Summer sessions can be a difficult journey for students especially when involved in research laboratories across campus. With a constant schedule, tackling an overwhelming amount of tasks over the summer semester can be both rewarding and stressful for future success.
Organizational skills can guide students to succeed in both their courses and research involvement. At the near end of the summer sessions, Oakland University students help out by sharing their experiences on tackling the skills they utilized over the summer semester.
Gabriela Ferraz, a junior studying biomedical sciences and anatomy, shares the summer work that will guide her to attend medical school.
“Alongside volunteering and maintaining a high GPA, I have been working in Dr. Figueiredo’s lab and my honors thesis research proposal,” Ferraz said. “I am currently collecting data and analyzing it which are consistent with my hypothesis.”
Ferraz recently attended the Michigan Physiological Society’s 11th annual meeting, where she was awarded third place in the undergraduate category for Exceptional Presentation Skills. Additionally, Ferraz won two grants — the Undergraduate Student Research Award and the Honors College Thesis Grant from OU.
She addresses the importance of staying organized and keeping yourself busy with future goals.
“Keeping yourself occupied helps you maintain your study habits and allows you to take on opportunities that you possibly couldn’t during regular semesters,” Ferraz said. “We all have goals for the future but your ultimate priority in life should be being healthy so you can have a mindset that will allow you to get where you want.”
Paxton Hicks, a second-year graduate student in the social-personality psychology program, shares the summer experiences that guide him to pursue a Ph.D.
“Earlier in the semester I served as a teaching assistant in a statistic in psychology class,” Hicks said. “I have been working in Dr. Taku’s lab and conducting two research projects independently while assisting in other projects with several professors.”
Hicks emphasizes the importance of investigating several research projects during the summer as it guides him to pursue his education in a Ph.D. program.
“The summer is a great time to work on your projects because there is a lot more flexibility in how you make your schedule and the projects that you want to work on,” Hicks said. “This is a great opportunity to work on projects that you may have had on the back burner or just trying something new.”
He also shares study tips that help him endure an overwhelming journey.
“I like to make designated spaces for my study sessions such as the lab office which excludes many distractions,” Hicks said. “I always have someone to talk to when it comes to challenging situations, such as reaching out to members of the lab, my advisor Dr. Taku or family members.”
Working in the summer on classes and research will mentally make the transition from the summer to the fall semester much easier.
“Both courses and research have constant deadlines making it feel at times like you have to pick one over the other,” Hicks said. “Setting appropriate goals can help you accomplish both tasks simultaneously with the right amount of planning.”
