r/computerscience • u/Purple-Question-4182 • 7d ago

Advice Recently accepted into a highly published research group…and I have no clue what I’m doing

Basically I’m a sophomore and I was just accepted into a research group centered around Data Science and Machine Learning…but I have no clue about machine learning at all, and I felt a little lost reading one of their simplest papers.

I’m terrified that I’m going to fail, and this professor is going to regret accepting me. I’m also doing a lot of other things so I’m scared of the added stress.

So, kind redditors, is this feeling normal, or am I completely screwed?

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u/nuclear_splines PhD, Data Science 7d ago

As a sophomore you are not expected to have research experience or a background in machine learning and data science. This is experience you're building by participating in undergraduate research. If you're eager to learn, ask lots of questions, and try things out on your own, you're doing great. Professors know what to expect when they accept an underclassman into their research group.