Getting into research as an undergraduate can feel confusing, especially when no one really explains how the process works. A lot of students want research experience, but they do not know where to start, who to contact, or what kinds of opportunities even exist.
I am writing this from my own experience as someone going into fourth year in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto, having worked in five different labs across cognitive, behavioural, molecular, and translational neuroscience. My experience is specific to UofT, especially UTSC, but I will try my best to generalize the advice so that it can be useful for students at other universities and in other majors as well.
The biggest thing to understand is that there is no single way to get into research. There are many different pathways, and the best one depends on your university, your program, your year of study, and the kind of research you want to do.
1. Understand the different pathways into research
A common mistake students make is thinking that the only way to get research experience is to cold email a professor and ask to volunteer. That is one option, but it is not the only one. Most universities have several streams through which undergraduate students can get involved in research.
Volunteer positions
Volunteering is probably the pathway most students think of first. This usually means reaching out to a professor, graduate student, lab manager, or research coordinator and asking whether there are any opportunities to help with ongoing projects.
These roles are often unpaid, but they can be a good way to gain your first exposure to research. Depending on the lab, you might help with literature reviews, data entry, participant recruitment, behavioural testing, coding, wet lab work, or other project-related tasks.
Work-study programs
At UofT, Work Study is a paid student employment program where labs post positions and students apply. These positions are usually more formal than volunteering because the lab has already decided that it needs an undergraduate student for a specific role.
Other universities may have similar paid student research programs, even if they are called something different. These opportunities are worth looking for because they allow you to gain research experience while also being paid for your time.
Summer research grants
Summer research grants are another major pathway into research. At UofT, examples include UTEA, which is available to both domestic and international students, and NSERC USRA, which is funded by the Canadian government and is generally available to domestic students.
These grants usually allow students to work on research full-time over the summer under the supervision of a professor. They can be very valuable because they give you a more immersive research experience than you might get during the school year.
Research courses
Research courses are one of the most underrated ways to get into a lab. These are official university courses designed to place students in research settings. At UTSC, examples include PSYB90, PSYC90, and NROC90, and similar courses exist in other departments and programs.
In many cases, professors may prefer taking a student through a research course rather than through an informal volunteer role because the arrangement is more structured. There are expectations, deadlines, evaluations, and usually a clearer project framework.
If you are trying to get your first research experience, I think research courses can be one of the best places to start. They give you structure, academic credit, and a formal reason to be in the lab.
Independent research projects
Another pathway that students often overlook is starting an independent research project yourself.
This is one of the beautiful things about research: you do not always need to wait for someone to give you permission to start thinking seriously about a question. You can begin tomorrow.
Go on Google Scholar. Start reading papers in an area that interests you. Begin with a literature review, scoping review, or meta-analysis idea. Talk to friends who are also interested and build a small team. You can start by choosing one paper a week, reading it carefully, meeting regularly, and discussing what you learned.
Over time, patterns will start to emerge. You may notice a gap in the literature, a question that has not been answered clearly, or a topic that needs to be synthesized better. Once you have a clearer idea, you can reach out to professors who work in a similar field and ask whether they would be willing to supervise or advise the project.
This is something I have seen from experience. My friends and I started a research group ourselves, developed the idea, began reading and discussing papers, and eventually brought the project under the supervision of a UofT professor.
Of course, this approach requires initiative. There is no course structure forcing you to keep going, and no lab automatically assigning you tasks. But that is also what makes it valuable. It shows curiosity, independence, teamwork, and the ability to turn an idea into something real.
If you are struggling to get into a lab, do not underestimate this route. Sometimes the way into research is not only by joining someone else’s project, but by starting with a question of your own.
2. Your first research experience does not need to be your dream lab
When you are trying to get your first research experience, do not obsess over finding the perfect lab or the perfect topic. Your first lab does not need to be your favourite one.
Instead, focus on what skills you will learn.
Will you learn how to handle data? Will you learn experimental design? Will you learn coding, participant testing, animal work, literature review, scientific writing, microscopy, histology, wet lab techniques, or data analysis?
At the beginning, skills matter more than prestige or exact topic fit. Once you have one research experience, it becomes much easier to get the next one.
Your first lab experience teaches you how research works. It teaches you how to communicate with supervisors, how to be reliable, how to read papers, how to ask better questions, and how to contribute to a project. Even if the topic is not exactly what you want to study long-term, the skills can still be extremely useful.
3. Go to research events and actually talk to people
One of the things that worked for me was attending a research symposium hosted by NAUS, a student club at UofT. I met a professor there, listened to her work, and became interested in her research.
