June 22nd 2022
In this blog post, I will be talking a bit about my thoughts on research directly with my mentor during the school year compared to research under the guidance of my mentor over the summer. This is something that has caught my attention because I have found differences that are significant to my plans for the future. I hope that with sharing these thoughts and comparisons you might be able to think about your research projects with a different lens.
Thoughts About School Year Research:
During the school year my research project was intwined very closely with my mentor's interests and led by her expertise. This is something I appreciated greatly as this year was my first ever time being in a research setting where I was able to give my input, share thoughts, and put together the work myself, and I needed much more support than some of the other students she may have worked with in the past. I learned a huge amount about how novel research is actually conducted, which gave me the framework I needed to conduct my own research over the summer. This project was mainly a learning experience for me, as the topic of our study was rooted in our shared interests. The portion that I was truly wanting to know the results of would have to wait until summer.
Thoughts About Summer Research:
Summer research has felt a lot different than research over the school year. My first thought when I sat down at the computer and opened up my data in SPSS was "okay so... what am I supposed to do now?". It was a strange feeling not having someone to guide me step by step along the way - but was a feeling I definitely enjoyed. I wrote out my goals and the work session's timeline on a piece of paper, and started to figure out what I wanted my project to share with others. It feels exciting having the creative freedom to design, learn about, put in the work for, and make something that you are honestly passionate about.
How These Thoughts Impact My Future:
When comparing my feelings about school year research to summer research, I am left feeling very excited for the kind of work that I want to do in graduate school. By that time I know I will have the knowledge and experiences to better be able to contribute significantly to a professor's research project, rather than follow along step by step when completing work that needs to be done. This new experience of being the navigator of my individual research project also gives me new insight into the kind of team member I want to be when I do reach the level of a graduate school research lab.
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