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The CCRA blog is authored by Columbia undergraduate researchers, who are invited to reflect on all aspects of the research process and their own undergraduate research experiences, beginning (but not ending) with the Core.
Category Archives: Faculty Mentors
Searching for a research opportunity? Start here!
Navigating the research landscape for student opportunities can seem intimidating – here are some tips on where to start with brainstorming and searching. Picture your ideal opportunity Jot down a few notes relevant to the kind of experience you are … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, conference presentations, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, major research, New York City, Senior Thesis, STEM research, Summer Research, Uncategorized
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‘A Journey to the ‘Metropole’: Tracing Transnational Networks at the University of Oxford
It has always struck me as somewhat paradoxical that some of the Indian subcontinent’s most famous political activists in the twentieth-century journeyed to Britain to complete their education: from the anticolonial leader M.K. Gandhi, to the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, Study Abroad, Summer Research, The Core, Uncategorized
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So You Want a PhD in a social science discipline?
Phds were always mysterious to me. Growing up, I had no exposure to an academic, let alone my parents who were poor immigrants from a developing country. All I knew is that it was the highest degree one could get, … Continue reading
Posted in Faculty Mentors, major research, postgraduation plans
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An Interview with Helen Ruger about the Laidlaw Scholars Program (Part 1)
This month, I spoke with a friend and fellow Classics major about her experiences with the Laidlaw Scholars program. Below is the first part of our conversation, in which we talk about how she was introduced to the program, her … Continue reading
Posted in conference presentations, COVID-19, Faculty Mentors, major research, Summer Research
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Demystifying Office Hours
Welcome to the start of a new semester! I am in a bit of disbelief that this is the last one of my undergraduate Columbia experiences. I thought I would start off my posts this new year by unpacking possibly … Continue reading
Posted in courses, COVID-19, Faculty Mentors, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, STEM research, Summer Research
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A Research Assistant’s Summer
A few weeks ago, I wrapped up my summer research internship at Columbia Business School (CBS). Their internship program provides students a paid opportunity to work on a summer project with CBS faculty across multiple quantitative social science disciplines: finance, … Continue reading
Posted in Faculty Mentors, Summer Research, Uncategorized
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The Age-Old Question of Crafting A Research Question
So, it’s the first day of the semester, and your professor is going over the course syllabus with your class. You flip to the assignments section and see, ‘30 PAGE RESEARCH PAPER DUE’ on the last day of the course. … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Faculty Mentors, Uncategorized
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It’s Okay to be Scared of Office Hours!
I am not the type of student who goes to office hours every week. I’m eternally jealous of my friends who are able to just go chat with their professors about anything and everything, but maybe I’m too scared, maybe … Continue reading
Posted in Faculty Mentors, STEM research
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Making the Most of Meeting Professors
At the end of September I had to choose a “second reader” for my thesis. In the History department, all students writing a thesis attend a year-long thesis seminar course. In addition to the professor for this course, who leads … Continue reading
Posted in Faculty Mentors, Senior Thesis, STEM research, Uncategorized
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The Dreaded Cold-Email
So you need to cold-email a professor. Perhaps it’s someone you’ve had a large lecture with but never spoken to one-on-one, or someone you’ve been directed to by another professor—or maybe it’s someone you’ve truly never met. I’ve sent a … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Faculty Mentors, STEM research, Uncategorized
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