Take advantage of the ability to pursue creative projects.
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Facilities Trades Supervisor
May 2016 - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
Really getting a feel for day to day life in an office. I loved my supervisor, Walt Molishus, and how he clearly defined tasks and goals for our projects over the past few summers.
What I wish was different
I wish they had provided technology for us to use. We had to use personal laptops and it was a bit of an issue that we had to work around due to Macs not being compatiable with certrain programs that we needed to run work on.
Advice
Go in with an open mind. The people are warm, welcoming and resourceful. This is an excellent employer where anyone can make valuable network connections on a daily basis.
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Research Assistant
June - July 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
Seeing what research is like
What I wish was different
More engagement
Advice
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Biology Research Intern
March 2017 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I really liked how much independence I acquired over the time I worked here. The lab was extremely supportive and I truly learned a lot about the fields of genetics.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Research Assistant
May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I enjoyed working with patients.
What I wish was different
I wish there was a more interactive community of researchers.
Advice
Practice really comes in handy.
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Research assistant
May 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Got position through Penn's PURM program, great opportunity for underclassmen
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Research Assistant
May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I liked being able to work on an independent project that interested me.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more face- to-face time with my professor.
Advice
I would say to meet with your professor or PI as much as you can.
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Clinical Research Assistant
May 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I really like the versatility of the job and how involved I am in multiple studies.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Clinical research
June - July 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I really enjoyed the friendly, lighthearted, but engaging work environment.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
September 2017 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I enjoyed the ability to set my own hours.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Chemistry lab manager
June - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
Worked on my own hours.
What I wish was different
The pay was too low.
Advice
I reccomend getting in touch with a professor who needs undergrads in their lab instead of working for the chemistry lab itself.
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Undergraduate Researcher
May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
It was great having the opportunity to go see another part of the country. Especially being on the East coast and being so close to so many cool places. It was also really great to have an opportunity to conduct research and to work independently while also gaining many friendships and expanding my network.
What I wish was different
I wish it had been longer.
Advice
Use this as an opportunity to learn about what you're working with, but also have a life outside of work. Take the opportunity to go see the sights and make friends. When you leave work, be done with work.
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Student Researcher
May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I had the freedom to pursue interests within my lab that I did not have prior. I had the autonomy to learn and struggle, but the support to feel like what I wanted to do was possible.
What I wish was different
I would have liked to have a little bit more structure. My PI was the only one that knew all of the projects other than those working on them. When we had issues, there was usually a queue.
Advice
I would go into this position with an open mind and expect to make mistakes or watch your experiments fail. The work you do isn't going to go smoothly all the time.
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Admissions Assistant
May 2017 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
The people in the office really treat you like family. You become the face of admissions, and are really on the front-lines. You learn great crisis management and problem solving skills. You also learn a lot about the workings of the University and admissions in particular.
What I wish was different
I wish we had more of a role in helping applicants or the admissions officers. Students are extremely valuable resources for applicants so should play a much bigger role.
Advice
Be ready to put aside whatever issues you're having and make each person who comes in your number one priority. In that moment your one concern is making sure they love Penn and want to apply.
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Undergraduate Researcher
June 2017 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I was hired through PURM to work for the summer, and have continued my work in the lab. I like the fact that I have been able to explore one field of research over an extended time and develop relationships with professionals in the lab.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Undergraduate Researcher
June - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I liked working in an environment in which I could learn valuable skills that I am going to use in my classes and in my future career.
What I wish was different
I wish I had taken more advanced classes before the lab work and that I had received training on reading academic papers in my field.
Advice
Work as hard as you can and enjoy your summer in the process.
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Undergraduate Researcher
June 2018 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I enjoyed the independent, problem-solving experience that I had. I also enjoyed gaining various technical skills that I may not have learned in my coursework.
What I wish was different
I wish that there were more short-term goals within my research that would have motivated me to be more excited about my work.
Advice
Summer research is a great way to learn technical and nontechnical skills outside of the class. I recommend that everyone give it a shot sometime during their undergraduate career.
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Smith Creek Archaeological Project
May - August 2018 • Mississippi State, MS
What I liked
Learning about archaeology in a hands-on manner; meeting all kinds of new people
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Immerse yourself fully in the culture and experience
