Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Oncology Biostatistics, RITS

Center for Talented Youth Teaching Assistant

June - August 2018 • Saratoga Springs, NY

What I liked

I enjoyed teaching math to teenagers.

What I wish was different

I wish I had had more experience in classroom control going in.

Advice

Plan ahead when applying for summer jobs.

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Camp Counselor

June - July 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

Good pay, easy work

What I wish was different

Sometimes could be long hours

Advice

Good work if you need money

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Technical Assistant

June - August 2018 • Carlisle, PA

What I liked

I was given a place to live, as well as was fed daily. I didn't need to worry about that, since it was included in my contract

What I wish was different

I wasn't given a schedule, I just had to be on call every day, which made it hard to organize my day around it ( I didn't know when I'd be called to help)

Advice

Be confident in your skills and do not afraid to approach other employees and make friends. Since you won't be able to leave the campus for two months, it could get pretty lonely without anyone to socialize in the free time.

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Research Intern

May - August 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

Exposed to various public health fields and opportunities.

What I wish was different

Advice

Eligible students should apply to the Diversity Summer Internship Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The application is extensive but worth it.

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Videographer

June - August 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

It was on campus and very much project based, which allowed me to determine my own work hours.

What I wish was different

I wished the facility already had equipment for video.

Advice

To do what you enjoy. Videography is hard work unless you enjoy it.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

Flexible hours, exciting project, high autonomy.

What I wish was different

Better time management on my part -- so less time crunch at the end.

Advice

Reach out to people for potential opportunities -- don't wait.

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Research Intern

May - August 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

Flexible hours Amount learned

What I wish was different

Advice

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DURA Awardee

May 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I really enjoyed getting to travel throughout New York City and getting to talk to so many different people. My research involved a lot of interviews during the first few months, and I learned a lot from every person I talked to.

What I wish was different

I wish I had received my DURA funds a little sooner (so I could get started on my research sooner). I ended up having to do about four interviews a week, all throughout New York City, and I felt very stressed/pressed for time during those weeks. I feel that this could have been avoided/alleviated if I had received my funds a little earlier.

Advice

It's a lot of fun as long as you're researching something you are actually interested in learning more about! There are plenty of research opportunities for people who aren't STEM! I'm doing mine through the Writing Seminars department.

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Conference Planner Intern

May - August 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

We were given free housing and a meal plan, so all the money I made was all profit.

What I wish was different

Sometimes the long hours would be tough, but it would all be worth it once we got the job done.

Advice

Definitely be professional when working with guests, and they will treat you nicely as well.

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Ecology Research Assistant

June 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

I loved how involved I was in the planning of my research project as well as the ability to do fieldwork.

What I wish was different

I wish JHU had more internal funding options so that I could better continue my project.

Advice

If you want to do research with a professor all you need to do is have the imitative to ask. Even if you cannot run the project as I did, they often will try to help you get involved in some fashion.

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Research Fellow

June - August 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

Ten weeks worth of research and in-depth learning of wet lab protocol, molecular biology, and biochemistry. I worked very closely with a post-doc mentor and grad student mentor who helped me perform the experiments and showed me lab technique I never learned before. They helped guide me and teach me the basics of research coming from no previous experience. My research was phenomenal and I created a research poster with the program and went to the Leadership Alliance National Symposium to present in Hartford, Connecticut, and I presented at Hopkins too at their symposium. We also had a graduate and GRE prep course. Our housing was paid for and we lived in apartments across the street from the main campus, it was a brand new facility. The program also allowed us to travel so I went to New York and Washington D.C. a few times. The environment I was in was incredible and I created wonderful connections at Hopkins that will help me out in the future.

What I wish was different

Nothing, absolutely perfect.

Advice

There are SO many opportunities to do research if you're interested. I found this program through the National Science Foundation REU page. They list all programs they fund for students to do research with. These programs range from a large pool across the country. I found ten programs I was interested in (Hopkins being #1) and applied to all ten. The applications required individual research statements and other personal statements. I needed two letters of recommendation which I got from biology faculty and my Liba professor. These programs are super competitive, my program director said 800+ applied and only 15 got in. However, other programs can be less competitive, so I suggest applying to programs (such as schools you've never heard of). It's important to get the experience of being in the lab in the first place so an experience at Harvard could be just as beneficial as one in some random university is Alabama. I applied to ten and only got into Hopkins. Be persistent and start early. Since I did research as a rising sophomore (much earlier than the students at fox who do it as juniors or seniors), I have many more opportunities to do research and attend conferences the following years. So start early, do your research, and get to know your professors. I wouldn't have gotten into the program without their help. Also REU programs look for people of minority decent, woman in STEM, and students from schools who lack strong research resources like small liberal arts universities.

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Research Intern

April - August 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

I loved how relaxed the job was and getting to take part in some great research.

What I wish was different

Felt I didn't get to contribute as much as I think I could've.

Advice

Appreciate being able to have a relaxed job.

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Teaching Assistant

June - August 2018 • Haverford, PA

What I liked

I am a chemistry major who really enjoys working with kids, so being able to teach chemistry to a group of gifted high school students was a really enjoyable job for me. The pay was competitive, the work was rewarding, and the experience was enjoyable.

What I wish was different

I wish that I could have been able to use more advanced knowledge of my field. I was only teaching introductory chemistry concepts, which isn't easy, but I would have liked the chance to test my knowledge of advanced chemistry concepts.