My sweet-bitter love affair with Graduate Research
For most of us, college is a nightmare and the means to just secure a stable 9 to 5 job. My roommates and other friends from high school were no different from this ideology. They never found the passion in the structured traditional system of education offered by colleges. I do not blame them for most courses offered at school can be occasionally boring and somewhat repetitive. I on the other hand fit perfectly into the definition of a typical “nerd” who enjoyed learning new skills. I was not attending college to just get by on grades but for the overwhelming satisfaction that the educational institution had to offer. At times I got into intense debates with my roommates who despised the required coursework that was mandated on them every semester and found no intrinsic value.
My story about my love affair with bioscience research is not actually thrilling or adventurous but can surely be inspirational to many. So back in 2018 when I first got into a graduate program in the United States, I was really excited to enjoy the freedom of traveling and residing in a distant land. I was born and raised in Southeast Asia and my vision of higher education in the United States was strongly influenced by the mass media. I always imagined it would be like working in a big high tech research lab where my colleagues and I would work on “Top secret” R&D projects for multinational companies. However, for many cases it is not true and the institution and research lab affiliation with industries can be the determinant factor on what kind of research you would be conducting.
When my professor first reached out to me regarding the prospect of joining her team of researchers I was definitely excited about receiving the news. Working with a good research team was definitely a dream come true but what was more exciting was the research area. I was assigned the project on optimizing the prototype for enhancing the drug delivery procedures during surgery. I would not lie, I was super hyped at first but then the daunting fear of failure overtook me. I had never conducted such high-grade research before; I mean I surely was part of a Senior Design project during my engineering program. But definitely this project that was offered to me was poles apart from anything I was familiar with. Not to mention in our Senior Design we usually work in a group of four members with constant supervision from our academic advisors. In spite of a period of self-doubting, if anybody knows me better I am always up for a challenge and this was no different. Nevertheless little did I know graduate school was going to change my perspective for professional research forever.
On my first visit to the research lab, I was given a brief tour of the facility. The place was completely secured and required access code to get around any chamber. It was understandable since the lab offered some extreme equipment that required trained professionals to operate. There were a couple of white-coated graduate students working on their own projects, with some preoccupied on laptops and others handling some sort of scientific apparatus. Nobody batted an eye as we (my professor and I) toured around the laboratory as everyone was deeply focused on their own research. At first, I was a little disappointed in such subtle reaction since I was expecting a more overzealous response on welcoming a new team member. I did not give it much thought that day and just proceeded to get myself acquainted with the laboratory procedures.
A few months from that timeline, I am still working in the same lab on the same project. I have grown a lot since then, particularly on developing my skills as a researcher. I understood the significance of scientific research and that it is not just about investing your time but also involves accepting the integrated failures and to grow from there. I achieved some significant progress on my research work during this time at the expense of countless failures and many sleepless nights. I did forgo my weekends but had the luxury of choosing my own vacation schedules contingent on achieving certain milestones of my minor successes along the journey.
For all those who are looking to enter graduate school, it is important to be committed and share a passion for your research. Have a vision of what you want to achieve and decide on your strategy. It is easy to drift, and that’s why your academic advisor is always there to assist you. Do not shy away from asking for advice from your teammates as they have experience in that relevant field. Eventually, my final advice would be to learn to manage a good work-life balance. It would be best if you could implement a schedule and follow it strictly. Graduate school can be a different experience for everyone and it is important to embark on this journey with an open mind and pick valuable lessons on the way. So if you are planning on graduate school then all the best for your future endeavor
