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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: postgraduation plans
Literature as an Archive
In recent years, I have wrestled with certain dilemmas historical scholarship poses. A central one is how do we contemplate, write about, and represent people who do not appear within the archive? In the past, historical scholarship have been very … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Libraries, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized
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Cognoscere Aude? Calvin and Hobbes, and Playing the Game
Periodically, I revisit Calvin and Hobbes to renew my sense of wonder. The comic strip finished its run well before my time, but in its anthologized forms it has been a touchstone for my life. Growing up in Singapore and … Continue reading
Posted in Life, major research, postgraduation plans
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What to Do During the Summer: Study Abroad
Even as a senior, I am still mildly surprised when – in January, in the thick of winter – my peers begin to talk about their applications for various summer programs. My bemusement betrays a basic thickheadedness on my part, … Continue reading
Posted in Life, New York City, Study Abroad, Summer Research, Uncategorized
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Reflections from the Archive: Stanford’s M0618 Arturo Islas Papers Collection
This winter break, as I pieced together the beginnings of my senior thesis on Arturo Islas’s novel The Rain God (1984), I stumbled upon an archival treasure trove—M0618, the “Arturo Islas Papers.” Comprising a hefty 56-box collection, M0618 chronicles four … Continue reading
Posted in Adversity, Archives, Coursework, Libraries, Life, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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On The Swim Test
It’s late, a Saturday night near the end of January. I’ve signed up to take the swim test the next day in the early afternoon. I feel unsettled, anxious, even paranoid. Usually, to prepare for a test, I have some … Continue reading
Posted in Adversity, courses, Life, New York City, The Core, Uncategorized
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“What is the one thing that you hate the most about the research experience?”
I will speak candidly here: my mother did not attend college, neither did her parents or her parents’ parents. When forms ask me to input my parents’ education level, I leave my father blank (don’t ask, I am just as … Continue reading
Posted in Adversity, Archives, Coursework, Libraries, Life, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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Advice For Those of Us Interested in Research for Student Publications
It is a wonderful thing to be paid for your research. That being said, outside of what you could call the traditional undergraduate research economy—fellowships, scholarships, etc.—student-run journals, magazines and reviews afford Columbia students plenty of opportunities to publish their … Continue reading
Posted in Funding, Life, major research, Media, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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Sailing In Search Of Second Wind
The other day I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, in person, celebrating the life and work of another of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury. Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and The Graveyard Book pleasantly haunted … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Historic Sites, Life, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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Where is the FUN in Funding? – Finding Funding as an Undergraduate Researcher in the Humanities
As Researchers in the humanities, we are all well aware that our noble pursuits, unfortunately, require one thing: money. We are also well aware that filtering through multiple databases to find that one niche fellowship that aligns with your … Continue reading
Posted in Coursework, Faculty Mentors, Funding, Libraries, Life, New York City, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Study Abroad, The Humanities
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Core
While most students really connect to at least one or two texts in the syllabus, many students experience Contemporary Civilization as a painful slog through the dregs of Western philosophy, a subject widely felt to be as stale as it … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Coursework, Life, The Core, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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