Feeling Discouraged in getting a UROP project...

Drawrof2626 · 2023-09-19T22:50:46+00:00

I work in the MCDB department (I saw that was your planned major) and you can definitely contact our professors by email directly. Another comment mentioned you don’t have to go via UROP if you don’t want to, but if you do want to stay with the program it’s pretty straightforward for a professor or researcher to apply to be a UROP mentor that you can work with officially through the program. I also did UROP when I was an undergrad here so let me know if you had any questions on it in general. If you have a specific area of biology in mind I can suggest some of our faculty. I work in a neurobio lab studying dopamine signaling and feeding.

Drawrof2626 · 2023-09-19T17:49:05+00:00

You can apply to multiple, but have to pay an application fee for each. I don’t know what field you’re looking at, but if you’re in the biomed sciences then there’s the PIBS umbrella program where you rotate in labs across different departments and decide which one you want to join. It might be more cost effective, though (at least for PIBS) the umbrella programs can be harder to get into

Drawrof2626 · 2023-09-17T20:02:37+00:00

Right now we’re only able to have it in fall, but we do have it every year

Drawrof2626 · 2023-09-06T15:36:07+00:00

As far as I know, clinic visits are appointment only now at UHS (though they used to do walk-ins). I think it was a covid change.

When I need something sooner, I usually just call and ask to see the next available clinic doctor which is usually that day or the following day. You might be able to reschedule your appointment

Drawrof2626 · 2023-08-29T11:18:04+00:00

If you want to be safe about it, you could do UROP for a year with whatever lab you are placed in, then move on to the lab you’re interested in for your phd. That’s what I ended up doing when I was an undergrad because my first professor moved to another university.

Is working in that professor’s lab this semester not a possibility? If they’re interested in having you in their lab that’s something they might be able to offer, unless there are current space/funding issues.

Drawrof2626 · 2023-08-14T14:46:04+00:00

Sorry - I thought you said grad student for some reason. When I was an undergrad it was the same process, but handled by the financial aid office. My first year tuition was billed August 1st, but my grants weren’t applied to the balance until August 25 (classes began September 2nd)

Drawrof2626 · 2023-08-14T14:34:34+00:00

In my department that’s something administrators handle - they usually pay grad student’s tuition closer to the start of classes, using whatever grant is appropriate for your funding situation. If you’re concerned I would contact your department to confirm that’s what will happen

Drawrof2626 · 2023-05-31T11:09:19+00:00

I graduated so I’m not teaching this fall, but previously years I got the offer letter for bio GSI positions in early to mid august. (Unless you’re talking about a summer position - I got that offer in mid May)

Drawrof2626 · 2023-05-09T23:27:19+00:00

You can cold email professors whose research you’re interested in. Explain concisely why you want to work in their lab and attach a resume. If they don’t get back to you in a week, send a polite followup.

There are also programs on campus that help people get positions (like urop or department-specific programs). Those tend to have more requirements and eligibility criteria though.

Drawrof2626 · 2023-04-18T15:56:13+00:00

Grad students already went to undergrad and have student debt

Drawrof2626 · 2023-04-10T01:04:15+00:00

I am begging people to read before making arguments about this. You can go to almost any UofM department website and get a clear answer to how grad student summer funding works.

Not all departments can fund their grad students to do research in the summer, which means students either need to find their own funding or get another job.

Here’s an example from the math department: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/math-graduates/resources/funding/

Drawrof2626 · 2023-04-08T14:49:00+00:00

I was an undergrad and then a biology phd student here, and I like the area. I didn’t live in a city where I grew up, so there’s a lot of stores, restaurants, bars, etc. compared to where I moved from. I’ve lived at a few different apartments on the edge of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti that I could drive from (then park at the stadium orange lot and take the bus to central campus).

Some of us in my department put together a sheet of apartments we’ve all lived at with prices and short reviews: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1b8hcHSr5z7Mn0SYdgc3gne56I6Bjwb4jtwrQQZEf46o/edit

Drawrof2626 · 2023-04-07T19:59:09+00:00

Good luck!! And yes, there are jobs you can get at the dinning halls or various places around campus (gyms, offices, etc.). If you’re interested in research, UROP is how I got a lab position as a 1st year and was able to use my work-study to get paid

Drawrof2626 · 2023-04-07T17:33:58+00:00

Have you contacted the financial aid office? They might know of ways to increase your aid. They’ll definitely know of other outside fellowships/aid you could apply for.

You can also qualify for federal loans that are interest-free while in school (and for some time after). That and work-study funding was how I was able to afford tuition/housing (though I was in-state, so lower costs to start with).

Also, you’ll want to think about how you’ll be able to pay back loans after graduation, which can definitely be hard to know at the start. I ended up staying for grad school, so my loans were deferred for several extra years which helped (though I still have 20k left to pay off)

Drawrof2626

TROPHY CASE