Benefits Of Doing Undergraduate Research

By Jessi Stickel on June 16, 2016

http://venasolutions.com

Many college students conduct research of a topic within their major or particular interest. Although some many find the thought of undergraduate research boring and difficult, it is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of. Whether it be a science, math, business, history or English major, undergraduate research is something any college student can benefit from.

Here are several different ways college students can benefit from conducting undergraduate research.

Researching can help you … :

http://www.doctorshadow.com/

1. Determine your area of interest.

If you are confident about your major, but are not sure what your specific interest is, doing research is a great way to try different things. This a beneficial way to figure out what you want to focus on, while gaining information and useful skills during your research. You get to learn about different topics within your major while stacking up features to add to your resume.

2. Excel in many courses.

Gaining extra knowledge about your major can assist you in many of your classes, considering you will have learned background information. If you take a course that deals with something you have already deeply researched, you will have an upper hand of previous knowledge. This can help you earn a better understanding and higher grade, and it may even help you impress your professor.

3. Improve your technological skills.

Getting familiar with doing research and using different tools to research will prepare you for any future research you will need to conduct. This includes researching during graduate school and/or your career. Being able to add this skill to your resume is something some employers look for when hiring.

4. Stand out in your future career.

Not only can you use your research as a sample of what type of work you can do, but you may even be able to get hired for a job because of your discovery of your research. While doing research, you could make a discovery that has never been found before, and has significant value. This can make you an asset to many employers and companies.

Some skills you can gain from researching are … : 

http://www.pgmarketing.com

1. Communication

When conducting research, you are most likely going to need help from someone at some point during the process. This can include professors, group members, librarians, other researchers, etc., which means you will have to be in contact with at least one person in order for you to get the most accurate results possible for your research.

Whether it is working with others on the task at hand or contacting a librarian for research assistance, communication skills are always needed. While communicating with others on a professional level, you are learning a skill that will be essential for every career or job.

2. Critical thinking

Researching can be extremely difficult at times, but this teaches you to think outside the box in order to solve the problem in front of you. This is not a skill that everyone has and it does not come naturally to everyone, which is why research is a great way to practice and learn. When researching, you must think of ways you normally would not think to discover something new or something no one else has before. Having this skill will take any employee far within their field of work because every job has problems waiting to be solved 

Some things to consider before researching are … :

http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk

1. Time

It is important to consider time before committing to your research. All different research topics vary in the amount of time they will take to conduct; however, you need to make sure you have the free time or plan time for your research to be able to finish it. Some research topics must be done within a certain amount of time, so you should look into this aspect before starting.

2. Financials

Some research projects, such as labs, will require funding, and this is another aspect to pay close attention to before starting research. You need to check with your academic department to question whether you will be financially able to conduct your research.

3. Interest

You also want to consider the strength of your interest in the topic you are planning on researching. You do not want to commit to a topic you are not passionate about and end up disliking the entire research process.

4. Benefits

Consider what you want to gain or benefit from researching. Is it the experience, the gain of skills, or the resume addition? It is good to think about these benefits before starting research to give yourself motivation and to have a purpose for conducting.

5. Safety

If you are planning on conducting research in a lab of some sort, you may need to take safety courses beforehand. This is definitely something to look into before starting in order to ensure your safety and not have any time setbacks during the processes of conducting your research.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format