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Illinois Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Research Assistant

January - May 2023 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

The research was done under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Zhiling Lan. Work done during the Spring semester of 2023 under CS497 was to understand technologies in Parallel Discrete Event Simulations (PDES) and work with them to learn about High Performance Computing and job scheduling. The two technologies that were primarily investigated and learned from were CODES Discrete Event Simulation Framework and CQSIM一a discrete event driven scheduling simulator. What I really enjoyed with this experience was it made me interested in High Performance Computing research, and I hope to continue in the same field in the near future, and possibly pursue a PhD in the same.

What I wish was different

Since the field was very new to me, I wish that I had had more experience with the same beforehand. Nevertheless, my pre-existing knowledge with C and Python really helped me. Furthermore, my ability to analyze new topics via reading research papers came really in handy!

Advice

Never hesitate to apply for positions regardless of whether you're qualified or not. The hiring decision is in the hands of the employers. It's really important to learn from the experience. Hard work always pays off!
2 ${count} people found this helpful

math research

May - August 2023 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I enjoyed the faculty and staff that I worked with and being able to experience the big city of Chicago.

What I wish was different

I would not change a thing.

Advice

Anyone who has the opportunity to be an intern in research should take the opportunity to do so.
1 One person found this helpful

CDA

September 2022 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Decent job with flexible work schedule. You get to choose when you want to work.

What I wish was different

No cons. everything is perfect from staff to coworkers

Advice

Friendly work environment and the best position to work on-campus
13 ${count} people found this helpful

Resident advisor

August 2022 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I love the people I work with and the responsibilities

What I wish was different

Advice

Make sure you can manage your time well
1 One person found this helpful

Research Assistant

May 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Learning experience

What I wish was different

Frequency of work to be more

Advice

Pay great attention to detail
1 One person found this helpful

Student Researcher

August - December 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Learning through research is hands-on and gives a richer perspective on a topic.

What I wish was different

I would have liked more guidance and structure. It was my first graduate research experience. I was on my own for most of the semester.

Advice

If you will be working on a project alone, choose a topic and scope that is not too broad or advanced. Choose something challenging, but achievable.
2 ${count} people found this helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - August 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I was able to learn more about the Ph.D. pipeline as well as the tasks of a graduate student that masters in CS in two universities: the University of Chicago and Illinois Tech.

What I wish was different

I wish that it had been in person. The experience was online so it made it harder to reach out for help because it would take time for the graduate students to respond to my problems.

Advice

If you want to know if you want to go into academia, definitely try out an undergraduate research position.
1 One person found this helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - July 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I liked the flexibility in the job because usually, it was just me and the ph.d candidate that I worked with deciding the next steps and deciding our schedule. There was no 9-5 obligation that I had to follow. Along with that, I also got to learn a lot about research and the academic world. I had control over the problems that I want to solve and I could work at my own pace and had personal guidance throughout the whole program.

What I wish was different

When reporting my progress at the end, I felt that it was not effective for my growth since this is a research project and there is still a lot to work on. I wish the program were longer and accounted for the fact that not all students will achieve the results that they were working towards in a short amount of time, so making a presentation and writing an effective paper is a little difficult.

Advice

I would say when picking a research project to work on, make sure you pick a professor and project in which you will get personal guidance. Often that could mean working with someone that don't have that many other undergraduates working on the same project so you are offered more responsibilities resulting in a huge learning curve.
3 ${count} people found this helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - August 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I love the 3D printing research I did. The people I worked with were very understanding and very willing to teach if I wanted to learn something.

What I wish was different

Advice

1 One person found this helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

June 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

The autonomy, constantly learning new skills, and the ability to do hands on research.

What I wish was different

That there were more people working on the project with me

Advice

Take initiative and try your best to self motivate yourself to get things done quickly and to a high standard.
1 One person found this helpful

SOAR Leader

May 2020 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Interacting with incoming students!

What I wish was different

I wish we had been in person :(

Advice

Come into this role with an open mind!
6 ${count} people found this helpful

Soar Leader

May - August 2020 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I loved working with the incoming students: helping them with IIT stuff, getting to know them and helping them making connections with people at our school.

What I wish was different

I wish it had been a little more organized, but due to Covid there were lots of unexpected problems.

Advice

You have to be flexible with your plans.
2 ${count} people found this helpful

Orientation Leader & Admissions Ambassador

May - August 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

It was fun interacting with both prospective students and students that were coming in for SOAR!

What I wish was different

Advice

If you don't like talking to people, these jobs are not for you :)
1 One person found this helpful

Research assistant

May 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Being able to use different scientific and technical equipment in the lab environment

What I wish was different

More structured

Advice

Try things that you wouldnt necessarily think would be applicable to you
1 One person found this helpful

Parts Runner/Office Assistant

June 2018 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Get to know the department. Flexible hours.

What I wish was different

Advice

While it is nice to enjoy summer, it is also nice to make some extra money
1 One person found this helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - July 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Flexible working hours

What I wish was different

Better housing

Advice

Apply yourself to make it more fun for yourself.
1 One person found this helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

June - August 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Everything

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Be ready to learn a lot of cool stuff!
1 One person found this helpful

SOAR Leader

June 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I loved that I got to meet so many new people and helped them better adjust to the transition from high school to college life.

What I wish was different

I wish that we had more time to interact with the freshman outside of the two days of SOAR.

Advice

The way that a SOAR Leader wishes to portray their energy level and enthusiasm reflects on their SOAR group. Thus it is important to pay attention to details about their own behavior.
4 ${count} people found this helpful

Lab Mentor

June - July 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Learning about 3D Printers, software, and being able to build projects.

What I wish was different

Being able to work throughout the entire summer, had to stop as I wasn't taking summer classes.

Advice

Everyone is very helpful and nice. Be safe when handling machinery.
1 One person found this helpful

Student Administrative Assistant

March 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I love to work in collaboration environment and with other officers.

What I wish was different

Advice

1 One person found this helpful
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