I most enjoyed the experience working in the Eberlin Lab. The focus of the lab is translational research of the clinical applications of mass spectrometry for the improved diagnosis of cancer tissues. I not only loved the focus of the work, but additional the PI and lab personnel.
What I wish was different
I wish I had learned more about the big-picture goals and the overall process at the beginning of the experience so that I could understand why I was doing the work I was doing in lab.
Advice
When you are an undergraduate working in an academic research lab, make sure you do everything you can to learn about the work, invest your time to develop interest in the work so that you are both learning and gaining as much from the experience as you can, while also maintaining high levels of productivity. I am glad I did because I ended up learning much more about analytical chemistry than I thought I would.
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FRI Fellow
June - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
My lab
What I wish was different
Gotten the housing stiped
Advice
I commuted every day from San Antonio you can do it
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Geochemistry Lab assistant
May - August 2019 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I liked working in the lab, and I enjoyed learning more about the clean lab process. It was also nice that I was able to determine my own hours and work at my own pace, with a few well-defined goals to work towards. I've definitely had jobs that were poorly defined, so it was a nice change.
What I wish was different
I do wish I had received more specialized training, but as I was only employed for the summer I understand why training me on more specialized chemistry procedures was not high on the priority list.
Advice
When it is up to you to direct your own work in a professional experience, you must know exactly what is expected of you, you doing something unnecessary helps no one. If you have questions, make sure you ask. Make sure you clearly communicate what you think you are expected to do to your supervisor before you start, it will save everyone a lot of time and frustration.
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Research Assistant
June 2019 • Austin, TX
What I liked
incredible experience
supportive PI - many opportunities to work above my pay grade
self-motivated
What I wish was different
pay
Advice
each opportunity is what you make of it. working harder made this experience infinitely more beneficial to me.
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Undergraduate Researcher
May - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I really admired how my supervisor taught me a variety of lab techniques over the three months. I worked with cell culture, a cryostat, mice and experimental chambers, and I also worked a lot with computer data and imaging. It was great all-around lab experience.
What I wish was different
It would've been nice to have been paid, but I appreciated the experience nonetheless. I was I was told about possible payment if I return the next time around.
Advice
Definitely take notes the first time your supervisor shows you how to do a certain technique or computer assignment. I'd say that most of the time, my supervisor was handling other experiments and in meetings, so she entrusted me with her ongoing experiments. I had to be very independent.
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Summer Scholar
June - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I enjoyed getting to experience what it is like to work in a biomedical engineering lab. I also having a graduate student mentor and getting to know the PI and other lab members.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Physics Researcher
June - September 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
Loved hands-on research and project autonomy. Was able to do interesting work and presented research at conference.
What I wish was different
Wouldn’t change a thing.
Advice
Reach out over email to professors!
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Orientation Advisor
May - July 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I worked with peers on campus and served incoming students. I love this job with energetic colleagues and nice supervisors. I developed a ton of skills and I'll cherish this experience always.
What I wish was different
I want the job contains more various skill sets, which will help me develop major-related skills and improve my resume.
Advice
Never be afraid of trying new things and start conversation with others!
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Health Physicist
February 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
Hands on job with a lot of opportunities to apply what I've learned in physics classes to the workplace
What I wish was different
Nothing
Advice
Have patience with electronics. They don't always work and are frustrating to repair if you don't have a level head.
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Biology Research Intern
June - July 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
The work was fun and it corresponded to my degree
What I wish was different
I wish I could have started in May
Advice
If you get stuck ask for help right away!
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peer coach
May 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
it was a great environment
What I wish was different
the office wasn't so cold
Advice
work on interview skills
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Student Development Specialist
May 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
This was a new position, so I had a good amount of flexibility to develop the role into what I wanted. I was hired full time to do administrative work and continue work I had been doing as a student. I feel very fortunate in that my employers really had my best interests in mind and have continued to challenge me with new projects outside of my job description in my field of interest.
What I wish was different
I didn't have much time with the person who had my job previously to train. Also, some of my older coworkers talked down to me a bit since I was just out of college.
Advice
Don't be afraid to make some waves at the beginning! Just because something has always been done one way doesn't always mean it's the best.
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Orientation Advisor
June - August 2018 • University of Texas, TX
What I liked
The people. It is like a big family. Joining the Orientation Advisor is one of the best decisions I made during my freshman year. It allowed me to immerse myself in public speaking and contribute to orientations. I joined because my Orientation Advisors, and I stayed because of the Orientation Advisors who worked alongside me.
What I wish was different
I wish I can know people more in depth. Orientation session is too short for me to connect with people.
Advice
If you are thinking about joining, go for it.
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Lab tech
June - July 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
The professor was awesome and my name is in one of her papers now.
What I wish was different
A different field of study.
Advice
Always ask as many questions as it take to understand.
