http://www.ehs.msu.edu

MSU - Environmental Health & Safety - Office of Research & Regulatory Support

Field and Lab Technician

July - August 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I liked being able to work with wildlife.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Student Tech Assistant

May 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

flexible working schedule

What I wish was different

have a better understanding of SQL database and asp.net

Advice

familiar with some asp.net knowledge before applying
Be the first to mark this as helpful

College Teaching Assistant

May 2017 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

The ot is great and I️ have mastered the material

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Clerical Aide

January 2018 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I loved the experience and everyone I worked with.

What I wish was different

I wish I got to live closer to my job.

Advice

Working here had such a positive environment and I learned a bunch about data entry and working full time jobs.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

MSU Tour Guide

May 2018 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

Talking to people and being outside

What I wish was different

I wish I had something more worth while like an internship or something relating to my major

Advice

Always prepare for the weather
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Assistant

June - August 2018 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

As a research assistant, it is common for graduate students to instruct you to run experiments and to collect the data for them to analyze. Therefore, having a solid foundation sing excel is pertinent to staying organized when there are multiple ongoing projects.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Student Research Assistant

May 2018 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

The part I that set this experience apart from everything else I have done is working with professors and other PhD students. Doing this has opened my eyes to being passionate about researching and possibly changing my career focus overall.

What I wish was different

I wish I had spend more time outside of the lab reading more about what I was doing and expanding myself more than I did.

Advice

Do not be afraid to contact researchers. Most of them want to show you what they are working one and love when people are interested in what they are doing and want to be able to show others what they know and have learned.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Independent Researcher

May - July 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed the experience of researching at a big university. Also, my program had a cohort of 92 students with 90 students of color, which was also enjoyable.

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Learning how to be diligent with your own scheduling is key for independent research.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Clerical Support Staff

June 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

Meeting & becoming acquainted with new people in the university. Being able to see a different perspective of Michigan State University & its operations. Learning new ways to handle tasks.

What I wish was different

More tasks & projects for me to work on. When it was a slow day there was little to do sometimes.

Advice

Remember to remain professional as you are working with the University President as well as the Board of Trustees.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

research assistan

April 2018 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

the experience

What I wish was different

My communication

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Ticketing Supervisor

August 2016 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

Flexibility of scheduling, my managers, being able to work on class work during down times

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Fellow

May - August 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I conducted research through the Great Lakes Bioenergy research center at MSU, and the experience could not have been better!! My lab was so welcoming and I formed life-long friendships with the other program members. I improved my skills as a scientist, having both technical and professional knowledge.

What I wish was different

Advice

Make sure you write a good personal statement when applying for an REU—that’s the piece of the application that stands out the most!
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Labor Assistant

September 2017 - July 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

Fast paced environment.

What I wish was different

Maybe transportation to get to the location.

Advice

It's a good temporary position.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Production Assistant/Student Cook/Host

September 2016 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

It's a very friendly working environment and all of my coworkers are very nice and helpful. I've made great friendships and connections doing everything I have done.

What I wish was different

The only thing I can say I wish was different was the scheduling issues with the cafeterias and how they run during the summers.

Advice

Be open to learn more things and always open for improvement and criticizing. You get to work with minimal supervision but you don't want to mess up in this environment.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Sports Camp Assistant

June - August 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

My coworkers and superiors were all very helpful and understanding. We built s close community that was very welcoming. I made many friends.

What I wish was different

Nothing! My experience was wonderful!

Advice

Make sure you disclose any scheduling conflicts ahead of time. They will be able to work with you better, especially your coworkers.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Student Supervisor

May 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

Flexible work schedule, great environment

What I wish was different

Sometimes communication was lacking

Advice

It’s a great summer job and they pay the same or almost the same as other part time jobs, this one is much more enjoyable.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

February 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I liked the flexibility of when I could come, which allowed me to work a part-time job, study for my MCAT, and apply for medical school.

What I wish was different

Although I enjoy volunteering, it would have been nice to get paid (I was 1-4 hours every day).

Advice

Ask a lot of questions and have a lot of conversations with your mentor(s) and PI. It's better to ask if you don't understand something than pretend like you know what's going on only to have the same thing come up again later! It is also great experience to do things related to your lab and your research like Mid-SURE (or UURAF in the school year).
Be the first to mark this as helpful

REU Student intern

May - August 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

Great support system, interesting research projects, good food, well organized program.

What I wish was different

Dorm accommodations had no A/C.

Advice

Take advantage of all the events/resources available to you as a MSU REU student.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Assistant

June - September 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I liked the openness of my schedule, and how it was task-based opposed to time based. I also enjoyed days where we would visit horticultural research sites within the state to collect data.

What I wish was different

More of a task-based schedule during times when leadership was traveling to conferences. Division of responsibility amongst undergraduate students was adequate, however, could be improved.

Advice

I would keep an open mind, and go into a research opportunity with no expectations! Data collection can result in anything, so eliminating any biases beforehand will help you greatly in the long haul. Also, keep good notes for any protocol, or data that you collect so you can always go back to them at a later date.
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Computer Science Intern

April - August 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I learned a lot because it was a small company.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been given more supervision with my projects.

Advice

Summer internships are a great way to apply classroom knowledge to the real world.
Be the first to mark this as helpful