Admissions Insights: Lisa's story: Why should you do undergraduate research?

By Lisa, a senior in the College of Science

Major: Psychology

As a senior in the Psych ology Department at Virginia Tech, I know a great deal about the undergraduate research opportunities here. My research in psychology began in the fall of my junior year and has grown into an essential ingredient in my experiences at Virginia Tech. Here are some reasons why undergraduate research is both enjoyable and important:

Because you're a student at Virginia Tech. We are ranked 42^th in the nation for university research, so it just makes sense to take advantage.
Because research is easy to find. Nearly every faculty member at VT performs research, so getting involved is easy. Simply ask a professor about an opening in their lab or just browse a department website to see which lab fits your interests. I've been a member of three labs (the Center for Applied Behavior Systems, the Stress & Coping Lab, and the Child Study Center) so anyone should be able to find at least one!
Because research prepares you for your future. Whether your post grad plans involve higher education or looking for a job, research is the closest thing in college to work experience in your field. Specifically, graduate schools consider research experience in their top criteria for making an admission decision. Plus, the professors you work for will usually write letters of recommendations and/or be a job reference.
Because you've been looking for that application of what you are learning. We've all been sitting in a class and wondered, "Why do I need to know the square root of pi?" Well, I don't know the answer to that question, but through research I've seen the real world application of various psychology concepts I learned in my classes. Sometimes, I understand and learn more about psychology in the research setting than in the classroom.
Because you make connections and start networking within your field. In a research lab, you interact with faculty members and other students in your department. It's a great way to make friends in your major and obtain that 1-on-1 time with your professors.
Because research is an easy way to earn class credits with flexible scheduling. When you join a lab, you choose how many credits you want to take and it gets added to your courses. Each 1 credit of research is equal to 3 hours of lab work per week. Most labs have set weekly meetings, but the rest of the time required of you can be completed during those times of the weekday (and often the weekend) that suit your schedule best.
Because there are opportunities to create, run, and publish your OWN research ideas. Research doesn't always have to be collecting data for other people – you can take the lead, too! This semester I created my own research experiment and supervised 40 of my fellow students who collected the data. While still getting class credit, I gained leadership experience and time management skills. This level of undergraduate research requires one to write a formal research paper. This paper can be submitted for publication in research journals, which is an amazing feet for an undergraduate student and provides an advantage over the competition in graduate school applications and the work force.
Because of UT PROSIM. Research at Virginia Tech is based on our motto Ut Prosim, and is therefore focused on ideas and inventions that benefit our community and the greater world. To be a part of such positive and purposeful research is rewarding in its own right.