FMP: Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. In a typical year, around 60 students apply to the Emergency Medicine Research Associates Program and 6-7 students will be selected.

No. You can enroll in independent courses without having to participate in the Faculty Mentor Program. However, FMP is an excellent add-on to students' research experience.

Enroll in a 99 or 199 independent study class with your mentor:

• Read about the 99 and 199 Special Studies classes and how to apply here.
• Biology: Students who will will take the 99 or 199 through the Biology Department must apply online through the Department.
  • Note that deadlines for enrolling in BILD 99 & BISP 199 are earlier than independent study courses in other departments; the BILD 99 & BISP 199 enrollment deadline is always during the quarter before the course will actually be in effect. Students enrolling in BILD 99 or BISP 199 for fall quarter must do so by September 8, 2023.
• If you are unable to enroll in an independent course, no problem! Just contact the FMP Coordinator for an exemption form.   

URH does NOT handle course enrollment. If you are having issues with enrolling in an independent study course, please contact the undergraduate advisor of your department or the department affiliated with your mentor.

Yes. Please reach out to the Faculty Mentor Program coordinator to request a 199-exemption form after you submit your FMP application.

FMP has a minimum 2-quarter commitment. Students must participate in at least 2 consecutive quarters (i.e. fall & winter, winter & spring). Students may also apply in the fall and participate for the entire academic year.

• Students are expected to do research related activities for at least 10 hours per week.
• Meet with their UCSD faculty mentor (or someone designated by the faculty mentor) for at least 1 hour per week.
• Attend ~1 hour long seminars and workshops during each quarter of participation. (3-4 hours per quarter in total).

Faculty mentors are expected to oversee the development of FMP scholars’ projects and provide feedback along the way. 

• Faculty should plan on at least one hour of contact per week with their mentee(s). Many undergraduates are not seasoned researchers; they need to be trained and prepared for the work they are to perform with assigned readings and guidance in relevant research techniques. If a mentor is unable to oversee research, they can assign someone else on their behalf to check on the student's progress.
• Give students feedback on the required FMP deliverables (research proposal, final paper, and poster to be presented at the FMP Symposium).
• Approve students enrolled in a 99/199 independent study course (4 units) under the mentor's department each quarter of participation.

There are a variety of tools and strategies that you can employ to identify a faculty mentor.

Consider reaching out to professors who have taught you in courses connected to your areas of interest.  Talk to teaching assistants (TAs), instructional assistants (IAs), research assistants (RAs), or other people on campus who have shaped your intellectual life, and who might have contact with faculty members who serve as the principal investigator (PI) for a research group.  Search the course catalog and departmental websites for faculty members who teach courses that you hope to soon take.  Utilize the Research Experience & Applied Learning (REAL) Portal and/or the UCSD Profiles database to search for faculty members working in fields related to your interests.  If you are interested in pursuing research, but are having difficulty identifying a potential mentor, please reach out to the URH staff, and we will be happy to assist you in your search.

Once you have identified a possible mentor, reach out via email to formally introduce yourself, explain your research interests in relationship to their work, and request whether they would be willing to meet with you virtually or in-person to further discuss the possibility of serving as a mentor.  While faculty members are busy—and sometimes may seem intimidating to approach—most often they are truly excited to meet enthusiastic young scholars who share their intellectual interests.