UC Davis

Undergraduate Research Assistant

May 2018 - June 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Being able to do the work whenever I can and need to. I didn’t have a set schedule. Learning experience was great. Communicated lots with graduate students.

What I wish was different

Variety of work. I did the same thing every time I came in

Advice

Network and find why you like

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Pilot Plant Student Worker

June 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

As a Food Science Student we learn many things about our industry like sensory, processing, R&D through our classes. Although the internships amd food science related jobs on campus and very limited to microbiology, food chemistry or other more research based opportunities. This on-campus job on the other hand is a great chance to see the food processing side of the food industry which is a rare opportunity to get before joining the workforce. This job teaches you a lot about food processing while enhancing your critical thinking skills due to the high variability of tasks given to you as a student worker. The variability of tasks has made me feel more confident when it comes to applying to other job because you learn so many different skills and feel ready to tackle any job head on. This job is a great way to both do research related projects as well as more mundane tasks like cleaning the pilot plant, canning peaches, and so on. It will be hard work at times especially on the more physical side but this job will make you a more well rounded employee. Overall, my favorite part was being able to go into work and not know what I was going to do that day. It greatly expanded my knowledge, flexibility, and the job never got boring.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be ready for anything. You will have main tasks you need to get done but various things can get in your way or some other project might come up so you truly never know what you'll be doing day to day until you walk in.

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Student farm

July - August 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Co-workers are really supportive and helpful. The overall atmosphere of the workplace is also nice.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Cashier

September 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

The application process was quick and easy.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Biology Research Intern

April - July 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

I learned a lot. The lab experience will be very beneficial in any future employment I will have.

What I wish was different

There is a bit of down time while experiments are running, but not enough to start a new project.

Advice

Be involved with the ward

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Undergraduate Researcher

October 2018 • Davis, CA

What I liked

This position taught me a lot about how research in microbiology is actually conducted. I appreciate how flexible it was, and there was a high degree of independence.

What I wish was different

The projects I’m working on use a mouse model, and I’m not particularly fond of mice. I wish i could have been working with yeast or bacteria as opposed to mice, but I got used to it.

Advice

Do not be afraid to ask questions. It’s better to ask for help than do something wrong and lose data. Also, the more questions you ask about the purpose of the experiments, the more interesting the work will be, because you’ll actually understand the implications behind what you are doing.

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Student research assistant

June - August 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

I got to work hands-on with research participants and actively engage in social psychology research.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have gotten more hours per week (I only worked about 20 hours a week)

Advice

Communicate exactly what you want with your professor in terms of being more actively engaged in the research that is happening within the lab.

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Research Assistant

June 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Flexible hours, nice work environment

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Research has a lot of repetition to it

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Anatomical Dissector

June - September 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

I got the opportunity to study anatomy one layer at a time while creating prosection cadavers to be used to educate UC Davis anatomy students. I learned so much and felt like I was making something that would be used for years to help others learn about anatomy. It felt right: turning a body that had been generously donated into a piece to be admired and for the benefit of learning for many years to come.

What I wish was different

Nothing. It was an amazing experience that I only wish lasted longer.

Advice

You never really can understand anatomy well unless you are the one to identify the structures as you dissect. You get a much more intimate look at what structures make up the human body and you gain and appreciation for the sacrifice of that individual and their family made in their decision to donate their bodies.

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Laboratory Intern

May 2019 - September 2020 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Great work environment, great learning experience

What I wish was different

some days was not allowed in tissue culture room

Advice

I would recommend getting an undergraduate internship. It not only made my time at UC Davis better, but gave me transferable skills for the job market.

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Research assistant

June - August 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Housing was great

What I wish was different

Advice

Your enjoyment of research is mostly about what you bring to it

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Summer Start Program

August - September 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

As a volunteer, I would prefer offering help and learning practical skills. In this program, I enjoy balancing my time studying with working. By using Sling, we volunteers need to arrange our available time to set on the website. Then, we choose and set anytime we want to work as well. This is what I hope and like to do during my volunteer work.

What I wish was different

This is my first time working with the staff on the campus and serving international students. The way of communicating with different people had beyond my expectations. I thought upcoming students are the main audience I need to get along with. However, staff who are in charge of the meals, student's parents and other SLAs are also my workmates to connect with. This trains my ability to talk with different people with different purposes.

Advice

As for volunteering, I understand that no payment job is hard to persist. Instead, the result of enhancing skills and learning new things is valuable. Therefore, it is much easier to persist if we pay attention to the ability rather than the money.

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Teaching Intern

June - August 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Good team environment

What I wish was different

The hours were a little tight and not very flexible

Advice

Come in with an open mind and be ready to learn as much as possible

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Computers in Technology Intern

September - December 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Teaching students of a 600+ class size Microsoft applications. Bonding with 40 other teaching assistants and interns.

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

This internship enhanced my soft skills in communications and patience. Also, the internship is worth 3 UC units.

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Lab Assistant

June - August 2018 • Davis, CA

What I liked

I liked being able to make my own schedule

What I wish was different

Advice

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Lab Assistant

June - September 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Flexible schedule, air-conditioned room, friendly workers, simple tasks

What I wish was different

Wish the place wasn't that far away from campus.

Advice

Always follow lab protocols

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Orthopaedics Research Lab @ UC Davis

June - August 2018 • Sacramento, CA

What I liked

Everything about it. It was extremely enjoyable doing research as I'm a pre-med student. I loved how hands on it was.

What I wish was different

I wish I could've worked a little bit less. I worked M-F 9-5 everyday.

Advice

Precision is key in scientific research

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Biochemistry Technician

January 2016 - August 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

Meeting new people and learning about chemistry PhD programs offered in DAVIS

What I wish was different

I wish I learned more about the job and switched departments early on.

Advice

Learn about yourself in every experience so you can decided what you truly want in life.

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Academic Advisor

May 2015 • Davis, CA

What I liked

I love being able to help students succeed and share my advice being a student in college myself.

What I wish was different

Nothing, I love my job.

Advice

I would say it is really important to get experience in the field you wish to pursue and that it felt really rewarding to be able to positively impact other peoples lives.

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Teaching Intern

July - August 2019 • Davis, CA

What I liked

It was fun to work with all the kids every day, and I like the fact that it was only a month-long job with a lot of hours. That freed up the rest of the summer.

What I wish was different

I wish I had chosen to live on campus instead of stay at my apartment, because all the staff knew each other better since they saw each other all the time.