Wesleyan University

Paleoclimate Researcher

June 2018 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I loved this position. It has been an increadible experience. One that I feel has started a long term career in the sciences.

What I wish was different

I wish I worked through a grant based pay system rather than an hourly wage.

Advice

Work hard and make sure you are following a career path that you love.

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QAC Apprenticeship Program

May - July 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I learned a lot during this summer. I worked with Prof. Fowler and Laura. And, it is this opportunity helps me learn a lot about U.S. politics. Before this program, I did not realize that I can do data analysis. However, with the help of all the instructors and classmates, every time I had some problems, I wouldn't feel helpless. Everyone is great.

What I wish was different

The data analysis courses cover so much; however, I think not all of them are that useful. And, at the end of the program, I forgot some of the advanced data analysis because I didn't use them.

Advice

It is a great combination of doing academic research and data analysis.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - August 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I liked doing research over the summer because I was able to focus on my project without worrying about classes and extracurriculars like during the school year. There were great workshops to help with various skills necessary to work in the sciences. The poster session at the end of the program was a low pressure way to create a poster for the first time and get feedback from peers about how successful it was at conveying my work. I liked having a flexible work schedule and a casual environment.

What I wish was different

I wish more food options had been provided by the program because it was a challenge living in the dorms and keeping a balanced diet while also not spending your entire salary on eating out.

Advice

If you work in a lab at Wesleyan, staying over the summer to do research is a great way to move your project forward and get closer with your professor and fellow lab mates. The research community is very close knit and you will get to see your friends at work everyday!

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Research Assistant

May - July 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

Great research experience. The pay was enough, but not amazing.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been more things to do on campus.

Advice

If you can find a cheap place to live off-campus, that would be much better than living in Bennet.

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New Student Orientation Intern

May - September 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I loved my role and tangible sense of leadership and empowerment. During the summer I was respected among administrators and I was given respect that I earned due to the work I put out there.

What I wish was different

I wish I started my position earlier to prepare longer for orientation. Additionally, I wish that all of the interns were at the same location on campus because the International Student Intern and First Things First Intern were working in different locations than the NSO Interns.

Advice

A piece of advice that I would offer is that this position really encourages individual autonomy and prepares students for the workforce. Thus, if you want to really develop your leadership skills then I would suggest considering this position.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June - August 2020 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I enjoyed the fact that I worked in person, which was not typical during the summer of 2020. I loved my co-workers, and I was very interested in the research.

What I wish was different

I wish I did not take on a particular project that I was not interested in.

Advice

Advocate for yourself if you are assigned to do either too much work or work you are not interested in doing (if there is someone else who can do it instead).

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Research Assistant

May - August 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I really enjoyed the research I was working on this summer concerning privacy policy technology. The material was incredibly intellectually stimulating and the professor I worked with was very insightful and enthusiastic.

What I wish was different

I enjoyed everything in regards to the academic pursuits of the project. However, being on campus in Middletown in the summer can be a bit boring. I am lucky enough to have access to a car so I was able to go home most weekends. Had I not been able to do that, my summer would have been much less fun.

Advice

If you are potentially interested in academia or research in any capacity, I would really suggest spending a summer here. First of all, the campus is beautiful in the summer. More importantly, it is a great chance to get an inside look into the day-to-day experiences of research and academia.

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Research Fellow

June - August 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I really liked the experience of finding out something new, and contributing to the knowledge of the science world.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Student Research

June - August 2018 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I really learned a lot in the lab, built a good relationship with my PI, and experienced a great lab community.

What I wish was different

I wish housing and food options on campus were better.

Advice

Get to know the people you are working with and take responsibility for your learning.

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Research Fellow

May - August 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

Being a part of the Student community during the summer, being able to invest full time into my research and make substantive progress.

What I wish was different

Advice

Look for housing extremely early! Campus housing is stupidly overpriced, and it's really hard to find a place to stay in town. But it'll cut your rent in half.

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Biology Research Intern

May 2018 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I liked the research topic, my research advisor and the lab members. They were very supportive and willing to teach me new skills.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have dived more into the hands-on research but I spent a lot of time understanding the material which, in the long run, is also very important.

