Duke University

Duke Medical Research Scholar

June - August 2022 • Durham, NC

What I liked

Excellent mentorship, fast-paced environment, variable work that was never boring.

What I wish was different

maybe more time to get to know other summer interns beforehand!

Advice

be ready to read lots of papers and educate yourself before going on-site, it does a world of good for your ability to perform in your job duties and builds lots of confidence!

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

August 2021 • Durham, NC

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Reach out and take initiative! I received an offer after cold-emailing individuals with little to no experience in research.

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Data + Project Intern

June - August 2021 • Durham, NC

What I liked

I appreciated the experience I was able to gain working with web development. I enjoyed working on a team and interacting with stakeholders.

What I wish was different

Advice

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DukeEngage Intern

April - July 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I enjoyed getting to work with other Duke students and help out a non-profit organization in Chicago.

What I wish was different

I wish it was not completely virtual.

Advice

Definitely get to know the people you are working with, as they are so nice and excited to work with you, and that is something that should be appreciated.

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Chemistry Research Intern

May 2021 • Durham, NC

What I liked

I enjoyed the flexibility of the role. I was able to spread the 40 hours a week however my schedule permitted.

What I wish was different

Advice

Choose a lab that does work you're genuinely interested in, otherwise your experience will not be fulfilling or as enjoyable.

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Data Science Intern

May - August 2021 • Durham, NC

What I liked

Great hands-on teamwork experience to grow my data visualization toolkit and collaborate with a diverse team.

What I wish was different

My particular project contained very minimal statistical/quantitative analysis, much more so policy and presentation skills.

Advice

Data+ is what you make of it! It's one of the only times you'll be able to devote yourself entirely to one research project, so be proactive, contribute a lot, and it will be super rewarding.

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Undergraduate Research Intern

May - July 2020 • Durham, NC

What I liked

I loved working with the diverse individuals specifically within the Motivated Cognition & Aging Brain Lab. This REU Internship really gave myself great insight into the research field and how this is especially for minorities.

What I wish was different

I wish this program had given me a bit more insight as to how I could better learn how to use useful coding programs that are essential fore research such as R.

Advice

This is a great experience for any minority who is looking to getting insight into the research field. Don't feel afraid to research daring topics! I was able to conduct research whilst analyzing fMRI data virtually and although this was a hassle to do virtually, I still ended up learning a lot of skills.

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Professional Nursing Assistant

May - August 2020 • Durham, NC

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Take every opportunity possible to build relationships with nurses, doctors, CNA, RTs, and all staff members. The more eager you are to learn, the more people will want to take the time to teach you. Always do more than is expected and you will get the most out of your experience.

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Research Assistant

May - July 2020 • Kirkland, WA

What I liked

I got a lot of hands on experience with the research process, and lasting relationships with current and upcoming researchers. Not only was I free to engage in parts of the research process that may be off-limits (e.g. data analysis, IRB submission), but I can still contribute to the projects I worked on this summer even after the program ended.

What I wish was different

It would have been great to be at the lab in person so that I could have worked more closely with everyone, but given what was going on it was still a valuable experience.

Advice

Take advantage of all of the opportunities faculty and grad students give you to get out of your comfort zone: they aren't expecting you to get everything right the first time, just that you work at it and ask for help when you need it.

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Duke University Summer Experience Program Participant

June 2019 • Durham, NC

What I liked

I loved the family environment, the program was geared towards minority students who are interested in Physical Therapy.

What I wish was different

I wish the program would have been a bit longer. Being as though it was only one week we had just gotten accustomed to one another and had to part ways.

Advice

I would definitely advise students to network each and every day so that if they were interested in applying to the program they would have better odds at getting in.

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Summer Research Scholar

May - July 2019 • Durham, NC

What I liked

Over this summer, I was an Amgen Scholar at Duke University. The Amgen Scholars Program aims to provide research opportunities to undergraduate students at several different universities around the United States. I enjoyed my time in the lab that I worked in and I felt that people were willing to help you when you needed it. Within my program, I got to interact with other students that were considering similar career paths to myself.

What I wish was different

Advice

To interact and make connections with the people in your program.

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Psychology Research assistant

May - July 2019 • Durham, NC

What I liked

I got to see how it was like to do research at a big institution. I also learned a lot about the graduate school application and other professional skills such as presenting a poster.

What I wish was different

I wish I had had more freedom in making decisions related to my own research there

Advice

Be receptive about anything you may learn

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SURPH Intern

May - July 2019 • Durham, NC

What I liked

I loved my mentor and my PI. I also loved all the people in my program. Everyone was very friendly and I learned a lot.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Resident Counselor

June - July 2019 • Georgetown, TX

What I liked

I am much better now at programming events, handling interpersonal conflicts, and managing groups of children.

What I wish was different

My managers were horrible and very untrained. There was theft that wasn't properly dealt with, and calling HR was the only way to get anything done.

Advice

Be patient with RHDs and RHLs because they are generally untrained and rude.

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Research

May - July 2019 • Durham, NC

What I liked

Constant hands on experience

What I wish was different

Living conditions

Advice

Take every opportunity given to you and try your best at everything!

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Academic Progarm Assistant

May - July 2019 • Louisiana State University, LA

What I liked

The Interaction with the students and faculty, and the educational opportunities provided to these kids

What I wish was different

some of the organization of the program was not good

Advice

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Camp Counselor

June - July 2019 • Sherman, TX

What I liked

I loved the opportunities to work with middle school-aged students. It was so much fun to design different weekend activities and be able to discuss with them what they learned in their classes each day. (It was an academic camp.) I enjoyed being able to be a resource if any of the students needed anything or needed to talk to someone, and it was great to form relationships with them and see each individual personality with each student.

What I wish was different

I loved the job, but I wish everything about the location had been different. The dorm we were staying in for this camp was part of Austin College, and it was named Dean Hall. This hall was infested with ants, and some of my residents were getting bitten in their sleep. The facilities people (who were quite rude and reluctant to do anything to help with the camp) refused to spray, so we had to go buy our own ant spray out of pocket to help the residents. There were also multiple sightings of cockroaches. The food was also mediocre at best. I talked to people who go to that college and they said the food was better through the year as opposed to in the summer. The main things I wish were better are the facilities, the people running the facilities, and the food.

Advice

I would absolutely do this job, except literally anywhere else. One thing is that sleep is kind of elusive, as there will be night duty until 2 am some nights, so take every opportunity to sleep during the day.

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Research Intern

June - August 2018 • Durham, NC

What I liked

I got to do research that was being used in the development of a real world product.

What I wish was different

It was very repetitive work, and most of the work I did was done alone.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask about other people's projects and if there is any way you can get involved.

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Residential Counselor

July - August 2018 • Durham, NC

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Although overwhelming at times it was an experience that I am grateful I had a chance to partake in. Definitely be at peace with yourself because it gets frustrating.

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