Because we are working with many different institutions, the deadlines for applications differ depending on where a lab is located and whether you are returning to work in the same lab. Rather than reading all of the below, it is advised that you submit your application (and have your prospective Principal Investigator respond to the application email the form sends out) by at least two weeks before the beginning of the semester you intend to work in a lab, except if you are working at UTHealth/McGovern. UTHealth/McGovern requires the application to be submitted 3-4 months before joining a lab.
Deadlines for the institutions left unspecified are up to the discretion of the instructor. Registration policies of Rice determine when you can register and when late fees will take effect, but please keep in mind that the end of the undergraduate request period basically has no impact on registering for this course.
For applications to work in a new lab
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UTHealth/McGovern requires 12–16 weeks to process new applicants and grant physical lab access. Therefore, your application and Principal Investigator confirmation must be submitted at the beginning of the semester before you plan to start (for example, submit at the start of the fall if you intend to work in the spring).
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If you begin searching for a lab during the course registration period, you will not be able to complete the full 3 credit hours of work in the following semester. However, you may register for 1 credit hour instead, with the understanding that you will begin work only in the latter part of the semester once access is approved. The deadline for this reduced-credit option is one month before the semester begins.
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- Applications to labs at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) should be in and confirmed by the lab Principal Investigator by the start of the semester that a student intends to work in the lab
- Applications to labs at Rice must be in by 11:59 PM on the Friday following the first week of classes – the application form will be shut down following that date. The lab Principal Investigator must also confirm the application by 4 PM the following Friday.
For applications to return to the same lab as a previous semester
- If you have worked in a lab at any institution for BIOS 310 or NEUR 310 before and are re-applying: applications must be in by 11:59 PM on the Friday following the first week of classes – the application form will be shut down following that date. The lab Principal Investigator must also confirm the application by 4 PM the following Friday.