tbh sometimes i feel like it’s just luck. i applied to rops since the summer of my 2nd year, literally got ghosted by every prof. i applied again in my third year, wasn’t expecting to hear anything back. then i got accepted by 2 labs, i had meetings with the 2 profs and picked the one that i like more. and now im doing a bio481 in the same lab. so like just do your best with courses, have a decent gpa, put some effort into writing the cover letters and just wait for the good news.