Advice

Definitely participate in a research lab or conduct a research topic that you are genuinely interested in or care about.

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Sustainability Office Intern

May - December 2018 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I liked having a lot of personal responsibility and autonomy in the projects I was assigned.

What I wish was different

A lot of my job ended up being small logistical things. I was happy to do them since I accepted that it should not be my boss's job to do them, but I enjoyed them less.

Advice

Open and clear communication with your boss is really important. Also, something I always keep in mind is a good worker is someone who just does what they're told. So just do what you're assigned to do.

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Undergraduate Researcher

May 2018 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I enjoyed finally experiencing what it would be like to do research full-time.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time to complete my project.

Advice

I would have been better organized in the beginning to allow for less time to have been spent figuring things out along the way.

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Research Assistant

May - July 2018 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

The research was very fascinating and gave a lot of good opportunities to me as an undergraduate student. For example, I got the chance to co-author a publication as well as engage in data analysis which are useful aspects to consider when applying to graduate school. It was also fun to run the studies on participants.

What I wish was different

I wish it would have been a little bit more immersive and independent. I felt sometimes that I was only helping others with their studies and their publications -- which would have been fine if I had also gotten a chance to apply those skills to my own work. For instance, I would have loved to be given the opportunity to design my own study and complete a literature review on a subfield that I found interesting which would also benefit the lab.

Advice

Definitely ask for what you want. You may not always be allowed to, say, not engage in recruitment, but if you're interested in coding or programming for experiments or SPSS/psych stats, ask how you can get more involved with it in the lab. Most times you will be able to do so.

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Field Assistant

May - July 2018 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I liked learning a lot during this experience and getting to work closely with a Wesleyan professor. I gained experience in field ecology and got to know a lot more about Connecticut's ecosystems.

What I wish was different

I wish that the experience had been for the entire summer.

Advice

Finding housing close to campus that is not super expensive is challenging.

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Biology Laboratory Assistant

June - August 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

I enjoyed the friendly and professional atmosphere of the lab. I loved getting to know the PhD and graduate studies community. Living in Middletown over the summer was nice bcause I learned a lot more about the area.

What I wish was different

I wish the structure of the poster session was better designed with the time frame of the research. Most student jobs last for about 10 weeks and culminating with the findings of the research. However, often the research simply not complete after 10 weeks bthe requirements of the poster session should be updated to better reflect the nature of the work that is being done.

Advice

Take full advantage of the fun activities that go on outside the lab with the people you work with. Obviously the work is important and will get done, but it can be a little bit of a drag to be on campus through the summer if you’re not soedning it with people you like.

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College of Integrated Sciences Fellow: MacQueen Laboratory

May - August 2017 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

The ability to fully immerse myself into research for the first time was extremely exciting! I was given the freedom & the opportunity to make my own mistakes, but always had so many people to help me along with every step. Research is challenging, frustrating, but incredibly rewarding.

What I wish was different

There will be less students on campus than there is during the typical school year, so you need to be intentional about building community within your lab & residence. CIS also hosted weekly movie nights so be sure to take advantage of those type of opportunities!

Advice

It really helps if you start attending lab meetings & learning a few skills during the semester before you become a research fellow! I had to dive in without any prior knowledge, and it was hard to only have a week to be trained by my mentor before needing to do more independent research.

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Paleoclimate Research Assistant

May - August 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

The opportunity to conduct real science, science that matters. I was also asked to speak at the National GSA conference on my summer research, which was an incredible networking opportunity.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more structure and clear-headed advisement.

Advice

Be outspoken about topics that you care about. There are so many problems in the world, pick one and be passionate to start. I would also recommend that researchers make business cards to hand out at conferences.

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Research Assistant

March - July 2019 • Middletown, CT

What I liked

The hours, pay, and one-on-one work with my professor gave me invaluable insight into academia and a potential career doing chemistry research. I also have a better understanding of scientific writing (i.e. drafting a professionally-structured research paper) and the application process for being published.

What I wish was different

Advice

Put the word out to Professors that you are interested in doing research early on. Waiting until Junior or Senior year to get involved might result in you missing out on an invaluable opportunity like doing paid summer research.

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