Macalester College

Research Lab Assistant

May - July 2022 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

This experience was invaluable when I was freshly done with my first year of undergrad. This opportunity allowed me to get lab experience and elevate my resume and transferrable and technical skills.

What I wish was different

Overall it was a great experience, there's honestly nothing I would change.

Advice

Apply early and show your enthusiasm and willingness to learn, grow, and adapt in your cover letter!

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Genetics Lab Assistant

May - July 2022 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

Lab experience that gave technical and transferable skill. Flexibility in hours.

What I wish was different

Amount of stipend.

Advice

Make sure to brush up on elegant topics and information, be informed about what project you’re signing up for and make sure you have prior knowledge and some basic lab skills.

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Research Assitant

June 2021 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

The independence to do work for my thesis

What I wish was different

Actually going in person!!

Advice

Network with your profs!

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Undergraduate Student Researcher

May 2021 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

I loved that I got a chance to develop my skills as a lab scientist and to ask scientific questions.

What I wish was different

I think I would have spent a little more time documenting and reflecting on the experience when it was ongoing.

Advice

take advantage of the many resources on campus to find opportunities like this, if you can!

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Macalester Summer Undergraduate Research

May - July 2021 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

I like doing full time research.

What I wish was different

I wish that the time had been longer so that I can have more time devoted to research.

Advice

I would definitely recommend this experience to other students.

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Political Science Research Assistant

May - August 2019 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

Researching!

What I wish was different

It wasn't client facing.

Advice

It's great!

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Field Assistant

May - July 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

Good group, flexible schedule, variety of projects

What I wish was different

Advice

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Mac Startups Fellow

June - August 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

I really enjoyed the amount of connections and resources that were made available to us on a daily basis during the Mac Startup program. I got to meet so many people who are involved in the twin cities startup community and these connections may help me start a career in the near future. I also really enjoyed all of the activities that were set up for our cohort, they helped us get out of our comfort zone and put ourselves out there.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more people to work with. It was tough to do so much of the work for my project.

Advice

I would say to make sure everyone who takes part in this program takes it very seriously and tries to get out of their comfort zone a bit.

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Admissions Office Assistant

June - August 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

I loved connecting with the admissions staff and helping students find Macalester! I also loved taking on the social media for admissions.

What I wish was different

Everything was fantastic!

Advice

Connect with your coworkers and build relationships that will last past your end date at the job.

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Assistant graphics designer

May - August 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

The opportunity to gain graphics design experience / a fun work environment

What I wish was different

Something more relevant to my major

Advice

Work hard and focus on your work/create lists to use during editing phases

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Research assistant

May - June 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

What I wish was different

I wish the research was longer, but I still value the time and experience I gained.

Advice

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Print Shop Supervisor

June - September 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

Flexible hours

What I wish was different

Unpredictability-sometimes there would be nothing to do.

Advice

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Information Desk Assistant

May 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

I love talking to perspective students and alumni!

What I wish was different

There was a huge lack of communication between the summer conference staff and the staff at the desk. We had no information about reunion!! This should change.

Advice

Macalester could do a lot more to support their working class students given the resources they have but when asked about meals for 9 hour shifts nothing was done..... dont expect anything from them.

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Undergraduate Researcher

May - July 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

The working environment was awesome. Had a great time with my lab and my professor. Learnt a lot of practical skills.

What I wish was different

The time of the research could be closer to the beginning or the end of the summer in stead of in the middle.

Advice

Be very curious in what is happening and why is that.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - July 2018 • Inver Grove Heights, MN

What I liked

I really liked the diversity of ecological research methods I was exposed to., along with the strong sence of community among my peer research partners and our two advisors.

What I wish was different

I wouldn't change anything about this experience, the balance of field/lab work was tremendous and I learned a ton. The students are an integral part of the research at Macalester, rather than pawns for the professors as in larger research institutions.

Advice

Be prepared and enthusiastic about working long, hard days out in the forest. If you like to hike and sweat while learning a ton, this is the research experience for you.

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Research Assistant

May - July 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

If you are looking for a similar summer experience (research with a professor), I highly recommend directly speaking to the professor you want to work with. Make sure to look up what their research is about beforehand, show interest in what they are doing, and make a connection with them. Make yourself stand out as a good fit for their research so they remember you and want to work with you. Also, if you have any classes with that professor, work hard, and they will notice this.

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Psychology Research Assistant

January 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

Flexible schedule, interesting topic, building valuable skills.

What I wish was different

More interaction with my advisor, longer stipend (it was 10 weeks).

Advice

Use your resources! I got to know the professor who recommended me for the research grant through taking her classes and showing interest in her research area.

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Office Assistant

June - August 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

I loved getting to work in the Chapel because the community is so supportive and passionate.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Biology Research Intern

May - July 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

This was a fantastic experience, it really opened my eyes to my interest in research. My advice to anyone considering it would be to keep an open mind because you never know what might interest you.

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Research Assistant

May - July 2018 • Saint Paul, MN

What I liked

Working with other Macalester students and faculty. Getting to work on an independent project, but also getting to collaborate with other student researchers. The opportunity to present my research at a summer conference..

What I wish was different

I wish I had read more literature while working in the lab this summer. With highly technical papers, this can be difficult to do, but it is helpful in developing a thorough understanding of your project.

Advice

Do your best to get to know your whole lab -- the people and the equipment in it. Even if your project doesn't call for the use of a piece of equipment, if you see that someone else is using it for their project, ask if you can observe their experiment to gain a better understanding of its function.

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