As week ten is coming to a close I’d like to thank Dr. Natarajan, Nandini, and my partner Kate Sanders for all the help and hard work that has gone into this project. I’d also like to thank Dr. Katie Siek for leading this REU program and being so willing to help myself and the others in the program with any problem that was to arise. Last but definitely not least, I’d like to thank Dr. Patrick Shih for introducing me to this REU ProHealth experience if it wasn’t for Patrick I would not be in the position I am in today. Overall, I am very pleased with my summer research experience here in Bloomington and am extremely grateful to of had this opportunity.
Before my REU research experience, I had intentions on getting my masters degree once I finished up my Bachelors. Now, I am dead set on getting at least my masters but am strongly considering getting my Ph.D. The evolution of my personal academic interests was extremely surprising, not only to myself but also my family. Not in the sense that, I myself or my family didn’t think I am capable of getting my Ph.D., but more or less they admired my love for research and learning. With this being said, I plan on taking the GRE in both September and October (just in case, it never hurts to play it safe) and begin the graduate school application process. I have full intentions on applying to Indiana University, which would be one of the ideal places for me to continue my education, but I am also continuing to research other graduate programs to see which one best fits my interests. As to what type of graduate degree I am going to pursue still remains undecided. Although, my recent discussions with Anna and Dr. Tammy Tosco from our Wednesday workshop has led me towards the psychological/mental health side of things.
Continuing to do research with Dr. Natarajan during the school year is definitely something that I am willing and wanting to do, but I am still trying to decide if I will have the time to effectively do so. As I am going into my senior year of college my work load seems to be pretty heavy. I have to decide on a senior project to do and actually complete it and on top of that go to class and complete all of my assignments for them. I also work a side job that takes up twenty hours each week while in school so I can financially support myself. With graduate school in the forefront of my goals, I will also be dedicating a lot of extra time to prepare for the GRE in the coming months. Thus, as much as I would love to continue doing more research, I am still concerned that I will not have the appropriate amount of time to dedicate to research each week.
I am starting to get very excited as it is getting closer to the poster presentation on Friday. It is going to be a very rewarding to share the results from our summer of hard work and dedication. With this in mind, I am striving to place in the top three poster presentations. I am excited to see what happens!
Link to our video presentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WLAiKQiZws&t=3s
Link to our poster
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6q2tojv5ljooifa/poster2.jpg?dl=0
