So you’ve heard of research, and you know that it’s happening at UConn. Maybe you have friends that work in labs, your professors have mentioned their work in lectures, or you stopped by to see the poster presentations at Frontiers in Undergraduate Research. Whatever your exposure, research sounds exciting and important, and now you want to get involved, too! Continue reading
Imagine this, you’ve written an email to a professor whose research project is the one you know you want to join; you’ve read it over twice, and it states everything you need to include. But now you’re hesitating to send it because a million different possibilities are running through your head. You start second-guessing your qualifications and your reason for sending this email in the first place and it takes a while to muster the courage to hit send (or even worse, you never hit send!). Continue reading
Are you considering graduate school? The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) might be just the test you are looking for! There is a wealth of detailed information available online about the GRE, and although this is helpful it can also be overwhelming. Through this post, I hope to give a brief overview of the exam and discuss my experience. Continue reading
Getting into research is hard enough but for social science students there is an added level of effort: combating the myths and misconceptions of doing social science research. Here are some common myths and the real truth behind them: Continue reading
From my experience with research, the more you do, the more you feel you need to do, which makes it important to plan ahead and balance your time between coursework and research so that your academics don’t suffer.
When I first joined a research lab, I was so excited to start working on my own projects. I spent almost all the time I had in the lab. Although I made a lot of progress on my project, I did not work hard enough on my courses. Continue reading
Trying to get involved in research as an undergraduate student is daunting. It is uncomfortable to enter, or in this case attempt to enter, academia as it is unlike anything you have encountered before. Fortunately, we have the tools to help you with this learning curve to make it as easy as possible. The other source of anxiety most students face is the fear of rejection. No matter how perfectly you construct your first email, or how much you research for your first conversation, there is always the lingering thoughts of, “What if they say ‘No.’” And even worse, “What does that say about me?” The short answer is that it will be okay if you are told no, and that says nothing about you. Continue reading
Reaching out to faculty you’re interested in working with can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. The tips below helped me get started and take the first steps in building connections and finding a research opportunity. Continue reading
You might think a pre-pharmacy student would want to be working in a lab on drug discovery and most of time you would be right! But with me, things were different.
I have a passion for sociology that I discovered when I was fulfilling my gen-ed requirements my first semester. And after taking a Methods in Social Research course, I knew that the best way to for me to continue pursuing sociology and pharmacy was through research.
So, you want to get into research, but you probably don’t know where to start? Here are a few tips to give you an idea of what you’re in for! Continue reading
As someone who has engaged in research and creative activity, I have learned that marketing yourself and your work is a key step in the process itself. An important way to do this is through an elevator pitch, or a short but impactful statement describing what you do and why you do it. This elevator pitch is the first impression of your research or creative projects that you’ll share with your peers, mentors and employers, so you’ll want to make it attention catching and easy to understand. Continue reading