1. Start with what is available. If you want to connect with a researcher on campus, start by identifying McMaster researchers who may have received funding for a current project. This will help guide your outreach efforts. 
2. Consider volunteering. If you are seeking to gain experience, consider volunteering as a research participant. There are opportunities that will get you connected to research and those conducting it. 
3. Update your resume. Get individualized feedback from a trained Peer Leader to develop an effective resume or cover letter. You can book an appointment on OSCARplus / Student Success Centre / Appointments / Career Counselling and Job Search Coaching / Resume and Cover Letter Writing. 

Who can I ask about finding a position in my field of interest? 

• Your professor: Contact your professors about your research interests and aspirations.  They may have connections and knowledge about what researchers value in potential candidates. Making a great impression here can go a long way to being recommended for an opportunity. 
• Your teaching assistant (TA): They have experience searching for research opportunities and can share their journey and insights, including what worked and didn’t work for them and tips on where to search and what to prepare. TAs also work closely with professors, so they will have knowledge about who is doing what and possibly any available opportunities. 
• Upper-year students: They can give you other avenues to search for research positions and may be able to share what it was like working on a research project and potential contacts. 
• Do your own research: Find out which faculty members and professors are involved in research and learn their current interests within their field of expertise. Find out what research is being done in your field of interest and who is doing it. You can connect with those people for a career conversation and ask them questions about gaining experience and making connections. 

How can I stay connected with some of my professors, TAs and/or peers?

• Engage and participate during class discussions. 
• Attend instructor office hours.  
• Begin by asking if they are open to having a quick chat about your research area of interest, if they have any tips for connecting with professors doing research, research that you are interested in on campus. 
• Create a LinkedIn profile to connect with peers, TAs and professors. Keep up to date on your field of interest and be active on LinkedIn. 
• Attend events like workshops, seminars and guest lectures on topics of interest or those hosted by researchers with similar interests. 

Where can I find opportunities?

It is hard to balance academics and social life, however, making space in your day to participate in social events or activities can support your emotional well-being and sense of belonging in the university. You can also join course-specific study groups. I recommend following social media accounts created for your faculty and program to check for student events and social gatherings. 

Final remarks

When exploring research opportunities, it is important to reflect on your goals and what you need the research experience for. A reminder that we are here to support you throughout your journey. 

At the beginning of this school year, I wrote a blog post called Dear First Year Me, in which I wrote about all the tips and advice I would give my first-year self as a final year student. Now, I want to share some things that I was reminded about in my final year.

1. Try something new. Since it was my final year, I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone and for me, this came in the form of volunteering. During the second semester, I volunteered as an assistant stage manager for a play on-campus. By getting involved in the play, I was able to make some new friends and got a different perspective of the campus and university life that I would have otherwise never gotten!
2. Grades don’t always tell the full story. This year, I was reminded that grades are not always the best or the most accurate indicators of happiness or success. Although my grades this year were the best compared to previous years, I was also the unhappiest that I had ever been due to other things happening in my personal life. And this brings me to my next point…
3. Take advantage of the services available to you on-campus. At the beginning of the school year, I assumed that my stress was only due to being in my final year and having to deal with my course load and other commitments. By November, I realized that there were other issues that were affecting my mental health that I had been neglecting for the past few years. I realized with the help of some kind friends that using the counselling services at the Student Wellness Centre might be helpful. Talking about my issues with someone who was unbiased helped me think about what I was experiencing from a different perspective and also made me realize the importance of looking after my mental health by seeking out help.
4. Your goals might change and that’s okay. My goals at the beginning of the school year for what I wanted to do after graduation were completely different than my goals today. My main goal was to figure out what industry I was interested in working in and have a job lined up by the time I graduated. I wasn’t considering the other options that were available to me and was instead focused on sticking to this arbitrary, one size fits all, timeline of success that’s prevalent in the society of graduating and then doing more school or getting a job right away, etc. From reflecting on my undergrad experience of switching programs multiple times and doing a fifth-year, I was reminded that this timeline doesn’t align with my past experiences, as well as current interests or circumstances. So, as the end of the second semester approached, I decided that I needed to take some time to explore my interests by taking a gap year or at least a gap a few months after graduation. Even though this isn’t the plan that I thought I would have at the beginning of the school year or even at the start of my undergrad, I’m happy that I applied everything that I learned from my undergrad experiences and make my decision based on adapting to my changing interests.
5. There is life outside of university. Towards the end of my second semester, I was really upset that I didn’t get to enjoy my final year in the way that I had hoped to with everything else that was going on in my life, especially my mental health. A popular narrative that I was exposed to before starting my undergrad was that these years would be the best years of my life, and although there were many happy memories, there were equally tough times of being frustrated and fed up with being at university. Even though these past few years have been a great journey of exploration, learning, transformation, and growth, I also hope the best years of my life are ahead of me.

