Our guest blogger for this post is Joanne D. Altman, Director, Undergraduate Research and Creative Works and Professor of Psychology.
We all face many transitions in our lives. You are about to embark on many: the transition from high school to college, from home life to living more independently, and from old childhood friends to new. In The Work, Moore describes this next step as “… a time in our lives when people basically hurl opportunities at us- opportunities to learn, to meet new people, to be exposed to things we’ve never seen before” (13-14). This can be scary but it is very exciting too. The wonderful thing about freshmen is that because you know everything will be new, you are prepared to do new things.
One new task you know you must do in college is select a major. Whether you are undeclared or have a major set, you may feel a great deal of pressure to choose the right major. Students expect college majors prepare them for jobs and advancement in their chosen careers, but the majority of employers do not agree. A college degree is not a guarantee that you will be well prepared for a job. A major may give you specific technical skills for one career path, but college is about preparing you for a lifetime of career possibilities. More important than the concentration of content in one field is developing broader skills that employers covet. According to a 2015 study by Hart Research Associates “employers say that when hiring, they place the greatest value on demonstrated proficiency in skills and knowledge that cut across all majors…. Indeed, most employers say that these cross-cutting skills are more important to an individual’s success at their company than his or her undergraduate major” (1).
This emphasis on skills building reflects Moore’s distinction in the first chapter between learning and grades. Your grades do not mean that you truly have become “more deeply informed, more cultured, more prepared” (Moore 10). Thus, much of your critical learning process may come from experiences outside of the classroom that you choose to do at college that help make you “a different person” (10). Two opportunities that stand out as transformative are internships and independent research. Over 87% of employers say they are more likely to hire and advance recent college graduates who have these experiences (Hart Research Associates). Internships are not available in all fields, but independent research or creative work is relevant to every major!
Independent research is when a student and a faculty member collaborate on an investigation or creation of material that is new to their discipline. This endeavor can be an extension of a class assignment or be completely independent of courses. The student and faculty mentor pursue this work together and ultimately present their work at conferences, exhibits, performances, and/or in professional publications. The process involves reviewing and critiquing what we already know on a topic; teasing out a new question, method, or approach; testing it out; reevaluating and revising; writing and rewriting; and ultimately presenting the work publically. Thus, it incorporates the top 5 skills that cut across all majors which over 80% of employers surveyed identify as the most important: oral and written communication skills, teamwork, ethical decision making, and critical thinking (Hart Research Associates). Furthermore, the student mentor bond can be life-long. Moore describes how he returned to his mentors in moments of doubt and when he sought advice. He describes these relationships as “one of the real values of school” (39).
So how do you get involved in independent research or creative work? Dr. Yanus, in her blog post on July 15, said she reached out to a professor she met during Freshmen Orientation because she and her parents were impressed with the professor’s approach. I attended Franklin and Marshall College in part because the psychology department had 17 monkeys involved in behavioral research, and I wanted to work with monkeys. I very timidly approached the professor who did that research and asked to be involved. My mentor later introduced me to an opportunity to work with chimps, a study abroad course to Africa, and my first two job offers! If a professor or a project really appeals to you, just stop by the professor’s office and introduce yourself. That’s all; we can take it from there. But if you do not have a specific interest to get you started, you might consider joining the Research Rookies Program.
The Research Rookies Program is a voluntary, opt-in, 2-semester program for freshman and first semester sophomores designed to help get you involved in the culture of research or creative work and HPU’s community of scholars. The Research Rookies Program is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works. The program offers students activities that help build research-related skills. Students who complete 15 of these activities and a small project are elevated to the title of Research Apprentice and are introduced to faculty on campus who do research. This title tells faculty that the student is dedicated to the pursuit of research experience and would be a great research assistant. We will encourage you to volunteer to work with a faculty member on their research and ultimately have a faculty mentor help you on a piece of your own work. All you need to do to join the Research Rookies Program is contact me at [email protected].
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works also has two summer research programs; hosts High-PURCS, a yearly campus symposium; takes students to two interdisciplinary conferences each year; and awards grants for students and their mentors to attend and present at disciplinary-specific conferences around the country. We also publish Innovation: Journal of Creative and Scholarly Works, a professional undergraduate research journal. For information about scholarly and creative work HPU students are doing you can read our monthly URCW newsletters.
In The Work, Moore encourages you to embrace the opportunities that college provides. He asserts that “you owe it to the people who came before you to seize them” (14). You also owe it to your parents who worry about your future. The National Center for Education Statistics projects that over 1.9 million students will graduate across the US in 2019. A grade-based college degree is your common denominator. What you learn in college (using Moore’s definition) is what will distinguish you. Thus, consider undergraduate research or creative work across the next four years in college, not because you will do research in your future, but because it will help you be best prepared for any future!
What academic opportunities might you embrace to maximize your college experience and how might they help you stand out as a graduate?