the summer can also be hard sometimes, which is why I could not recommend enough to practice the time management strategies. Also, in the worst-case scenario, if you do not get a research position at all for the first time all that you applied, you can do something else to strengthen your ability in the next semester or summer; you can either volunteer or take some classes that Arcadia has to offer and be ready once the time comes. I don’t know if I can give you a perfect piece of advice because my journey was filled with countless obstacles, trials, and errors. But maybe that is the point that research is not about having all the answers; it is a journey of learning, asking questions, and showing up even when unsure.
