St. Olaf College

CURI Student Researcher

June - August 2018 • Taipei, Taiwan

What I liked

My CURI experience was atypical in that most of the research was based in Taiwan. Our team of five (St. Olaf professor and 4 students) conducted research on the effect of urbanization in Yilan, Taiwan by working on farms, interviewing local residents and government officials, and visiting historical sites and museums. I liked the flexible nature of our project because it allowed us to change certain aspects when the need arose. Additionally, I loved being able to travel and improve my Chinese skills.

What I wish was different

I wish that I would have done more historical background research on Taiwan before embarking on the trip. Although our project did not examine Taiwan's complicated relationship with China, many people that we talked with referenced such issue, so it would have been helpful to reference specific historical events when asking questions.

Advice

Sometimes, an opportunity will not arise until the last minute. Many of my internships had fallen through over the course of the winter, and I was left feeling insecure and pessimistic. However,

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IT Office Assistant

June 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

Flexible hours, learning new skills

What I wish was different

Work can be tedious at times

Advice

Try something new! I had no previous IT experience and needed none for the position.

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Student Researcher

May - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I appreciated the opportunity to work closely in collaboration with my faculty mentor and other students.

What I wish was different

Advice

One piece of advice I would share is to go after what interests you, even if you don’t think you’ll get the position or if you’re worried about being unqualified.

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Music Department Assistant

May 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I enjoyed learning about the ways that the music department works and getting an inside look at music administration and management.

What I wish was different

The only thing I would change would be the ability to have more hours and a slightly more flexible schedule. For example, if I'm working on a project it would be great for me to spend an extra hour working on that one day and then be able to take an hour off the next day.

Advice

I would recommend this type of work for anyone interested in music administration.

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Student researcher

June - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

Very flexible and independent work

What I wish was different

I wish it had been longer!

Advice

Talk to the people you want to work with early

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Student Researcher

May - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

Flexible hours, interesting work

What I wish was different

Everything went great, really pleased with how everything went

Advice

Be ready to work a lot, but for it to be gratifying work.

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Admissions Ambassador

June - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

Having a variety of roles within the office

What I wish was different

Advice

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Events Staff

May - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

What I wish was different

I had really crazy hours sometimes.

Advice

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CURI Student Researcher

May - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I made connections with my classmates.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been a project that was closer to my future career path interests.

Advice

Choose your project carefully-- you'll be thinking about it nonstop for two months!

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Engage Immigration Intern

December 2017 - July 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

At this internship I compiled an annotated bibliography, assisted in organizing a conference for faculty, compiled data resources relating to immigration, and updated the Wordpress website. I learned a lot about ethical ways to conduct community based learning and research on topics surrounding immigration.

What I wish was different

Overall a very positive experience!

Advice

Staying organized and creating your own schedule with personal deadlines helps you stay on track.

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Rolvaag Summer Circulation Worker

May 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I liked the work schedule, that it was in town, same thing I did during the school year, lots of flexibility in the work I did

What I wish was different

I think it was good all around

Advice

It is nice to work on campus so take advantage of it!

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Research student

June - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

Good relationship with mentor and coworkers. Flexible schedule

What I wish was different

The organization of tasks and goals could have been better

Advice

It’s great. Very worth doing and could be a long term work experience too!

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CURI

May - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

It was fantastic to be able to focus on my research for 10 weeks without having to worry about school or other obligations.

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

CURI is a fantastic opportunity for any Oles who think thy may be interested in research.

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Research Assistant

May - September 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

Great work environment.

What I wish was different

I would have preferred something closer related to my chemistry major.

Advice

Be open to learning

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Event Coordinator

June 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I liked how collaborative and flexible it was. I was able to take charge of my own assigned events while communicating with other team members on how we can make other events run smoother and also make our current events more comfortable for our attendees.

What I wish was different

I wish to have a more structured schedule however, I know that its close to being impossible because we cannot predict what exactly our event heads wants and how exactly they want to run their events.

Advice

You need to be open to the idea of controlled chaos! That's the only way one is able to get through working in logistics during the summer.

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Desktop Support

May - August 2018 • Saint Olaf, MN

What I liked

My boss and the type of work. The hours were also great.

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Great experience for people interested in IT.

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Student Researcher CURI

June - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

Lots of freedom with my schedule, working on a self-directed creative project.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Student Researcher

May - August 2018 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

The relaxed atmosphere and ability to structure my work day in whatever way I saw fit, and that I was able to align the project with my own personal interests along the way.

What I wish was different

I wish I had had more time to work on the project, as it was so expansive.

Advice

Always, always try for something, even if you aren't sure you will get it or if it will align perfectly with your major. You never know what opportunities could arise.

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Glacier change researcher

June 2021 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I loved getting to work in a small, tight-knit group on something that not only interested me, but would also provide me with skills for future endeavors.

What I wish was different

I wish I had considered this option one summer earlier! I had a great experience and definitely would have tried to do it the summer after my freshman year, too.

Advice

If you are at all interested in research, consider partaking in research with a professor. Make sure it is something that actually interests you, too.

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