How to Find Your Research Interest
“Everyone here knows exactly what they’re doing except for me.”
This was the loudest thought in my head as my peers and I started talking about research one day after class. My fellow UMD freshman biology students — all of whom seemed smarter and infinitely more prepared for the study of the sciences than I was — knew exactly what it was they wanted to research and how that would apply to their future plans, whether they wanted to go on to medical school, pharmacology school, or graduate school. I hadn’t decided what I wanted to research, let alone future plans, and was left feeling embarrassed as I sheepishly said, “I’m not sure yet.”
In hindsight, this feeling of aimlessness with a dash of imposter syndrome was unwarranted — there were others in my class feeling the same way as I did, very few freshman actually know what their post-graduation plans will look like, and there are plenty of ways to find a research interest during your academic journey. I’d like to share a few things I did to figure out what I wanted to study:
- Try a variety of classes and experiences
- Go to seminars
- Look into topics yourself
Try a variety of classes and experiences
This tip is… well, obvious. Every guide to college has some riff on “expand your horizons” written somewhere. However, that doesn’t mean it’s any less true. Taking all sorts of classes, including those outside of your major and those taken for general education/core curriculum credit, can introduce you to topics in the sciences you may not have considered. History classes are bountiful on this front, as discussion of historic medical practices and plagues can lead you to subjects still relevant in the modern day, but English and art classes will also work for this purpose — a sci-fi novel’s consideration of cancer biology and genetics as humanity makes first contact or an art class’s study of anatomy could spark your curiosity for a scientific field. And this is on top of the wide variety of science classes available that you’ll need for your major anyway, so don’t feel confined to the sciences as you choose classes and search for a research interest.
Go to seminars
Lots of faculty researchers share their work at research seminars on campus — going to these seminars, even if you’re only a little bit interested in the topic, can do wonders in the search for a specific research interest. Personally, my research interest was solidified thanks to a fall 2020 online seminar about respiratory viruses by UMD’s Dr. Margaret Scull. A passing interest in viruses created by the pandemic and a passionate professor specializing in plant virology made me curious about the seminar topic, and Dr. Scull’s discussion of barriers to respiratory virus infection in human hosts had me fascinated the entire time, taking notes and jotting down questions to look up afterwards. Later that month, I signed up for a spring semester virology course, and the next year I was looking for summer internships in virology.
An add on to this suggestion is asking your professors about their research directly. Even if they aren’t actively researching anymore, many are happy to discuss their work with an eager student, and they might connect you to someone they know that is still working on similar material.
Look into topics yourself
Expand on whatever interesting subjects you might find on your own! If you’re anything like me and you have the attention span of a goldfish, make sure you look up whatever it was that interested you right after you hear it or make a note so the idea doesn’t slip out of your head. When you have time to search the topic, do so in depth, finding scholarly articles to read or videos explaining the particulars. Some of these will likely be dense, knowing scientific literature, but if you can push yourself to understand the key points and ask someone knowledgeable about them later, it’ll make all the difference.
To conclude:
There are plenty of avenues through which you can find a research interest, many of which could also lead you to a position you’ll enjoy. Even if you feel a bit aimless at first or keep changing your mind, as long as you keep an open mind to possible research topics, you’ll find your interest.
