Guydeguyde blog
Finding Research Opportunities at Community College
January 24, 2026 • 6 min read
The biggest myth in community college STEM is that "research is only for university students."
If you are aiming for UC Berkeley EECS, UCLA Neuroscience, or Caltech, you are competing against students who have already published papers. You cannot afford to have a blank "Experience" section.
While SMC doesn't have a billion-dollar particle accelerator, it has something better: NSF-funded programs designed specifically for community college students and professors who actually answer their email.
📌 Research Opportunities & Links
- SMC STEM / MAS Program
The hub for minority students in STEM. They organize internships with UCLA. - NSF REU Search Database
The official list of paid summer research internships across the USA. - Science 88 (Independent Studies)
The course code for doing research with a professor for credit.
1. The REU: Paid Summer Research
REU stands for "Research Experiences for Undergraduates." These are funded by the National Science Foundation.
The Deal: You spend 8-10 weeks at a major university (like UCLA, USC, Michigan, or Harvard). They pay for your flight, your housing, and give you a stipend (usually $5,000–$7,000).
The Secret: Many REUs are contractually obligated to accept community college students because they need to show "broadening participation." You aren't competing against the Harvard kid; the Harvard kid isn't eligible for the "community college seats."
When to apply: Applications usually open in Nov/Dec and are due in January/February. You need letters of rec, so make friends with your Chem 11 or Math 8 professor now.
2. Cold Emailing: The "Hustle" Method
SMC is located geographically close to UCLA, USC, and LMU. You can physically go to these labs.
The Strategy:
Find a lab at UCLA that studies something you learned about in Bio 21. Read 2 of their recent papers (or at least the abstracts). Then email the "Principal Investigator" (PI) and the PhD students.
The Template
Subject: Inquiry from SMC Student: Interest in [Specific Protein/Topic] Research
Dear Professor [Name],
My name is [Name] and I am a second-year student at Santa Monica College aiming to transfer into [Major]. I recently read your paper on [Topic] and was fascinated by your finding that [Specific Detail].
I have completed General Chemistry 1 & 2 and Calculus 2 with A's. I am looking for volunteer opportunities this semester to gain wet-lab experience. I am available [Days/Times].
I have attached my CV and transcript. Thank you for your time.
Expect Rejection. You will send 20 emails. You will get 15 ghosts, 4 "No's", and 1 "Maybe." You only need one Yes.
3. Science 88: Getting Credit for It
If you find an SMC professor who is doing a project (many chemistry and physics professors at SMC have small ongoing projects), you can enroll in Science 88A/B (Independent Studies).
This puts the research on your official transcript. It proves to admissions officers that the "research" wasn't just you washing beakers—it was an academic course with a grade.
4. Leveraging the UCLA-SMC Connection
Join the STEM Program at SMC. They have specific bridges to UCLA's "CCC-UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships" (CCCP).
They often host summer intensives where you live in the UCLA dorms and work in labs. These programs are highly competitive but have insanely high transfer success rates because you are already "in the system."
The Bottom Line
Research takes grit. It is boring. You will pipette clear liquids into other clear liquids for hours.
But when you write your transfer essay about "The failure of my PCR experiment and how I troubleshooted the temperature cycles," you sound like a scientist. And universities accept scientists, not just students.
Back to Student Guides.