How would I go about looking for a position? When should I start emailing professors etc? How many hours do people usually have to commit? I'm going to be a second year student so would this affect what positions I could get? I've never had any previous lab experience and I don't have much other volunteer experience to put on my résumé either accept for some volunteering I did in high school... This would probably decrease the likelihood of me getting a position right? :(

The fact you're willing to go up and ask the prof makes you like 1 in 5 students. Just talk to as many as you can show that you are interested willing to learn and keep trying.

I was in the same boat as you going into my second year. I had 0 lab experience other than from my courses and I wanted a volunteering job. It's more likely that you'll get an opportunity in third year though, especially if you need to do a thesis in fourth year (I'm in the Bio-physiology program which requires a thesis). I started emailing profs in Jan-Feb and got a summer volunteering position in a lab. With that being said, I emailed probably 10+ profs before getting a reply. It helps to talk to them in person first (like if you're taking a class with them) and then emailing to follow up. Just be polite, state that you have previous lab experience from courses and that you're willing to learn. Do some research on what they're researching and talk about how you're interested in what they do! Good luck!

Definitely don't be afraid to go up to your profs and let them know you're really interested in what they're teaching/researching. Many of them would love to chat about what they're doing in their labs as that's where their real passion lies and you can ask if they need any help around the lab. You've got to be willing to do the grunt work sometimes to start out, like labelling 500 sample tubes!

Also, ask some of your friends that are already in labs if they know of any labs that are looking for some extra volunteers. That's how I got my on campus opportunity!!

Do most professors look at your grades when picking volunteers?

Some do and some don't. If you'd rather they not see your grades then don't include them, and if the prof wants to see them then they will ask. If your grades are fine, then you might as well include them.

The first step would be to look at what research is conducted at Mac - it's relatively easy to do too, because each Department's website has lists of their faculty members, and these usually include a little excerpt on what research each prof is doing, or even better, a link to their website. This might take some time but finding something that interests you really makes a difference, especially if you're doing it for the experience. Also, some profs are specific about what your application should be like/what they're looking for in undergrads/whether they actually even accept undergrad volunteers, and all that useful info is usually found on their websites.

Do not restrict yourself to one Department! Not only are you making it harder on yourself by restricting your options, you might be missing out on some really unique/interesting research too in other Departments (or Faculties). It's good to know what your likes and dislikes are, but being open-minded also helps . When I was looking for positions, I looked at the Bio, Psych and Biochem departments.

When sending out emails, cater each one to the specific prof. I know this will take time and effort but the chances of them replying are better, from personal experience. Even then, be prepared to hear absolutely nothing from some profs :p Many of them are super busy and probably get lots of emails like this all the time (also why you want your email to be specific!).

I'm not too sure about the grades thing, I would say it depends - the prof whose lab I am in now just quickly scanned over my marks and instead talked to me about what my interests were. Other profs I ended up meeting though discussed a few of my courses and grades with me. It really depends, and I would say don't let your marks stop you from applying for positions.

The earlier you can apply, the better, I think. For my summer position, I started emailing profs around late Jan/Feb (which seems a bit ridiculous now that I think about it lol but it worked for me :p).

Hope this helps! Good luck in finding a position!