I enjoyed accumulating different skills within my research and interacting with research participants. Our participants had recently received a cancer diagnosis, yet they often maintained an optimistic outlook on life that was illuminating and heartwarming. The skills that have been the most influential were learning different neuropsychological tests, acquiring additional statistics knowledge, and learning the basics of coding in R.
What I wish was different
COVID-19 required many restrictions to be put in place at the hospital, so it became much more difficult to meet in person and continue our research studies. The limited interaction with participants and colleagues was difficult, but it was a valuable learning experience even with the restrictions.
Advice
Researching as an undergraduate student is an extremely valuable experience, as it allows you to interact in a professional setting as you would if you were truly working in the field. For me, researching helped clarify what I am looking for in a career and what I can expect in the field of neuroscience. I would highly recommend that undergraduate students pursue research opportunities if they are planning on working in a scientific field.
