For Sophomores

Explore your Interests to Inform your Choice of Major

  •  Invite a faculty for a meal at your residential college to ask questions about their research and learn about undergraduate research opportunities in their research group.

  • Peruse the departmental Independent Work Guides as you start to consider possible concentrations.

  • Review the research opportunities announced through the Student Employment Office and apply for a research assistantship with a Princeton faculty.

  • Find a graduate student research mentor through the ReMatch program and co-write a research funding proposal for the summer.

  • Consult PURC, the Princeton Undergraduate Research Calendar for upcoming seminars, workshops, funding opportunities, important deadlines, and more.

  • Attend Princeton Research Day in May to learn about and celebrate the research and creative work being done on campus. Come cheer on your fellow students and get insights on choosing your major.

  • Connect your academic work with the research needs of local non-profit organizations through the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) many courses, summer research internships, and gather ideas for your junior and senior independent work.

  • Explore ways to tie sustainability into your academic interests and upcoming independent work by taking a course or assisting with faculty research through the Campus as Lab program, which taps into local systems to help solve global challenges.

  • Consider applying for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship in the spring to receive support and mentorship in preparation for doctoral programs and careers in the professoriate.

  • Subscribe to the Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research Blog (link is external) to be the first to read student-authored posts on all things related to the undergraduate research experience at Princeton.

  • Review the month-by-month Sophomore Action Plan to help you make sense of your second year at Princeton and stay on track.

  • Schedule an appointment in Bookings with Dr. Pascale Poussart, director of undergraduate research, or Dr. Caitlin Larracey, assistant director, to discuss your research options during this academic year and next summer.

Plan for your Summer Research Experience Early!

  • Browse through the list of existing Princeton-based summer research programs for undergraduates and apply for a research-based internship.

  • Set up a Pivot account and use this system to match your research interests to non-Princeton funded research programs such as fellowships and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs.