As some of you may know when you attended the Freshman or Transfer Orientation and heard all of the stats that make up our university, UCF is number 7 in Research Power Ranking. Up there just a few slots below MIT and Harvard. More and more companies are citing UCF technology and are beginning to use and advance with it. You also may have heard some things in passing about how to get involved with research or where to go to find that information. Here are my tips and information that I have gathered over the course of my experience being an Honors in the Major undergraduate researcher.
1. Have an idea of what you want to study and look into it.
Begin thinking about ideas that may spark your interest that you want to study. Listen to nature, music, lectures. Talk to friends and faculty. Find out what interests you and be present to allow inspiration to spark.
2. Be open to rabbit holes.
I first sparked an interest in learning about and studying personality when I caught a story at the end of a lecture when everyone was packing up. My professor had briefly outlined a famous study about using lemon juice on the tongues of introverts and extroverts to see if there was a difference in the way the two groups reacted to the juice. They found that introverts salivated more, showing that introverts may be less tolerant of strong stimuli than extroverts. Then this idea fused with other interests of mine to create a larger picture with other combined constructs and elements. Be open to seeing where the exploration of one idea can take you. Also, start looking into the research literature on the topic. You can use databases through the UCF Library website, use Google Scholar by linking it to your UCF library account, and ask your trusted faculty members for their thoughts and research papers.
3. Find out the route you will take.
There are many different forms that your research journey may take. It could be a directed independent study class that you work with a mentor on, the Honors in the Major program, McNair Scholars Program, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), other summer opportunities, and more. It’s very important to choose the route that works best for you, your life, and your schedule. Contacting the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) or visiting their website can get you started. OUR also hosts many different workshops on how to do things like apply to summer research fellowships and how to publish your research once it’s finished. These are very beneficial and I highly recommend them.
4. Start early!
Almost everything in my research process has taken longer than expected. I suggest that you plan for the worst when it comes to your timeline. Having only 2 semesters left to graduate is not enough time in my opinion to complete all of the requirements for a full thesis. This is the minimum amount of time required to complete an Honors in the Major, but to save you much worry and strife, giving yourself that extra time helps. Start looking into the ideas you have and connect them together. Iron out what you want to do as you work on your literature review (a long process of reading and analyzing the literature on your topic to get a feel for what other people in your field have already done) and then start writing up any documents that need to be made. Working on these things over time will help you be able to go back and alter your work and this in turn will help you feel less stressed.
5. Find your mentor.
A professor, former professor, or someone you know well and can work well with will be your best bet. You need to be able to feel comfortable being yourself with this person so that you can express your concerns and bounce ideas around with her or him. Having a rocky relationship with your mentor can mean trouble for you and for your project. So, maybe not the professor whose class you continually fell asleep in during your freshman year. Make sure they share your research interests!
6. Set a timeline.
Be realistic about the time that you have and choose a program based on those limitations. The more time you have, the better.
7. Know your limits.
Research is exciting and can lead to your own personal contribution and advancement to your field but, it comes with great responsibility and time management skills. The process is very long, time consuming, and is at times tedious. A lot of the work is done on your own, unless you decide to research with a group, and there will be things you don’t know how to do yet. You’ll have to sacrifice some nights out and may eat a lot of late night pizza (not like you already do that anyway). It is a very rewarding experience and teaches you how to be independent and to use the skills that you’ve been learning for so many years in the classroom, you just need to know that this process takes commitment, heart, and maybe a little pixie dust.
8. Practice presenting.
This is good to start doing when you realize that you have a topic and even some information on it. Creating an elevator pitch for your project helps you become comfortable communicating your research in front of others. It could also open doors to people who would be interested in working with you or who know other students or colleagues who would. Your pitch should be clear, concise, interesting, and should highlight the main aspects of your topic/project in about 4 minutes or less. People often are busy and have short attention spans. This means that you have to have a pitch that can hook someone quickly and that they can understand what you’re going to do.
9. Get Social!
The research community is a big one, yet also very small. Many people at UCF have connections to faculty at other universities across the country and around the globe. You never know who you may meet by talking to someone about your research or listening to them about theirs. Talk to graduate students in your field and outside your field. I’ve met some really great ones and they have a lot to share about the process and their experiences in it. It’s a very supportive community as well, one that you can make great friend connections in. They share great tips, make powerpoints with you, and share much needed meme breaks. Who else are you going to eat that late night pizza with?
Foucault Pendulum at UCF. Photographed by Lee A.M. on DeviantArt. Thumbnail credit to Pexels.