Cal Undergraduate Tour

The benefits of getting involved in research

1. Critical Thinking

Most importantly, if you do research you will develop your critical thinking skills. These will serve you for the rest of your life in any career. Memorizing an encylopedia of facts is becoming less and less valuable, since they are at a touch of a finger. Creativity and problem solving are where its at in rapidly changing times.

2. Importance of evidence

You will gain an appreciation of where all the information in your textbook comes from and how certain you should be of its truth. You will learn how to evaluate evidence. You will learn how to use the library and the World Wide Web so that you can find data that will keep you on the cutting edge in your field forever.

3. Get published

You could get published! Many students have completed projects and put their results in some of the best journals in the world.

4. Learn to communicate

You could give a talk at a national or international scientific meeting.

5. Letter of recommendation

I can actually write you a letter of recommendation because I will know who you are and what you can do. Your letter will be unique and will increase your chances of acceptance into the program of your choice.

6. Strengthen your future applications

Your application and interviews will be unique

7. Learn new skills

Learn how to use computers, computer programs (spreadsheet, graphing, calculating), data acquisitions systems, high speed video cameras and much more.

8. Its really fun.

Most Common Next Steps after Undegraduate Research in the Poly-PEDAL Lab

1. Professional Schools

Medical school
Dental school
Veterinary School

2. Graduate School

3. Computer programming