About Manveetha

Manveetha Muddaluru blogged about her student experience for the Student Success Centre from 2018 to 2019.

I am managing a barrier right now because I am currently applying to grad schools for clinical psychology. A lot of schools want that honours psychology background, but I have a biochemistry background, so when I’m applying to grad schools, they are a little hesitant about taking a chance. It’s not something that I can address or fix because I can’t change my degree.

To work around this barrier, I am doing a second degree so that by the end of April I will have a BSc in Biochemistry and a BA in Psychology. It won’t be an honours degree, but it’s the most I can do for now. If I don’t get into a grad school and I’m still really interested in pursuing clinical psychology, then I’ll do more psychology courses.

2. What are you curious about?

I am curious about what is going to happen once I leave McMaster. Where will I end up? What will I study? Am I going to end up on the path that I want to? How many times is it still going to change? In my first year, I was interested in pursuing medical school, which is different than what I want to do now.

I also want to know how I can make an impact on the community and in the lives of kids. For example, through my volunteering position at the Children’s Aid Society, I have realized that I enjoy working with children. I am curious about how they process things and how they develop.

3. What was the process of switching from the medical school path to the one you’re on right now?

In my first year, I wanted to go to med school because my parents are doctors, so that was the profession that I knew. Growing up, I used to sit in my dad’s clinic while he checked patients and I was curious about what he was doing.

Later, I had to ask myself, “Do I want to be a doctor because I want to fit in or do I want to be a doctor because I want to treat people? To what capacity do I want to be involved in the diagnosis and the treatment?” When I was thinking about it, I wasn’t sure.

First and second year, I wrote the MCAT, but I didn’t really study for it. In third year, my parents told me to apply to med schools. I didn’t want to, so I chose to wait for another year. In fourth year, I got very indecisive about what I wanted to do. So I told my parents I wasn’t going to apply to med school and I ended up applying to nursing and public health instead. I felt that these programs would give me time to think about what I wanted to do.

I didn’t get in and I got waitlisted at a couple of schools.

I’ve always been the friend who listens when others need me. I find people can confide in me and I feel proud that I can be that person for others. I also enjoy it. So when I got the opportunity to talk to a psychotherapist, I was really interested in the work she was doing and I asked her about her career path. Then I did some research on my own and talked to more people.

After that experience, I told my parents that I was really interested in this profession. They’ve been very supportive.

4. Reflecting back on your career journey, are there any patterns in your interests that have led you to where you are right now?

I think I’ve always been interested in psychology, but I never took a chance on it because in first year, I had only taken one psychology course. At the time I had to decide my program, I talked to my parents and told them that I want to apply to PNB as my first choice. They asked, “Why? How many psychology courses have you taken?” After talking, my parents suggested that since I had only taken one course, it wouldn’t give me a full sense of the field of practice to decide whether I wanted to go into it.

I decided to place biochemistry as my first choice, PNB as my second, and molecular biology as my third. I got into the biochem program, so I never found out if I could have ever gotten into PNB. After that, I never really took any psych courses until my third year. After I graduated from my biochem degree and went through the process of researching a career path in clinical psychology, I took a few psych courses and realized how much I still enjoyed it. All the courses I’m taking this year are psych courses. I love it. Even though there are deadlines to worry about, I enjoy what I am studying.

5. Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your first year self?

Go with your gut. In first year, my gut told me to do psychology, but at the time I questioned myself. I learned that it’s important to make your own decisions, because at the end of the day, if it is a decision you made, you can blame yourself if it doesn’t work out. If someone else influenced your decision, you’ll always wonder, “What if they never said anything? Would I have made a different decision then?”

Also, if you don’t like something, change it. You don’t have to stick to what you started with. There are a lot of options. Now that I am applying to grad schools, I am not only emphasizing that I’m doing a degree in psychology, I am also trying to incorporate what I learned in biochemistry and do some research that involves both the topics, so I can use all the skills I have.

6. What are some of the changes/risks you have taken that you are glad you took? Why?

Changing programs and career paths was a risk. I think another risk I’ve taken is talking to profs. I’ve honestly emailed over a hundred profs from different schools and received tons of rejections saying that they don’t have enough space, I’m not qualified, or that they’re not interested in working with me. One time a prof actually told me I didn’t have the background or qualifications. That was the bluntest email I’ve received and I remember crying after reading it. But that’s the thing: if you don’t try, you’ll never know.

At the end of the day, you have to try. I know it’s so much easier to say than do because you get into that thought process… What if I don’t get in? What if I fail? What if no one accepts me? What if I never find anything? It’s just a loop. The thing is, these are all just “what ifs.” There’s a whole other side to them. What if you do get in? What if you get into the program you wanted to? You have to consider the other side, too.

The time I got that negative email from a prof, two hours after, I got an email from another prof about setting up a meeting to chat. What going through that experience has reminded me is that in that one moment, you might feel like it’s the end of the world, but if you wait, there might be someone else who wants to collaborate with you.

7. What do you find most exciting when you think about your future?

I am excited to really establish myself. I didn’t really enjoy high school. I felt isolated because I had just moved to Canada. When I got to university, I told myself that I would be the confident person I was back in India and I went out of my comfort zone. Over the years, I found my friends who have become family. Then things happened and the confidence I had in my opinions and decisions shrank; I became less confident in what I did.

I want this grad school experience to be my fresh start to establish myself as that confident person that I know I am. I don’t know where to find her right now, but I think in the short term, a change of space and environment is what I’m looking forward to the most.

In the long term, I am excited to work with kids, teens and adults. I’ve met people who have been through a lot. I’ve realized that all they want is somebody to talk to – I want to be that person. I know I can’t be that person for every single person on this planet, but if I can be that support for at least some, I would be happy.

About Ananya:

Ananya graduated from McMaster with a Bachelor of Science degree in Honours Biochemistry in June 2018. She is currently doing a second degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is expected to graduate in June 2019.

Learn more about The Planned Happenstance Project.

Photo Credit: Grant Holt. Interviewed by: Manveetha Muddaluru.

When I was in my first year, I took a mandatory cell biology class. Although I had been a good science student during high school and truly enjoyed the subject, the class presented me with a new challenge. While the majority of my classmates seemed to have prior knowledge and a good understanding of the concepts covered in class from high school, I was encountering the new terminology and ideas for the first time. Because the course was fast-paced and application-based, my lack of prior knowledge was a barrier to my understanding and ultimately my success in the course. I learned to manage this by staying motivated. I knew I wanted to be successful in my course and I believed in my ability to improve. I used my motivation to work hard and do extra readings and research outside of class to cover the gap of knowledge that I felt and build a foundation for me to expand my learning and performance. I also shared my learning experience with my classmates and friends who also contributed to improving my understanding and helping me overcome the learning barrier to do my best in the course.

2. What are some of the changes or risks you have taken that you are glad you took? Why?

This year I experienced a big change when deciding to move off-campus into a student home. As an individual who had never really spent a long time away from home, this was a difficult decision to make. I can confidently say that I am glad I took it. Although I missed my family and home in the city I came from, I was able to meet wonderful new people who would be my housemates for the rest of the school year. I also was able to contribute more time to my social well-being and take part in extracurricular activities, like volunteering around campus. Meeting new people and trying new experiences really helped me grow as a person and learn more about myself. In the short time that I have been living on my own, I have learned more about my needs and habits, and identified areas where I still need improvement, including self-regulation. (Also, cooking classes wouldn’t hurt either!)

