The Benefits of Doing Undergraduate Research

JOANNA ZHU – The pursuit of learning and knowledge is why most students choose to attend college. Yet, it has been reported that a majority of undergraduates do not participate in any kind of research experience during their whole college career. Top reasons for this include a lack of awareness about research opportunities, lack of time, and a preference for other extracurricular activities, such as internships or volunteering. Another perception that can dissuade students from pursuing research during their undergraduate years is that it’s only for STEM majors (which is not true!). While these are valid reasons and concerns, gaining research experience early on still has many benefits that make it worth considering.

For starters, doing a research project can develop a lot of useful skills, such as communication, analysis, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Before doing any research, a deep reading of the literature is required to gain an understanding of the field/topic at hand. This is no simple feat; the jargon used in research papers and reviews on top of the formal, structured language can often make it difficult to grasp at first. Becoming familiar with these elements and constantly reading has a huge positive impact on communication and analysis skills. One will be able to read literature more critically, understand what constitutes effective writing, and eventually, form ideas or stances of their own. 

At its root, research involves tackling questions and posing solutions to problems. This does not just have to be exclusive to the sciences; there is research that can be done in non-STEM major fields as well. For example, a science student can be studying how to develop systems of AI, and a philosophy student could be researching the ethics of those systems. Both of these involve tackling questions of value and ultimately contribute to the expanse of human knowledge. 

Along with the development of skills, participating in research can allow students to explore their career direction and foster a mentor relationship with faculty. For students who don’t know exactly what they want to do after graduating, or are unsure of their path, research can help them define it. They can get a feeling of what graduate school is like from doing research and writing an abstract, thesis, or even paper while in undergrad. Additionally, students often work alongside graduate students and faculty members, forming a close relationship with them. This opens up opportunities to get a sense of how the field they’d like to go into is currently looking, not only in academia but on the industry side as well.

All in all, research is what you make of it. Some students choose not to continue doing research after a few semesters for various reasons, and others participate all the way until graduation. Still, the benefits that can come from it are numerous even if you decide not to pursue the path of a researcher. 

Copy Editor – Dione Geiling

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