Participating in Undergraduate Research: Your Ticket to Grad School and Beyond Dr. Sheryl Zajdowicz and Dr. Rhonda Eaker Undergraduate Research Program

Mission of the Undergraduate Research Program The URP at MSU Denver seeks to engage students and faculty in meaningful and rewarding research experiences and projects thereby promoting active, engaged, experience based learning. Students participating in undergraduate research gain a deeper understanding of their field and are more prepared for jobs requiring creativity and exploration as well as graduate and professional schools. The URP promotes, supports, and celebrates faculty and student engagement in undergraduate research activities. The URP defines undergraduate research as: Scholarly and creative endeavors accepted within one’s discipline as activities contributing to the body of knowledge in one’s field. Undergraduate research seeks to examine, create, and share new knowledge or works in ways commensurate with practices in a particular discipline. Undergraduate research projects involve student-faculty collaboration in the form of either student initiated projects overseen by a faculty mentor or faculty initiated projects involving students as integral members of a research team. Undergraduate research projects include a dissemination component wherein the results and outcome of the work are shared with a broader scholarly/creative community in some form. This definition includes the four tenants of undergraduate research: mentorship, originality, acceptability, and dissemination.

Participating in research is fun and interesting, but does it have any value? Develops skills and expertise not common for undergraduate students Head start for graduate school Impressive for your job search Can clarify your career goals

What Is Graduate School? Is it the Right Choice for you? Discuss

Making The Decision Requires dedication, commitment and sacrifice Financial considerations In-depth education in a specific area Required credential for some professions Not all professions view graduate education highly Academically rigorous

Questions To Ask Yourself… Why do I want to attend grad school? What do I want to study? Am I ready for another 2-6 years of school? Would I benefit from beginning my career first? Will I be personally and professionally fulfilled in a job with my current education? How will I finance this degree? Is graduate study appropriate for my field?

Types Of Graduate Degrees Two Levels Masters Doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) Two Types Professional Degree Practitioner focused. Develops skills necessary for a career in a specific field: medicine, law, education, journalism, nursing, social work, business administration, etc. Research/Academic Degree: Focuses on in-depth study of a particular field. A Ph.D., prepares you to teach at the college level and conduct high-level research.

Masters or Doctorate? What do your career goals require? Do you have specific research / thesis goals? Do you have the academic background to be admitted to a Ph.D., program?

Gather Preliminary Information Visit graduate school websites Attend professional conferences Meet with faculty, especially faculty specializing in area of interest and graduate student advisor (if applicable) Network – Use LinkedIn and other Social Media Conduct informational interviews with current students & alumni from graduate programs Speak with current professors & other professionals in the field Consider your letters of recommendation Shadow a class or a current student Determine standardized testing & GPA requirements Research financial assistance opportunities Practice academic writing skills

In Grad School, You Will… Do extensive reading and writing rather than assignments or tests Make in-class presentations and/or teach courses Work closely with faculty and students Engage in a variety of research activities Gain related work experience Be much more independent

Define Your Interest Areas Seek advice/guidance from professors Read articles in areas of interest Do an internship, volunteer, or get a job in the field(s) of interest Seek out opportunities to conduct research/projects in area of interest Join student and professional associations at local, state, or national levels

Final Thoughts about Grad School Give yourself time to make this decision It may be emotionally charged Make an informed decision Consider the cost in money and time Prepare yourself to compete Key considerations What sacrifices will you have to make? What will you gain?

Articulating your Research Experience Whether it be for graduate school or a job: The ability to articulate your research experience makes all the difference! Remember most people aren’t experts in your field.

How do you talk about your research? Identify transferable skills Identify your specific role in the project Focus on accomplishments

Identify transferable skills Transferable skills are skills and abilities that can be used in a wide variety of settings.

Identify your specific role When presenting yourself in a job or grad school interview, talk about what you did. What was your piece of the project? I was involved in a project to determine the effectiveness of nutrition education children. I developed activities to introduce children to new food and then recorded how much they ate. Avoid the royal “we”!

However . . . Even though you need to articulate clearly your role in the study, you also need to know the big picture. What was the reason for the study? What was the hypothesis? What knowledge was ultimately gained by the research? Who was impacted?

Focus on accomplishments PAR Resume Worksheet - P: State a Problem You Have Encountered A: What Action Did You Take? R: What Was the Result of Your Action? Write an Accomplishment Statement

We Can Help! Upcoming Workshops! Guidance for Writing Your Abstract Introduction to Creating Poster Presentations What to Expect and Poster Presentation Help How to Frame Undergraduate Research on your Resume Please see URP website for more info!!

Questions? MSU Denver Wishes You Much Success! Dr. Sheryl Zajdowicz Lead Faculty Associate for Undergraduate Research swaltonz@msudenver.edu 303.315.7126 Dr. Rhonda Eaker Director, Applied Learning Center reaker@msudenver.edu 303.556.3290