3. What do you find most exciting when you think of your future?

Although being a doctor has always been a dream of mine, my aspiration is to help people in the most meaningful way I can. The lack of good health is a reality that affects many people in the world, prevents them from reaching their full potential and consequently from contributing to society. I have always loved interacting with people, learning their stories, and doing something to make them happy. I am excited to reach a position where I have the right education and skills to do something more for others and make a positive impact in their daily lives.

About Asma

Asma is a third-year student, currently studying Health Sciences.

Learn more about The Planned Happenstance Project.

Photo Credit: Grant Holt. Interviewed by: Fatima Kijera.

Over the course of the year we’ve tackled several projects that have not only showcased fashion, but also demonstrated our individual talents that have contributed to their success. We’ve partnered with clubs like the McMaster Afghan, Vietnamese, and Pakistani Students’ Association, with a vision to showcase their cultural clothing pieces, as well learn more about what those individual groups do here on-campus. In addition to these collaborations, our team has worked very hard to create a series of look-books that outline fashion for the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons. It’s all a very huge team effort and we truly wouldn’t succeed without all of our team.

We all have individual roles and responsibilities, but it’s a very functional and dynamic team. We all perform different tasks and help each other out if need be, and in my opinion, that’s the most important thing.

So, what do I do? Specifically, I’m part of the Social Media team and a look-book photographer. I’ve learned a lot while being a part SAM this year- it’s truly been a rewarding and worthwhile experience. There’s a lot of emphasis on teamwork and working cooperatively; on top of that, time management and prioritization have been crucial to most of our projects. These are all skills that we know are important for individual success, and SAM has helped me refine these skills, all while developing my technical and creative abilities as a photographer.

Our greatest mountain to over-come has been organizing SAM’s Charity Fashion Show, which is happening today at the Hamilton Convention Centre. It’s been a rollercoaster ride, but we’re almost there. A lot of planning and time has gone into what we’re sure will be a great event. We’ve partnered with McMaster’s very own, Smiling Over Sickness, so we’re really ecstatic about the contribution we’ll be making to such an amazing organization.

All in all, SAM has offered me some of best, and in-valuable experiences. It has challenged me in many ways, but I’ve always come out better than before. To me that’s the most important thing. Whatever want to do, or wherever your interests may lay, you have to remember to stay focused and put in the effort necessary. You’ll grow as an individual and make it all worthwhile!

About Sergio

Sergio Santolo blogged for the Student Success Centre from 2017 to 2018.

As volunteers, we visit different patients and speak with them about how their day is going, the weather and their interests; we also guide them through a range of motion exercises, and if necessary, any sleep promotion techniques.

At first, it was quite unsettling to think about going to a stranger’s bedside to engage in conversation. I didn’t feel like I would know how to interest them enough to speak with me, let alone actually want to spend any time with me. I admit, I was a bit nervous to visit my first patient, but I’m glad I did.

I feel very fortunate to have the ability to volunteer with such a meaningful and goal driven program. I began my experience with the program by shadowing an experienced Team Leader, where I observed how they interacted with different patients. What I’ve learned and continue to learn from my time volunteering is irreplaceable. We all face our battles in our everyday lives that make it extremely important to be mindful, kind, and compassionate when interacting with others. You truly never know what someone’s gone through, is currently going through, or will go through, so the impact you have on them can mean all the difference.

One of the very first patients I visited was an elderly man who was hospitalized for a fall. He was super energetic, positive, and truly joyful. His perspective on life was simple. He told me that life is full of unexpected surprises; some may be bad, some may be good, but nonetheless, each experience offers a new opportunity to learn. The way he demonstrated such joy and positivity despite his situation was a lesson in itself. This man, whom I am very grateful to have met, simply taught me that life is invaluable and we must use every opportunity given to us to grow.

About Sergio

Sergio Santolo blogged for the Student Success Centre from 2017 to 2018.

