University of Rochester

Sykes Intern

June - August 2021 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I liked being able to help develop a project that will help students understand basic chemical engineering principles.

What I wish was different

I wish that we had better scheduled the timeline of our work so that everything could have been well-paced, and rather than rushed at the end.

Advice

To always apply to something you are interested in doing. I had no way of knowing if I would get this job and I'm glad I did. I never would have gotten it if I hadn't stepped out of my comfort zone and applied.

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Biology Research Intern

May - August 2022 • Kerhonkson, NY

What I liked

The hospital system, the internship system

What I wish was different

Wish I personally had a different mentor

Advice

Definitely take advantage of shadowing opportunities

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

May 2022 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

Learning new things and applying my own knowledge from courses to the research.

What I wish was different

I wish I had a more technical experience as part of research in addition to data analysis.

Advice

Push yourself to learn new things even though they seem hard at first and don't feel embarrassed to ask for help and clarifications on projects assigned to you.

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PATHS Summer Camp Counselor

June 2021 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

The atmosphere was wonderful! Gaining hands-on experience in my desired field while also connecting with the Rochester community and making a difference was so rewarding.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had more time during the semester to continue working there! It was honestly so fun to be there, I genuinely enjoyed going to work every day. The only thing I wished may have been slightly different was an extra training day or being able to shadow for a day before jumping in, but overall it was a wonderful experience.

Advice

Don't doubt yourself! If you put in the work and believe in yourself you will be successful. Also, don't be afraid to reach out for help if you are overwhelmed or unsure what to do, there are so many resources for you to utilize.

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Research Assistant

June - July 2021 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I learnt many research skills and experienced a life as scientist!

What I wish was different

Nothing. Everything was great!

Advice

Making sure to take the initiative!

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Machine Vision Researcher

June - August 2020 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I have the opportunity to conduct my own research and learn more about machine vision. I read a lot of interesting papers, and got hands-on experience with cutting edge research.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had been able to interact with the other interns more, and get to know the people in the lab better in person, but Corona virus.

Advice

Be honest when you don't understand something. It is so much less work for your advisor to help you when you're confused, then to help you try to fix the mistakes you made because you were confused.

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Computer Science Research Intern

May 2020 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I loved doing work that impacted people's lives directly!

What I wish was different

I wish I had gotten involved in research earlier

Advice

Even if you are mildly interested in research, GET INVOVLED

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Research Scientist

January 2020 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

The ability to learn new skills relevant to my proposed career path.

What I wish was different

COVID-19 sadly put a damper on the meeting schedule of this position.

Advice

Approach everything with a new mindset because research is a rapidly changing field influenced by today's and tomorrow's technology.

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Clinical Laboratory Technician

June 2019 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

Working at the university of Rochester there’s a ton of opportunities for students. When working there you can receive 80% off the tuition rate, start a 401K, retirement and benefits.

What I wish was different

Advice

I thought I wanted to go to graduate school and become a laboratory technician in a specialized field. However, this job made me realize this is not the career path I would like to take.

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Summer Research Fellow

June - August 2018 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

It was very self motivated and it was up to me to complete my projects and find ways to improve them. I also liked being hands on in the lab.

What I wish was different

There were several changes to the project I was working on due to things out of my control (but that's the reality of research!)

Advice

Be flexible and adaptable, ready to do whatever is asked of you and more.

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Undergraduate Physics Researcher

May - August 2019 • Batavia, IL

What I liked

Working at Fermilab was an amazing opportunity that fostered a community of collaborative curiosity. I had excellent mentors from the University of Rochester as well as other MINERvA collaborators that strongly advocated for me and made sure that I was gaining the most out of this experience that I could. I grew my network greatly, as everyone was great to work with.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had been more involved in the SIST/GEM program (though I was technically and REU student), as I connected with a lot of them, and the program was very interesting itself

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask for help, but also don't be afraid to figure out a problem independently, as you might find a new way/ another problem hidden within. Ask many questions, attend as many lectures as you can, and always always keep very good lab notes.

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Software Quality Assurance Intern

June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I liked my supervisors-- they were very concerned that I learn relevant skills instead of doing busywork. I also enjoyed the relationships among the interns.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been more organized time with the intern group.

Advice

Always be looking for things to learn.

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Program Assistant

June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I liked that I co-taught two College 101 classes of 10-15 students in 11th grade from Rochester City School District, which included lessons on resume building, the college application process, SAT practice, and career search. And designed and facilitated a workshop on time management skills for 12th graders. Guided icebreakers, artistic and career-oriented activities for all high school students.

What I wish was different

That I would have been able to start working at the same time as everyone else, but because I was not a student at the University of Rochester or had previously worked there, the paperwork took longer.

Advice

Do not be afraid to tell people that you know that you need a job for the summer. They can actually be the most helpful ones.

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Biomedical engineering researcher

May - August 2019 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

Environment

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Apply to everything

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - July 2019 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I loved all the opportunities to run my own experiences and learn so much about a specific area of research. I got a lot done in only 10 weeks and was able to participate in a large number of social activities within and outside of the program. I experienced a location much different from my home and college and my end products were a research poster, brief paper and 2 minute presentation. My poster has been accepted to two different conferences and was presented at one, BMES 2019.

What I wish was different

The housing situation wasn’t ideal, as the dorms are old and my roommate and I didn’t know each other, but overall it wasn’t a terrible experience because I made friends in the building and hung out with them. I wish I had gone out of my room sooner in the summer, so I could’ve met my friends earlier in the summer!

Advice

Take it all in and learn as much as you possibly can. Anything you can talk about in the research world is gold for applications or interviews, as you can at least say you were exposed to certain concepts or ideas and learning about different research projects becomes much easier. Also, don’t spend the whole time worrying about your research. You can still have a fun summer while learning about science and engineering!

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Summer Help: maintenance and repair

June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

It was only during the week days and never any evening shifts.

What I wish was different

Sometimes it felt understaffed for the amount of work that needed to be done within a week.

Advice

This summer I worked with a variety of people but after working with them everyday for a whole summer, you learn that everyone has dreams and aspirations. There is always something that will connect you with another person.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

May 2018 • Rochester, NY

What I liked

I liked the people I worked with and the multiple resources I was able to use to perform the procedures related to my project. And I liked the flexibility of the work schedule .

What I wish was different

Nothing actually

Advice

Don't miss the chance to learn anything even if the information learned or the skill gained was not helpful at the time of learning. In the future, you will need it, and in case you never used it , it will help during an interview or look good on your resume.

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