The important thing is that I did not immediately ask, “Can I have a position in your lab?”
That is usually not the best approach. Instead, have a real conversation. Ask about the research. Show genuine interest. Try to understand what the lab does. Leave a good impression. Then, before leaving, say goodbye and thank them for the conversation.
A day or two later, follow up with an email. Mention where you met, what you discussed, what specifically interested you about their work, and politely ask whether there might be a way to get involved.
That kind of email is much stronger than a generic cold email because the professor already has some memory of who you are.
4. Cold emailing still works, but do it properly
Cold emailing is still a useful strategy, but most students do it badly. They send the same generic email to many professors without showing any real understanding of the lab’s work.
A good cold email should be short, specific, and respectful. Mention who you are, what program and year you are in, what part of the lab’s research interests you, and what kind of opportunity you are looking for. Attach your CV and unofficial transcript if appropriate.
Do not make the email too long. Professors are busy. Your goal is not to tell your whole life story. Your goal is to show that you are serious, interested, and worth replying to.
Timing can also matter. If possible, send your email near the start of the workday, especially around 8:00 AM on a weekday. This gives your email a better chance of appearing near the top of their inbox when they begin checking messages. I would avoid sending emails late at night, on weekends, or during very busy periods unless necessary.
If you do not hear back, send a polite follow-up about two weeks later. Professors and graduate students receive a lot of emails, so no response does not always mean rejection. Sometimes your email simply gets buried.
The follow-up should be short and respectful. Do not sound annoyed or entitled. Briefly restate your interest, mention your previous email, and say that you would still be grateful for the chance to discuss any possible opportunities.
5. Reach out to graduate students too
One highly underused strategy is reaching out to graduate students in the lab, especially through LinkedIn or email.
As an undergraduate, you often do not work directly under the principal investigator, or PI. The PI is the professor who runs the lab. In many cases, your day-to-day supervision comes from a graduate student, postdoc, research associate, or lab manager.
Graduate students often have their own projects, and they may need undergraduate help with tasks like data collection, coding, participant recruitment, behavioural testing, literature reviews, or analysis. If you reach out respectfully and show interest in their specific work, they may be more responsive than the PI.
This does not mean bypassing the professor in an inappropriate way. It simply means understanding how labs actually work. Undergraduates often support graduate student projects, so connecting with graduate students can be a very effective route into research.
6. Do not ask for a position too aggressively
When you meet someone at an event, office hour, or symposium, try not to immediately turn the conversation into a request for a job. Professors and graduate students can usually tell when someone is only talking to them to get something.
Instead, be curious first. Ask good questions. Listen carefully. Show that you are interested in the actual research, not just adding a lab name to your CV.
A good impression can matter a lot. Sometimes the best way to get an opportunity is not to ask for one immediately, but to make the person want to continue the conversation.
7. Focus on skills, reliability, and growth
When labs take undergraduate students, they usually do not expect you to know everything. What matters more is whether you are reliable, teachable, organized, and genuinely interested.
If you say you will show up, show up. If you are given a task, do it carefully. If you do not understand something, ask. If you make a mistake, be honest and learn from it.
Research is not just about intelligence. It is also about consistency. A reliable undergraduate who communicates well is often more valuable than someone who seems impressive but is hard to work with.
You should also be honest about your availability. It is better to commit to fewer hours and do them consistently than to overpromise and disappear when school gets busy.
8. Build from one experience to the next
Your first research experience helps you understand how labs work. Your second experience helps you become more useful. Over time, you start to develop a clearer idea of what kind of research you enjoy.
For me, working across different areas — cognitive, behavioural, molecular, and translational neuroscience — helped me understand the range of what neuroscience research can look like. It also helped me figure out what skills I wanted to build and what kinds of questions I found meaningful.
You do not need to have everything figured out from the beginning. Sometimes the purpose of early research experience is simply to learn what research actually is.
Final advice
If you are an undergraduate trying to get into research, start by learning the pathways available at your university. Look for research courses, work-study positions, summer grants, volunteer roles, and independent project options.
Then, talk to people. Go to research events. Email professors. Reach out to graduate students. Ask thoughtful questions. Be respectful, specific, and genuinely curious.
Most importantly, do not wait until you feel perfectly qualified. Undergraduate research is supposed to be a learning experience. You are not expected to know everything before you start.
The goal is to get your foot in the door, learn useful skills, and build from there. Sometimes that means joining an existing lab. Sometimes it means starting with a question, gathering a few friends, reading papers together, and building something from the ground up.
Either way, research begins with curiosity — and you can start sooner than you think.
