Internships aren’t the only way for students to prepare for a post-graduate career — now, more and more undergraduate students are gaining research experience.
In an increasingly competitive job market, students are leaning towards pre-career experiences such as undergraduate research or undergraduate teaching assistantships to help their resumes stand out. Some studies have also shown that participation in undergraduate research can increase graduation rates for university students and help close equity gaps in higher education. At Pitt, hundreds of undergraduates participate in research across the University’s disciplines.
Kabba Kargbo, a junior public health student, said student research set him on the right path towards a medical career. However, he said research also built personal skills that he’ll use in his future career, including a boost in confidence.
“I’m definitely not as shy as I used to be,” Kargbo said. “No matter how poised you are, or what you can do or how much you can achieve, no one will ever be able to know that unless you actually open your mouth and speak.”
Kargbo initially started his research experience in a wet lab but eventually realized he wanted to explore different fields of research. After guidance from a professor, Kargbo switched his focus and participated in an independent research program at Pitt with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Laura Nelson, the assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity, encourages students of all different backgrounds and disciplines to get involved in undergraduate research.
“Research doesn’t just take place in a wet lab or a health sciences setting,” Nelson said. “There’s research that one could do in social work, in nursing, in education. If you’re wondering if research is happening in your major, minor or certificate, the answer is yes.”
According to Nelson, undergraduate research builds some vital skills like cold emailing, which students often use to find research opportunities in the first place.
“Research prepares students for all kinds of postgraduate opportunities,” Nelson said. “We’re not just talking about graduate school — we’re talking about internships. We’re talking about career opportunities.”
Students like Campbell Toler, a junior psychology major, are gaining professional and interpersonal skills through positions such as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for First-Year Program courses FP0001, “Academic Foundations” and FP0003, “First-Year Seminar.”
“I think it’s giving me some really good collaborative skills,” Toler said. “Especially in a degree like [psychology] where everyone has to communicate — and [psychology is] very communication driven — I feel like it’s important to have those stronger personal relationships.”
Brian Cabana, a sophomore biology major, also served as a UTA last semester for BIOSC0150, “Foundations of Biology I,” where he said he enjoyed experiencing education from the other side of the classroom.
“You never really understand how much work and time and commitment your teachers and UTAs put in [to study sessions and office hours] until you do it yourself,” Cabana said. “I think going forward as a student and as a UTA, I’m just going to be more aware of these [study] opportunities.”
Grey Yang, a senior international studies and economics student, said they have had a range of experiences assisting with research at Pitt, mainly in economics.
“The thing I like about research is that you’re learning a lot, but it’s not like sitting in a classroom and having a professor regurgitate information to you,” Yang said. “In some ways for me, it helped me more than the classes I’ve taken because I need to apply real-world skills and also learn at the same time.”
Yang has participated in a variety of projects, from exploring female employment in Bangladesh to questioning paternalistic discrimination and even helping a religious studies professor write a book.
“I would just recommend everyone to do it,” Yang said. “I can use my strengths as well as make an actual difference in the world, so I feel like it’s an experience everyone should be able to have.”
Carl Sell, the Associate Director for McNair and Undergraduate Research Programs at Pitt, said undergraduate research is a great way to “find entry-points into critical discussions in their field early in their careers.”
“Collecting and analyzing data is a critical skill that is necessary in any career, and critical-thinking skills are best honed by practical, hands-on work in a discipline,” Sell said.
Sell believes getting involved in research before postgraduate opportunities, like graduate school, helps build professional skills for any field.
“Speaking for myself — and I teach and research English Literature — the same analytical and communication skills I use to present and publish findings are used across disciplines,” Sell said. “While the types of data and their conclusions might change, the skills in exploration, analysis and presentation of findings [are] more similar than different.”
Students can get involved in research at the undergraduate level at Pitt through a variety of opportunities such as research internships, fellowships, summer programs, labs, scholarships and symposiums.
Though an introduction to research may be intimidating, students have expressed positive perspectives about the skills they have gained in their experiences, Sell said.
“That is ultimately the beauty of being able to use undergraduate research to both hone the skills you learn in classes and to learn cross-discipline skills that are valued in any career,” Sell said.