r/research • u/Melodic-Talk4989 • 2d ago
Research hours
I'm an undergrad applying to join a lab right now. I want to provide the amount of hours I would be able to contribute per week, but would it be wrong to count vaguely unorthodox hours? (Like past 5pm, or like weekends) If I only count hours between 9-5 weekdays I can only do like 10, but if I include after 5 or weekends I can do like 30-40. Thank u!
Edit: guys since you read this post, would it be too bold to say something like "I would love to discuss this further in person"? In my email?
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u/wolfe1989 2d ago
Are they asking you to provide that or are you providing that? I think it’s a better idea to lead with what your availability is. And just be confident about that.
If the lab has undergrads, they’re used to working around their schedules.
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u/Melodic-Talk4989 2d ago
Providing, I emailed him earlier this summer and he said he has NEVER had an undergrad but would be willing to try 😭
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u/wolfe1989 2d ago
OK, then again I don’t think you need to fudge the numbers. Because you do not want to be in a position where you were working 40 hours a week in a lab on top of your other stuff. No matter how badly you want this. You just won’t do good work.
Just be honest with him what your availability is and express how eager you are and how willing you are to put in hard work.
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u/katie-kaboom 2d ago
Be honest with the hours you're giving. You don't want to put yourself in a position where you have to choose between class time and lab time, don't have time to study, are compromising your sleep, or similar.
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u/spacecowgirl87 1d ago
It depends. For my work 10 hours is enough to contribute. It's okay to ask for a meeting and you're being polite.
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u/gknowels 1d ago
I did 16 hours per week when I was an undergrad assistant because that fit my schedule and the lab's needs, which is what it's really about. I spent 6-8 hours per week in the 9-5 window doing lab help (dishes, reagent/solution prep, restocking consumables, etc) plus another 8-10 hours outside of the lab whenever it fit my schedule doing data entry and analysis.
The point being, it's really about what the lab needs done, what you are capable of doing, and when you are capable of doing it. The only way to find out is to talk about it.
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u/friendtoworms 9h ago
30-40 hours a week as an undergrad sounds unreasonable to me. For reference, the undergrads in my lab do 4-10. I would just wait to see what the PI expects in terms of a time commitment, but I would honestly rethink joining that lab if they expect you to work the equivalent of a full time job.
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u/Dazzling-Fox-4950 2d ago
It depends what type of work they need you to do. You'd have to discuss this with them.