I enjoyed getting to have first hand experience with a college level Athletic Training Facility.
What I wish was different
Advice
Make sure as a volunteer you are willing to help with tasks and learn from peers/mentors.
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Research technician
April 2019 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
The ability to work at 3am if I so choose.
What I wish was different
If the department I work for had a dedicated equipment repair technician.
Advice
Don’t wait for something to come to you. Go get it yourself. You just need to ask.
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Lab Assistant
February 2019 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
-Working in a lab environment
-Diversity of tasks and duties
-Assisting graduate students and their research
-Gaining experience with lab technologies and methods
What I wish was different
Advice
Have strong organizational skills and be good at handling repetitive tasks and data collecting.
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Biostatistician Intern
March 2019 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
Very casual and free working environment. I had my own little desk setup and was largely left alone when getting work done. Working with other members of the lab was easy and everyone has a kind, warm, attitude. If I had to miss a day or come in late, communication was very easy and well understood by my lab mentors. Higher ups were there to give aid or assistance when I needed it and were also nice for small talk about miscellaneous items.
What I wish was different
Nothing that I can think of.
Advice
Be sure to be able to fully understand all the technical terms and minor intricacies of any project. It may be confusing at first, but over time if you look into the specifics and are able to understand things, it will become easier and like second nature.
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Orientation Resident Assistant
May - July 2019 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
I loved everything about it. It was all the best parts of the RA job without the conduct. I just got to enjoy students and help them grow and meet new people over the course of a few days.
What I wish was different
I wish the position was longer. It was 6-weeks of nonstop work basically.
Advice
Invest in the students. I hung out with students at night, went to every program we had, and enjoyed myself. This year students have come up to me and been like “hey you were my RA in Likins for orientation.” Students remember and it matters.
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Maintenance worker
May - August 2019 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
Steady hours, good supervisor, comfortable environment
What I wish was different
One supervisor did smoke on campus, which wasn't great for my asthma
Advice
Get the historic district
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Biology Laboratory Assistant
October 2018 - July 2019 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
I liked the balance between the independent work and the team projects. I liked the opportunity to present research to judges and attend science conferences.
What I wish was different
I wish the program didn’t end. I would’ve stayed until I graduated.
Advice
Don’t be nervous or doubtful about your experience or knowledge of research. The professors or lab leads are super patient and willing to teach you what you don’t know.
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Food Safety Laboratory Technician
January 2019 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
I loved the confidence my supervisor had in me to plan out projects. They gave me free reign to accomplish things in my own time so I could work a flexible schedule. It taught me how to prioritize tasks and be responsible.
What I wish was different
I wish there had been a bit more guidance from my supervisor at the beginning rather than a peer training me. When the other student left, it was not for awhile that my supervisor realized I was taught how to do something incorrectly.
Advice
Be open minded and accept all challenges thrown your way.
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Laboratory aide
June 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
The opportunity to learn microbology, assist with maintaining histological equipment, clerical duties for the lab and preparing materialsnfor the lab's annual Short Course.
What I wish was different
I loved every minute of my experience and would not change a thing.
Advice
I put myself forward, offered to assist whenever possible and that allowed the researxhers to recognize me to ask me to help with other projects.
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Lab intern
June - August 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
It was a great experience, I learned a lot of very applicable skills that have helped with classes that I am taking such as microbiology, and it was also great to get experience in a job field that is relevant to my major.
What I wish was different
I wish that I had been more motivated and involved, I felt a little overwhelmed and didn't perform to the best of my ability, but I am going to change that with the next opportunity I have.
Advice
Getting hands on experience and learning about what jobs and work will be like with my major after graduating. Also, pursuing things you are passionate about is one of the most rewarding things in life.
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Orientation and Welcome Leader
May - July 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
I got to work as part of a team and help incoming freshman navigate college for the first time.
What I wish was different
I wish we had made some of the changes earlier in the summer such as assigning owls to their own colleges for small groups.
Advice
To get involved and throw yourself into the job to get the most out of it helping others and learning from the experience.
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Emergency Medical Technician
August 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
Really love helping people and making a change in other's lives.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Research Assistant
May 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to actually engage in research and practice the things I was learning conceptually in classes. It opened my eyes to realities not covered in our syllabi. The feedback I received in regards to my work was incredibly validating.
What I wish was different
Almost nothing. Much of the experience was piecemeal; essentially my work was drawn from aspects of various research projects I was qualified to pursue on my own. On the one hand, this had the tremendously positive effect of exposing me to a many aspects of the research process. The only downside is that I was never able to follow a given project from inception to conclusion.
Advice
Research assistant positions like this are invaluable for students who are following academic/research career trajectories ( like PhD programs). Students should be on the lookout for potential positions (because they are not always widely distributed) and professors should consider ways to create more of these opportunities in their departments.
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UAdvantage Resident Assistant
June - August 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
I loved being able to connect with incoming students. I was given the opportunity to set up events, to create an environment where incoming students could feel comfortable in their new environment. As a requirement of my position, I needed to set up events, One-on-One meetings with each student to make sure they were adjusting to college life. Overall my favorite experience of my summer job was connecting and networking with my new coworkers and residents.
What I wish was different
The one thing that I wish would have been different would have been the level of interaction with residents for our activities. Where my programs were succesfull in the sense that man students showed up, my other coworkers events had a lot less attendence.
Advice
I would share that it is a lot of work to make sure that students are behaving and not breaking the rules of the university. It isn't like a regular day where you can go home, you live where you work and if there is an issue, we must deal with it, and if someone has issues we had to deal with them on the spot.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
May 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
The experience was amazing to get to know the field of Biochemistry and work on a project that I was interested in. I was also able to present my research at the UCLA McNair Conference.
What I wish was different
I wish I would have been able to present my research more.
Advice
I would say to not be afraid to ask questions and to be open about learning new skills within the lab setting.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
May - August 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
I liked the opportunity to be in the lab full time and learn from amazing mentors.
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
I would recommend seeking out an experience like this early on in undergrad.
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student desk assistant
April 2017 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
The workload is manageable and the staff and faculty are extremely kind.
What I wish was different
There is a lot of turnover and workloads can shift to becoming almost too much. There is help and distribution, but the delegation could be better during these times.
Advice
Be prepared to learn a about the Universities inner workings and mechanisms, it'll help you as a student and future professional employee.
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Tutor
May - July 2018 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
Great opportunity to connect with incoming U of A students and professors in similar field.
What I wish was different
More visibility of services.
Advice
The more you interact, the more you get back.
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Reserach Assistant
May 2017 • Tucson, AZ
What I liked
Flexible hours, learning experience, running my own experiments
What I wish was different
As a people person, I would have liked to work in environment where there were more people for a more engaging experience.
Advice
Scientific research requires a lot of tenacity. Plan experiments fully ahead of time and complete them in a timely manner. Analyze data as soon as possible and always look to see what body of knowledge you are contributing to.
