I just sent this to all the psych majors at SDSU. Its good advice and its how I got here. 

Dear Psychology Peers,

I was impressed by the (overwhelming) number of responses for my neuroscience seminar/tour at UCSD. However, I noticed that many of you are sophomores and juniors who are just starting out and want to gain exposure to the field. This sort of experience is extremely helpful in making decisions about where you want to go with your education. The best way you could possibly do this is by participating in a research experiment.

When you participate in an experiment, you get to see the real equipment and methods first-hand. You can also ask questions about them and get answers from experts. At the end of the day, you not only get to see equipment like MRIs and EEGs in action, but also see your own brain data at the end of it. A few of my friends now have MRI pictures of their brain as geeky facebook photos.

Another important reason to participate in research is that you can meet people and check out labs. It takes work to find the right lab for you —you really have to look around. The best way to see a lot of labs and actually talk to people is to participate in research experiments in many different labs. Then, once you’ve seen your options, make a decision and apply.

Lastly, if the lab or experiment is not a good fit for you, there are still several gains. (1) you will probably be paid for your time, (2) you are now sure that you DONT want to study that, (3) you can always ask the researcher where to go and build your network. 

Hope this helps!

Best,
Dave Deriso
Paulus Lab
Ramachandran Lab
davidderiso.com