Jessica Stewart understands from personal experience the value of doing research as a college undergraduate. In her junior year at the University of California, Berkeley, Stewart worked with art historian Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby on her book, “Colossal,” researching the Suez Canal, Eiffel Tower and other massive art and engineering monuments.
She loved the research so much that she went on to get her Ph.D. in art history. Almost 20 years after working on “Colossal,” Stewart now directs the program that gave her the opportunity: UC Berkeley’s Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program.
But the initial benefit of doing undergraduate research was even more practical. When she was deciding which projects to apply for as an undergraduate, she got to explore many academic disciplines. This process opened her eyes.
“From the moment I set foot on campus, URAP allowed me to see what kinds of ideas I could study,” Stewart says. “The research and credit are great, but there’s this wayfinding side, too, where students can learn who researchers are, what research looks like and fields they may not have had any exposure to.”
A long tradition at some universities, mentored research projects are now offered at undergraduate institutions around the U.S. While many programs started out focused on science, today most universities offer opportunities across disciplines, including all aspects of STEM as well as architecture, business and theater arts.
[READ: Determine Whether a STEM Major Is the Right Choice.]
No matter the subject area, research participation is an asset for undergrads. Studies show students who participate earn better grades, are more likely to graduate and are better equipped for graduate school or careers.
“It’s often most transformative for nontraditional learners and underrepresented students,” Stewart says. “They learn to triangulate life experience and studies in ways that may not have been intuitive for them. It greatly improves academic performance, retention and persistence.”
Research Roots in STEM
Every year, 6,000 undergraduates participate in research experiences through the National Science Foundation, mostly during the summer. Projects span nearly 20 subject areas, such as astronomy and ocean sciences. Most take place in the U.S., but some research is done abroad, including a marine sciences project at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.
Experiences like these increase students’ confidence in their research skills and boost awareness of what graduate school will be like, according to a 2018 study. They also help students identify whether they want to pursue a science career.
“It’s one of the best ways to recruit students into STEM careers and retain them,” says Corby Hovis, a program director at the NSF’s Division of Undergraduate Education. “That’s why we do it. It’s an effective way to get students from classrooms into doing STEM.”
The NSF is especially interested in applications from students who might not have had past opportunities to do research, including those who are the first in their families to attend college, and Black and Latino students.
Research institutions apply for NSF grants to mentor undergraduate students and guide them through participation in an ongoing project. For students, the experience includes orientation and training, as well as a stipend and allowances for housing and travel. In most cases, students write a paper about their contribution to research and may even present at a conference or seminar.
[Related:Why a Big Academic Research Project Can Boost Your Law School Application]
Some opportunities require that students have specific math courses under their belts, but all focus on helping students build other skills, aside from lab or research techniques, that they’ll need for future academic work or careers.
“Communicating clearly the results of research is a skill that could carry over into any field,” Hovis says. “The teamwork and cohort experience not only encourages them to continue in science, but (is) translatable to any number of other activities they will do later on.”
Connecting With Faculty
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, research has been part of the undergraduate experience for more than 50 years. Some students choose the school specifically for this reason, and more than 90% of students participate. As at other schools, research is part of a bigger initiative around experiential learning, which also includes service learning and study abroad.
The biggest challenge for students is usually figuring out what kind of research they’re interested in.
“We depend on students to do some of that footwork,” says Michael Bergren, director of MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. “There are a lot of supports, but at the end of the day a student needs to understand what they’re interested in, who’s doing the work they’re interested in and what the steps are to participating in that research.”
But there is hand-holding, if needed. Before applying to work on a project, students have to approach the lead faculty member and introduce themselves.
“This is really intimidating. We don’t take that for granted,” Bergren says. “Part of life skills development is approaching a lab or faculty member and advocating for themselves.”
Peers offer tips about how to navigate that face-to-face encounter, such as find out a faculty member’s office hours, send an email with a resume attached and attend a departmental event.
[Discover Use Research Experience to Elevate Medical School Applications]
The networking doesn’t stop there. Get to know which graduate students work on the project, talk to other students who might be exploring the same opportunities and make sure you know what the work involves.
“As the research progresses, deliverables amp up,” Bergren says. “You may find you need to put more time into this right when finals are happening.”
The Future of Undergraduate Research
Some undergraduate researchers might share their work at academic conferences or seminars, or even be published in journals. Some might participate in the Council on Undergraduate Research annual conference, the largest symposium of its kind. Every year, more than 4,000 students attend a graduate school and career fair and present work that spans the disciplines.
Students have come to expect that they’ll get a chance to do research as undergrads, says Lindsay Currie, the council’s director.
“More recent generations grew up in a different climate. They learned by doing in classrooms,” Currie says. “That, combined with a workforce that expects people to have lived experience, means students want to be able to say that they’ve already done research as part of their coursework.”
What’s next, Currie says, is universities that integrate research into coursework so that students start a project their first year and continue through their time in college. Working with a network of universities, the Council on Undergraduate Research has completed a study of how schools can modify their curricula to incorporate research from the very beginning.
“Starting as freshmen, students would work on research that would build,” Currie says. “This would be significantly more advanced projects that would be consistent across the particular department. This is how they’re going to teach, because they know students benefit from doing.”
More from U.S. News
Tips for Starting the College Search
8 Ways to Network While You’re in College
10 Unique College Service Learning Programs and Courses
How Undergraduates Benefit From Doing Research originally appeared on usnews.com
