Brown University

research assistant

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

The ability to create a new step of ideas/standards/practices from scratch, and in order to help people’s health.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Resident Assistant

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I enjoyed being able to work with high school age students at Brown's summer program. I appreciated the experience of working in residential education at another university, it allowed me to see how colleges differ in their res life departments. I also enjoyed running a seminar on green living once a week.

What I wish was different

I wish that there was better organization in the program and i wish there were more proactive tasks during the day for me to do. Often i had nothing to do during the day except for the one day i held a seminar about green living. Most of the job tasks were at night. It was boring during the day often.

Advice

Keep a list of feedback over the course of the summer. At the end of the program they give you a feedback form and the feedback you give can help them improve their program.

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Residential Assistant

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

My team was very open with our interpersonal communication and feedback.

What I wish was different

I wish the training was more focused.

Advice

You must be comfortable with making decisions that effect others, as you are being made responsible of a group of students for an extended period of time.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Really reach out to as many people as you can. I would’ve liked to start earlier however was reluctant to put myself out there.

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Spira Coordinator

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I got to spend my summer teaching engineering to a group of mostly low income minority high school girls who were interested in STEM. It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been more people doing the same job as me! I taught it by myself but had some help planning. It would have helped to have more people.

Advice

If you can teach kids, do it. It’s an amazing experience and I don’t regret it for a second.

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Undergrad Researcher

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

The autonomy

What I wish was different

Nothing - was a good experience

Advice

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Residential Advisor

May - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

A lot of freedom during the day to write, relative freedom during workshops too.

What I wish was different

There was not a lot of respect for RA's privacy outside of work hours, and the training was immensely disrespectful timewise (multiple presentations were coordinated on similar topics due to lack of coordination, 12 hour days etc.

Advice

It was certainly good for an easily organized sophomore summer, but was emotionally draining and professionally unsatisfying.

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Biology Research Intern

May - July 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

Great experience with molecular biology techniques. Learned how to plan and troubleshoot own experiments.

What I wish was different

I wish the work had been more accessible to an undergraduate level; too often protocols were far too arduous and novel to expect an undergraduate researcher to precisely and accurately follow through and troubleshoot.

Advice

As an undergraduate, make sure you are aware of what kinds of protocols you will be following and that expectations are high yet reasonable.

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Resident Assistant

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

Good pay, had a lot of time to relax because workload usually wasn't heavy. Met some great people, got to bond with great residents.

What I wish was different

I wish I had gotten an side internship or planned a personal project because I definitely had the time.

Advice

Make the most of your time there - explore Providence and Boston, engage with residents and other RAs, and don't be afraid to use your time off early on.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June - September 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

The lab environment was friendly and supportive. Brown University's resources and facilities were impressive, and the trainings were all reasonable. Accessible transportation to Brown-affiliated locations.

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

Take advantage of all the seminars and networking opportunities!

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Biology Research Intern

May - July 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

Flexible schedule, nice to be here on campus

What I wish was different

Advice

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NSF Math Teaching Experience for Undergraduates Fellow

June - July 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I have undergone other summer teaching experiences before and have found that none of them have compared to the TEU program. The program’s dedication to high quality, innovative math education is one that other teaching programs, often run by so-called "non-math" people, fail to muster a fraction of. The pedagogy classes at Brown were completing eye-opening while the teaching experience with the local high schoolers was wonderful. Moreover, unlike other teaching fellowships, the TEU program takes care of its fellows. We were paid $3,500 and our course books, housing, meal plan, and travel were all paid for. Moreover, over we were given a free membership into the National Council of Teachers in Mathematics (which includes a TON of resources and benefits) and are being paid to fly out to California and stay in a nice hotel to attend the national conference in April. Even more essential, the work during the program is reasonable and they stress self-care. This was the first teaching experience where I was actually able to sleep.

What I wish was different

I wish it was longer than 6 weeks because I kind of wished it never ended. That said, making $3500 in 6 weeks was pretty incredible especially considering that other teaching fellowships are unpaid.

Advice

Be inclusive with the other fellows. There are only 12 of you so it's important that no one feel isolated during your time at Brown.

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Residential Assistant

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I enjoyed meeting new people and working with everyone. I also enjoyed being in the presence of high schoolers who were so eager to learn.

What I wish was different

Advice

It's a great opportunity to gain some experience in handling conflicts between people and other social interactions which are applicable to every day life.

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Undergraduate Researcher

May - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

The experience I acquired was beneficial in terms of building a senior research project. I loved my fellow researchers.

What I wish was different

I don't feel the pay was scaled to account for my experience level.

Advice

Be willing to ask questions and be willing to go to talks that get put on through the summer!

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Chemistry Research Intern

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

Collobrative, stimulating and complex research with renowned scientists.

What I wish was different

I would have love to stay longer.

Advice

Apply to many summer programs. They are very competitive but simultaneously, incredibly rewarding.

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Research Assistant

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I learned how to more effectively use the vast amount of research resources that are available to students at my university. I gained a deeper insight into my topic of research, mass surveillance throughout U.S. history and got to be involved in cool projects (outlining a book and working on curating an online course).

What I wish was different

I wish there was one other student to do my work with, as I was the only intern in the entire project.

Advice

Don't be pressured that you have to find an internship at some large, fancy company! For someone who is interested in aspects of the technology field, it is easy to feel that you must work for a big company out West or be in D.C. I was pushed out of my comfort zones doing research at times and learned a lot on the job... many skills that have helped me so far this academic year and I know in future opportunities. Working with professors also enables you to make really strong connections on campus.

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Leadership Institute Assistant

June - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

The people I met and skills I learned on the job

What I wish was different

I wish my supervisor had been more organized and schedule less hectic

Advice

Be open minded and kind to others

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June - August 2018 • Walpole, ME

What I liked

I liked how hands on it was. Research experience is very important when applying to graduate school.

What I wish was different

I wish I had done research in another field. I'm not big on entomology.

Advice

If you think you want to go into research as a career, do as much as possible in as any fields as possible. This experience was not my favorite, but now I know that I do not want to work with invertebrates.

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