How To Prepare for Your First Day in a Science Lab

Whether you’re a high school student or an eager undergraduate, lab work is an essential element of scientific study. You’ll gain hands-on experience and familiarity with following lab best practices. Learn how to prepare for your first day in a science lab to have a better idea of what to expect.
Show Up Early
Demonstrate to the instructors and your lab mates that you’re ready to learn by showing up a few minutes before the scheduled start time. Get used to showing up early; this practice shows that you respect the time of both your colleagues and instructors. Plus, you’ll be able to acquaint yourself more easily with the space before the work really begins.
Be Ready To Take Notes
Your laboratory notebook will be an essential part of your scientist’s tool kit, as that’s where you’ll be documenting your experiments. Before you start, though, make sure you understand the experiment completely to avoid mistakes. And if you do make mistakes in your work, don’t stress, but don’t erase them either! Strike through them with a single line so that you can still read them.
Dress for the Job
Science can get messy. If your instructor has provided guidelines for proper lab attire, follow them every day. Wear closed-toe shoes, roll up long sleeves, and ditch any scarves or dangly jewelry. Be ready to don a lab apron and goggles if you’ll be working with chemicals regularly.
Don’t Sweat It
You’ve probably got those first-day-of-school jitters, and that’s okay! When you first start out in a science lab, there’s a learning curve. Scientific jargon is practically a language on its own, and your lab mates will probably feel awkward too. You’ll inevitably make mistakes, and that’s no big deal. In fact, mistakes can be a valuable learning tool! Keep them in your notebook right alongside your successes.
Your first day in the lab can get your nerves on high alert, but there’s no need to feel anxiety over this new chapter in your studies. Get excited about your future experiments as you prepare for your first day in a science lab.