recommendation letter

Getting the Most out of Your Time

What you do in the lab when you aren’t doing research matters. A lot.

To extract the most from your undergrad research experience, you'll need to make your time in the lab matter.

When you’re waiting to finish a technique, or have a little extra time, there are a variety of things you can do to make your research experience more rewarding.

Where is the What, Now?

Over the course of your undergrad research experience, you'll have opportunities to develop a strong sense of self-reliance. The more you choose to do so the more rewarding research experience you'll have, and the stronger your recommendation letters from your research professor will be.

01
Apr

The One Letter to Rule Them All

THE ONE LETTER TO RULE THEM ALL  how to help your research mentor write the strongest recommendation letter. Ask early. Update your CV. Write a self-assessment statement. Send everything in a single email. Stick around. Remember the thank you.

— from the PI’s desk

Why this letter matters so much

As an undergrad, one of the reasons you devoted so much time to a research experience was to earn an epic letter of recommendation--one that speaks to your strengths, resilience, character, self-reliance, cultural competencies, ability to solve problems, and contribute to a group effort.

This letter will be a comprehensive endorsement of your graduate, medical, preprofessional school application, or for a job complete with specific examples that influenced your PI's opinion. This one letter has the potential to outweigh all other letters from a professor whose class you attended, or from someone who oversaw a volunteer program you participated in for a semester.

25
Mar

Extra Responsibility = Praise for a Job Well Done

— from the Lab Manager's bench

One of the differences between instructional lab classes and research in a professional lab is how feedback is given.

In an instructional lab, you have quizzes, lab reports, an attendance policy, exams, and possibly out-of-class assignments—all attached to a point system outlined in the syllabus. For most instructional labs, you can calculate your grade and therefore know whether or not you’re excelling.

— from the Lab Manager's bench

It will happen to you. It will also be okay.

There is only one guarantee in research: sometimes things fail. It doesn’t matter what your major is, how much experience you have, or whether your research is basic, applied, clinical, or translational.

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