By Divya Ganugapati, OUR Peer Research Ambassador
As an undergraduate student there is a lot of pressure on you to figure out exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life at such a young age. Enrolling at UConn at 17 years old, I had no clue what some of the 110+ majors offered here even meant (Cognitive Science? What?) let alone having to choose one.
Before switching to a Cognitive Science major, I originally was a Physiology and Neurobiology major. I knew I was interested in a field relating to the brain since I had so many brain-oriented unanswered questions. Why are humans the only species to industrialize? What is the difference between humans, animals, and machines? What happens when your brain gets injured? How can some people switch between two or more languages? These questions are what motivated my major change from a purely physiological and anatomical education of the brain to an interdisciplinary understanding of the brain’s application to language, emotion, and personality. Continue reading
When attending such a well-known research university, it is difficult to go a day without hearing the seemingly hackneyed expression “get involved in research early on.” So often, this is interpreted to mean you should get involved in a professor’s research lab from freshman or sophomore year and continue this research until senior year. Although this a great form of a research experience, it is not the only form of undergraduate research.
Recently, I have been reflecting on my experience doing creative activity and research. I have gained so many valuable things from writing and illustrating a comic book through an IDEA grant. I’ve built amazing relationships with mentors, I’ve gained technical skill, but most valuable of all, I’ve gained confidence that I want to pursue a career in narrative illustration.
If you’re a senior, chances are you’re considering either graduate school or full time employment after graduation. If you chose the former, then you probably need a few letters of recommendation for your applications. Who do you ask? How do you form relationships with faculty who can write you letters of recommendation?
Research happens in a lab, on a bench, with a bunch of microscopes and pipettes and bottles of various liquids on the side. Right? Sounds right to me…or at least it did. Research is so much more than that. It just might take a while before you realize that.
When I decided to apply for an IDEA grant, one step in the process really intimidated me. That step was approaching a project mentor. In creative endeavors, finding and approaching a project mentor works a little differently than in research. While there are no publications to read or labs to shadow in, there are artist statements, studio practices, and past work to learn about. These tips can help you select the right mentor, prepare for your first meeting, and ensure that you forge a relationship that will best serve your creative endeavors. 
Are you interested in the 
The idea of “doing research” sounds so vague and pretty daunting as an undergraduate student. For people in the sciences, we usually picture a person in a white coat with a beaker doing… something. As a freshman, I wasn’t sure what those people in lab coats were actually doing. I assumed it was important but really didn’t understand it.
Every year, on the first day of school, I have high hopes for my organization. I’ll use my planner every day! I’ll clean my whole apartment every Thursday night! Healthy dinners every night? No problem! Inevitably, in the first few weeks, these lofty goals slowly start to crumble. Why? Because I do not effectively organize my deadlines. Finally, after many years, and many organizational failures I have figured out some strategies to keep me on track past the first two weeks of the semester. 
When thinking about participating in undergraduate research, we often think about our interests – whether that be infectious diseases, genetic disorders, the social dynamic of college students, or the best medium to present a beautiful work of art. I stumbled into a laboratory that is working on something that wasn’t necessarily at the top of my interest list, but I am all the better for it.