By Alexandra Goldhamer, Peer Research Ambassador

With all of the research opportunities available at UConn, it can be difficult to determine which experience would be best for you. One of my majors, molecular & cell biology, is more in line with bench research. My other major, human rights, relates more to qualitative research. Further, my minor in mathematics sparked my interest in quantitative research. I have diverse passions that I have been able to explore through coursework on different subjects. However, when participating in research during the academic year, it is important to commit your time and resources to a particular project in a particular lab. This allows for your knowledge, strengths, and techniques to grow in a particular subject that will inform your particular career goals. So, how do you know what’s the best fit for you?

Attend conferences and workshops

Early on in my undergraduate career, I attended both the Mathematics Continued Conference and some of the presentations that were put on by the STEM Seminar Series that focused on molecular biology. I knew I was interested in these topics and this was confirmed by reading about faculty members’ research interests on their department websites. During both of these experiences, I evaluated 1) how interested I was in each of the topics, 2) what it would mean to make small contributions to these fields, and 3) if I would enjoy the day to day tasks that lead to the end goal of small discoveries. I found myself fascinated by the biology presentations, and was intrigued by the fact that any contribution in this field could potentially have an impact on clinical outcomes. Although I was still curious about what the day to day experience would entail. Continue reading →

By Stephanie Schofield, Peer Research Ambassador

The minute we step into college, there is an aura of both stress and also of relief. The stress, for many, comes from this daunting, new academic environment we are exposed to. The relief, on the other hand, is from knowing we’ve finally made it. We all fought so hard to get here, many of us spent our high school years trying to earn good grades and also get heavily involved in extracurricular activities to boost our applicant profile. Now that you’re here, extracurriculars don’t matter anymore, right?

Well, not necessarily! Of course it can depend on the major, but many of us here are either pursuing a job after college or graduate school, like myself. In my last blog, I mentioned my own example of taking a gap year to gain more experience before entering graduate school. People who know me and/or have reviewed my resume and CV before are reading that last entry and last sentence rolling their eyes. Why on earth would I need to gain more experience when I have so many opportunities and experiences already under my belt? For me, it’s not that I need to, but more so, I want to. Continue reading →