After icebreakers and some quick activities, we headed up to the Good Shepherd Centre in Hamilton, just a bus ride from campus. The group of us were responsible for volunteering at their community food bank and clothing distribution centre. Upon entering the space, a man in a leprechaun suit kindly greeted us and took us upstairs. He sat us down, gave us the following exercise, and instructed us in a soothing voice to close our eyes. He said something along the lines of this:

Now everyone… think about your morning… you are asleep after a long night of studying… because, you have an education, you have goals. So, you wiggle your toes in your warm bed… maybe you put your feet in some slippers, maybe you don’t. Maybe you get up, look in the mirror at yourself in your pj’s… because you can afford night clothes and day clothes. You brush your teeth. You are blessed to own a toothbrush, and some toothpaste to go with it. Maybe you have floss. You have the ability to maintain your hygiene. So, you take a bath, you have the option of hot or cold water… shampoo… maybe even conditioner. You dry yourself with a towel… because you are fortunate enough to have that too… maybe you slip into a robe. You have the option between this shirt and that shirt. You can make yourself a nice cup of coffee, or have a bowl round enough to eat some cereal instead.

This exercise of gratitude really helped us realize how fortunate we are and how many things we do just in one morning that we often take for granted.

We were taught that some people simply do not have these luxuries. I was also shocked to learn that the James St. to the Wentworth St. area in Hamilton was the fifth poorest region in all of Canada, just a short distance away from McMaster or Dundas. I was also saddened to know that this area was comprised mostly of Syrian Refugees and that the second spoken language there was Arabic, after English of course, similar to my spoken languages.

The most beautiful thing I took from our encounter was the respect and dignity that people working at Good Shepherd exhibited towards those less fortunate: they placed great value on “human-ness.” For example, instead of calling people homeless, they would refer to them as guests or brothers and sisters. During our volunteer hours, the workers stressed the phrase, “If you wouldn’t wear it, don’t give it to someone else,” ensuring only the highest quality items were picked out and distributed. This phrase was repeated and reinforced throughout the job. It became our mantra every time we would pick up an item of clothing. All employees there were volunteers and all products came from generous donations.

Having worked at a food bank and clothing drive before in Oakville, I have never seen this level of respect or concern for those in need and was completely in admiration of this Hamilton system.

As the day progressed, we sorted out clothing into bins and restocked items from what they called “the warehouse” to “the marketplace.” The warehouse was exactly that – a warehouse to stock all the items from hygiene products, to food, to clothing, for men and women of all sizes and ages. The marketplace, however, was the innovation. This place was incredible – it looked just like a compartmentalized store.

The shelves were stacked with goods, fresh fruits and vegetables stored, milk, eggs, meats and other essentials refrigerated/frozen, plates, cutlery, home décor, blankets, clothing, jackets, etc. all piled gracefully on hangers and shelves. The idea was to experience shopping in a store, except that everything was free. This ensured that families could get what they needed, with an emphasis on feeling dignified and unashamed. I truly loved how Good Shepherd was aware of the stigma of homelessness or the social shame associated with being a family in need and did their best to mitigate it. The regulation system was in place via the use of membership colour-coded cards per family size, as well as colour-coded stickers on items corresponding to those family sizes. This system helped ensure that no one got more than their share.

Currently, the Good Shepherd Centre serves 110 families a day, yet plans to expand further. I had the personal pleasure of helping a Syrian Family select coats and blankets. This was a heart-wrenching experience because the one boy could not find a jacket that fit him and the mother thought the blanket was too light for her to sleep with. Unlike myself, however, this family was unable to “just go to another store” to check out stocks on the item: they were stuck with this location or nothing. Nonetheless, these guests remained very polite, quite understanding of the circumstance.

While I wished I could have done more to help, this experience really showed me easily I take things for granted. More importantly, I saw leadership in action in a way that did not encompass meanings of traditional aggression or authority – in a way that dignified, respected and humanized those that needed aid.

About Mariam

Mariam Khalil blogged for the Student Success Centre from 2016 to 2017.