I have enjoyed getting hands-on experience doing undergrad research at UAH. It's become something I look forward to every week. I have been lucky to have a good professor as my mentor. I feel as though I have learned applicable skills that will benefit me in my adjustment from school to my career.
What I wish was different
Communication is sometimes overlooked. Since I work this job 8-15 hours a week I am not actually present for all ongoing activities, so a lot changes throughout the week.
Advice
Undergraduate research is a valuable stepping stone that shouldn't be overlooked. UAH is a very research-intensive school with numerous opportunities. Just ask your favorite professor what he has going on, you never know!
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Career Ambassador
September 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Utilize Handshake. Make appointments with a career counselor. Ask for help!
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Research Assistant II, S1 (Rotorcraft/Boeing)
May 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I enjoyed the flexible hours and being able to learn from my experienced leads at Boeing.
What I wish was different
I wish we had been able to start our tasks earlier. It took about a month of waiting to gain access to everything and having our laptops configured correctly, which involved a lot of sitting around.
Advice
Take steps to improve yourself whenever you have any down time here. You'll have access to many helpful programs, so complete as many tutorials as possible when given the time.
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One person found this helpful
Summer Resident Assistant
May - July 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Clear hours. Close-knit staff. Evenings off.
What I wish was different
More clear direction at the beginning of the summer. It got better as the job went on.
Advice
Not everyone does the same amount of work.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
February - August 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Flexible hours. Creative learning environment. Trust in student employees. Atmosphere of lab.
What I wish was different
I would have loved a higher workload since I was not taking summer classes.
Advice
It was a great experience as I had never worked as a research assistant before. It was beneficial as an undergraduate JUMP student to see the other (potential Graduate with a thesis) side of academics.
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Rceu
May - August 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Freedom to schedule work
What I wish was different
Better structure of objectives
Advice
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Research Assistant
April 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I liked the networking opportunities available at this position, and the flexible hours allowed the ability to work part time while taking classes full time.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Fitness Technician
November 2018 - June 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Highly supportive supervisors, lots of opportunities to learn about fitness, and easy to work with personal schedule.
What I wish was different
As a fit tech, one of my duties is to be a source of information for gym goers. I don' t think that people are aware of this. I wish there was more awareness of what I could help people with.
Advice
I would recommend anyone aspiring to be a fit tech to have a good understanding of weightlifting and the equipment used in gyms.
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Research assistant
May 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
The fellow employees and the work we did!
What I wish was different
I wish I could be full time.
Advice
Do as many internships as possible!
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RCEU Student Researcher
May - August 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Working one on one with a professor gaining experience in my field of study. This was very independent and allowed me to get a wide breadth of experience.
What I wish was different
Some of the mandatory workshop sessions were not effective because of they did not apply to my field of study.
Advice
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Heliophysics research intern
May - August 2016 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I gained knowledge in computer programming while using it for real-world applications. Additionally, I learned the ins and outs of applying to graduate school in the sciences, as well as specific information on what I should expect/look for when applying. This experience also gave me a fantastic introduction to what research actually is and what it entails, before moving into graduate school.
What I wish was different
I wish my project was a little more complex. I could have handled more work, but I thunk there was ambiguity between what I think I can handle, versus what my research advisor guessed I could handle. This was mainly because I didn't have any programming experience beforehand, and my advisor didn't want me to feel too overwhelmed. In general, I wish I kept in constant contact with my advisor so that I could communicate with him in where I am at with the work he gave me.
Advice
Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can, whether it be all of the internships that somewhat fit your interests, activities around campus, or, if you have free credits to use in a semester, take a course that is either challenging or extremely interesting to you (instead of using the credit to get an easy A in some 100- level course). Taking as many opportunities as possible opens up many, many more doors open to you, even in fields of work that you may not be currently interested in, but you may be unknowingly interested in the future.
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One person found this helpful
Mechanical Engineering Intern
May 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
learning what I wanted to do
What I wish was different
Advice
get an internship
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Assistant Resident Director
May - August 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I received housing and a meal stipend as well.
What I wish was different
I wish it were better organized and hourly pay instead of a monthly stipend. Also wish I was able to take summer classes.
Advice
Don't be afraid to negotiate.
1
One person found this helpful
Summer Conference Assistant
May - August 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I was able to meet and work with students I never would have met before!
What I wish was different
I wish we had a more predictable work schedule. We never knew when we would have off time.
Advice
Be prepared to work long hours! You have good company that sure does help, but this job takes someone who is committed!
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One person found this helpful
Undergraduate Research Assistant
January 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Flexibility in hours. Great one on one with knowledgable induviduals.
What I wish was different
Nothing I can think of.
Advice
Talk to your professors about their research projects. Ask to get s your of their lab. Professors love showing off their research and it's a good way to get your foot in the door both literally and figuratively.
1
One person found this helpful
Research volunteer
June - August 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I liked being able to get a taste of what lab research is like and being able to put the scientific method and knowledge from classes into practice.
What I wish was different
I wish I had contacted the lab sooner.
Advice
Don’t be afraid to reach out to professors whose research interests you!
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One person found this helpful
Research Intern
May - August 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I enjoyed working with my mentor and learning more about sentiment analysis and the Spanish language.
What I wish was different
I wished that my internship could have been longer.
Advice
Working as an intern for the UAH RCEU Program was a valuable experience. In addition, to the research project, there were many beneficial and informative workshops.
1
One person found this helpful
Network Support
February 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Assist people with their technical problems.
What I wish was different
Be taught beforehand.
Advice
Helping people can make a huge difference in a positive way.
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Career ambassador
May - August 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
The chance to gain insight into a career I can see myself having and the accessibility to resources to help me grow as a professional!
What I wish was different
More stable hours as it was hard to sometime remember my days working.
Advice
Always network that is the best way to find out about things. Handshake is great to see what is out there but networking helps you gain these opportunities! Get on handshake and build your network and profile so that you too can gain great positions!!
