University of Iowa

Researcher

May - December 2019 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

I liked the freedom and the feeling that I'm doing something important!

What I wish was different

Advice

Apply and work hard to make it worth it

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Research Assistant

May - August 2018 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

I liked the flexibility of choosing my hours. I also learned a lot.

What I wish was different

I had a great experience.

Advice

Be proactive and reach out to professors you are interested in working with!

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - August 2019 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

The work environment was very welcoming, understanding, and encouraged self-growth as well as team growth. I was able to learn as much as I could due to my supervisors' flexibility and willingness to teach me as I supported the team's research as an assistant.

What I wish was different

Advice

Make sure you approach your research experience with enthusiasm and self-motivation! While my team was amazing and supportive, I also believe my personal efforts contributed greatly to how well my research experience turned out.

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Student Lab Assistant

February 2017 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Be open to new experiences, you will be able to gain so many new skills and improve on the ones that you already have. Research here at the University of Iowa is great!

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Orientation Leader

January - August 2019 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

GREAT team atmosphere! I loved the environment and felt the job was meaningful and worthwhile. My coworkers and bosses are some of the best people I have met on campus, and I loved having the opportunity to educate incoming students on what it means to be a Hawkeye.

What I wish was different

I wish the training had been a bit shorter -- I felt like 3+ hours a week during the school year and two weeks in May was a bit excessive. However, I did feel very prepared to execute my job responsibilities.

Advice

Working for Orientation is what you make of it! It can be a very fun and rewarding experience if you allow yourself to let loose and enjoy it.

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Biology Research Intern

June - August 2021 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

This internship was great and had both field and lab components. Setting up and maintaining malaise traps (insect traps) as well as looking at and sorting insects in the lab. I learned so much about insects and identification. It was very independent and had very flexible hours. There was no set times and worked great with my busy schedule. The other people in the lab were fantastic and offered their own skill sets to help others.

What I wish was different

Advice

Schedule times for the things that you are interested in! This internship was very free about time and I was able to work whenever I could. I was very interesting in the work we were doing so it was very important to set a schedule for myself to make sure I accomplished everything I hoped to each week.

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Membership

August 2019 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

Getting to know other students on campus, learning more about how Recreational Services work

What I wish was different

Sometimes scheduling was a bit rigid

Advice

Apply for any and all jobs you’re interesting and don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone

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Undergraduate Researcher

May 2021 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

My favorite part of research over the summer was the ability to work independently and complete tasks at my own speed. It really made me feel like a true scientist and as if I was an important member of the team I was working on. I also made my own schedule so I could experience a summer in my college town also which was amazing.

What I wish was different

The only thing I wish that would have been different is more clear cut goals on what the main objectives I was doing were in the end.

Advice

The biggest piece I have from this experience is to make time to enjoy life while doing the things you love academically / career-wise. By far one of the best summers I had because I truly found balance between work and play.

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research assistant

May - July 2021 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

Dorm room provided in nice hall, great REU leaders, some work was remote (aka flexibility, ability to work wherever you wanted). Mentors were very willing to help. Workshops in coding were helpful (I wish there were more!)

What I wish was different

Easier access to biking/transportation (I never could really figure out how to use the bus system.. I guess that's on me though). Sometimes I wish there was more involvement of the mentors in your work. I felt like it took a while to get involved in research.

Advice

Be proactive, set up additional times to meet with your mentor because they'll assume you know more than you actually do, or that you're more confident than you actually are. Also - just make sure you enjoy your time! It's easy to stress yourself out over the assignments, but in reality this is a time to grow and have fun! Also, make sure to spend time with your peers!

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Research Assistant

June - August 2021 • Iowa City, IA

What I liked

I appreciated how my supervisor was very communicative, and I felt comfortable asking her questions or letting her know when I was confused. I also really liked how she had other opportunities for us to advance our skill sets, including weekly gatherings where we read research papers and discussed them as a group.

What I wish was different

Advice

Don't be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone and try new experiences. You never know what you may end up liking! Also, network and talk to people. It can be really intimidating, especially if you're introverted, but everyone is more than happy to talk about their experience and career path, and it's a low stakes environment compared to an interview setting.

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