Furman University

Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - July 2023 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I liked that I got first-hand experience in a real chemistry lab. I enjoyed looking over data and trying to make connections and make discoveries.

What I wish was different

I wish that my particular lab spent consistent time meeting together as a group, to search through all of our most recent data in order to reach conclusions and make decisions. Many of the Chemistry labs had a specific time/day each week that was focused on reviewing data, and for my lab this was either not consistent or did not happen.

Advice

I think it is a necessity for anyone looking to do research or go into the STEM field. I personally enjoyed my experience, and the pay was very good. There is no loss to trying out research for just one summer.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Fellow

May - August 2022 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I enjoyed the freedom to be creative in the research process as well as the opportunity to apply my course work to a hands on experience. I also loved that I was able to be outdoors and learn more about birds.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to apply my research experience more concretely to my senior thesis but the experience has been valuable in other ways and I appreciate being able to diversify my undergraduate achievements.

Advice

Choose a research advisor that you connect with! I really enjoy working with mine and feel motivated and challenged by his guidance.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Fellow

June - August 2022 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I loved working in a lab and being able to do hands-on tasks for the majority of the day. It was super cool to be able to go through the whole lab process from start to finish on a couple of projects.

What I wish was different

I wish I had a few more people in the lab with me to allow for greater collaboration on a few issues I ran into when working on my projects.

Advice

I would highly recommend working in a lab if you are considering grad school at all! If you enjoy labs during class then this would also be a great experience.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Researcher

May 2021 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

Provided relevant experience to my future career.

What I wish was different

I wish I had heard of the position earlier

Advice

share more awareness about the position

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Furman student research

June - August 2021 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I enjoyed getting to work with faculty who are knowledgeable in the field! I learned so much about my project and gained a lot of skills in professionalism and organization as well

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Student Fellow

June - August 2020 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

The other employees and the passion they had.

What I wish was different

It was remote due to the pandemic, and I wish I could have experienced it in person.

Advice

Find ways to contribute to a team regardless of your position

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Tennis Coach

May - July 2021 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

The job platform & my employer

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

It’s an amazing opportunity.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Chemistry Research

May - August 2021 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

Making connections within the Chemistry department, applying the skills I learned in classes to the lab and learning how to properly work in a lab.

What I wish was different

I wish it was harder and not during covid.

Advice

It is an amazing experience, you would never regret it. You make life long friends and connections, a research poster and learn how to work in a chemistry lab.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Summer Mathematics Undergraduate Research Fellow

May - August 2021 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

Research at Furman offered the appeal of problem-solving and creative thinking without the pressure of tests, assignments, and grades. It was gratifying to work with data from ESPN that mattered outside of the context of Furman and to present our findings to the other math research cohorts on a regular basis.

What I wish was different

Working with a larger team was challenging, and I wish the faculty would have facilitated stronger group cohesion and an even distribution of the workload. Overall, however, I enjoyed group work.

Advice

Some summer research experiences are relatively relaxed and allow for ample flexibility; the math department does not offer such an experience. Expectations for 40 hour work weeks are enforced, and the work is demanding but very rewarding.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Student

May - August 2021 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

Getting the opportunity to learn lab techniques and research methods.

What I wish was different

I wish it would have been more interactive.

Advice

It’s helpful to have taken chemistry techniques before.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Office Assistant

May - August 2019 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

My co-workers were very helpful and supportive.

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

Even if you don’t think you will get the job, apply anyway!

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Summer Research Fellow

May 2020 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I enjoyed learning more about data analytics. The summer work helped me decide that I wanted to pursue a graduate degree in business analytics.

What I wish was different

I wish that I could have done the research in person rather than remotely.

Advice

Students should check out the availability of research opportunities from their university.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Psychologist Research Assistant

June - July 2020 • Furman, SC

What I liked

The autonomy

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research fellow

June 2020 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I like the flexibility I had to make the project my own. My research advisor gave me advice and direction but ultimately the direction I took the research was up to me.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have done some in-person observations and more hands on data collection. All of my data was collected remotely which posed limitations to my research.

Advice

Be diligent! A project like this does not develop overtime, it takes consistent effort over an extended period of time.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Workday Intern

June 2019 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I loved getting to work with experienced team members who not only improved my professional soft skills, but passed on knowledge of up and coming technologies and business practices.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to collaborate with fellow interns more rather than dividing tasks throughout the interns.

Advice

Having confidence in your work ethic is more meaningful than the technical skill set you may or may not have early on in the career process.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Chemistry Summer Researcher

May - July 2019 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I love several things about the experience, namely that it was a great experience to connect with both the chemistry department at Furman University and my fellow majors as well. It was very interesting to experience conducting research under Dr. Wagenknecht after I had been under Dr. Kuklinski for two years. It was a complete switch in atmosphere and I believe that reviewing the dichotomy between those two served me well.

What I wish was different

I wish that I could have been more industrious every day. I tried hard to be and that has paid off in dividends now that I am writing my senior thesis on the work and assisting my professor in writing the publication. Still, there is a lot of work to do and I could have done it during some off hours in lab.

Advice

If you're unsure about the chemistry major, apply and see how well you like the experience. Make sure to do your research on the professors so you know 1)Who fits you the best and 2)Who's research interests you the most.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Workday Intern

June - August 2019 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

I enjoyed working on the Workday project team because it helped me learn more team building skills as well as learning how to present the same information differently depending on the audience.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Residential Advisor

June - August 2019 • Greenville, SC

What I liked

It was a low stress job for the most part. I was able to interact and influence Freshman in a way that I hope enhanced their college experience and had fun doing it.

What I wish was different

I do wish their were more things to do for the job. I had desk shifts, on call shifts, and activities to do with people on my hall but that was about it.

Advice

Don't do it for the money. This job was fun and paid decently but have a passion for helping people and be ready to sacrifice your time to make other people's experience better.

Be the first to mark this as helpful