Being involved in research as a student can be extremely rewarding.

However, contrary to popular belief, not just high schoolers can engage in research.

In this post, we provide the ultimate step-by-step guide for securing middle school research opportunities.

Step One to Getting a Middle School Research Opportunity: Finding Labs Research mainly happens in two places: educational institutions, like universities, and independent companies.

For a middle schooler, conducting research at a university or college is much more feasible because private companies usually have regulations that are more stringent and are less willing to mentor middle school and high school students.

Finding potential labs where you can do research as a middle schooler starts with a simple search on the internet.

Simply typing in “Universities near me” returns a plethora of options.

Record at least 20 of these universities in a Google Sheet or Excel document.

It’s important that you don’t solely aim for well-known places such as MIT or Harvard to find a research opportunity.

Labs in these universities already have numerous emails daily requesting for a research internship.

Be strategic and aim for local universities that are more easily accessible and are a target for fewer middle school and high school hopefuls.

I promise, you won’t be forgoing the quality of research in favor of pursuing a middle school research opportunity at a non-namebrand university.

Research at any accredited, legitimate institution is valid.

Especially if you want to conduct research as a middle schooler, don’t set the bar too high so as to let opportunities slip away.

Step Two to Conducting Research as a Middle Schooler: Cold Emailing Professors Now that you’ve got a list of potential universities to conduct research in as a middle schooler, start drafting a cold email template.

A cold email is a personalized email sent to a receiver with whom you've had no prior contact.

Essentially, this is your elevator pitch to a professor or principal investigator (PI).

Your cold email has three goals: to convey that your research goals are aligned with that of the lab, to get the receiver interested in you and your potential, and to prompt them to invest their time in you through a research internship or opportunity.

To hit these key points, make sure to incorporate the following in your email: First, a warm and formal greeting to the professor/principal investigator Second, a brief snippet about yourself.

Include: Your age, grade, and the city you live in (if it’s very close to the university, mention that for the possibility of a F2F internship) Why you are interested in research as a middle schooler Prior experiences you’ve had in your field of interest  Next, express your interest in the work done by the professor/PI’s lab.

Bring up specific papers and research conferences they’ve done, and explain how your goals align with theirs.

Then, politely request a brief Zoom or phone call in which you can meet the professor/PI to talk more about your research goals and a potential middle school research opportunity.

Finally, end the email by thanking the professor/PI for their time and consideration.

Sign off the email with your full name.

If you have a resume, attach it to the email.

However, don’t worry if you don’t, as the priority is to convey your potential.

Professors who are willing to take on middle schoolers aren’t expecting them to have formal research experience. https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=G1IM1_tz-qQ Watch this ultimate guide on how to secure research opportunities if you prefer a video over a blog!

Although it’s labeled for high schoolers, much of the information applies to middle schoolers as well.

Make sure to listen to Rishab’s tips for cold emailing in the middle.

Note About Middle School Research As a middle schooler, you’ll have a lower success rate in securing a research opportunity.

It’s not your fault; labs tend to have stricter regulations on middle schoolers conducting research.

In addition, because of your age, most of what you do in the beginning might be limited to assisting other lab members in their work.

However, take what you can get.

Once you get a foot in the door, it’s up to you to show your professor you’re capable of taking on larger and larger tasks until you might have your own independent project.

Also, after your first research experience, obtaining other ones down the road gets exponentially easier.

Step Three to Conducting Middle School Research: Rinse and Repeat!

Getting your first research experience as a middle schooler is a waiting game.

However, know that middle school research is very much possible.

Keep sending out those emails, and I promise, it’ll all pay off eventually when you email the right person at the right time.

One thing you can do in the meantime between waiting on email responses is build your portfolio.

Check out Rishab’s STEM Student Guide for 50+ STEM research opportunities and programs and get access to the ultimate research internship guide, including a great cold email template you can use.