My experiential learning experience this semester was generally different than the experience that my classmates had. I was fortunate enough to be able to continue to work in a lab that I had previously worked in before, so I was comfortable in my environment and had extensive repertoire with my mentors. Overall, my experience pushed me to explore more molecular biology techniques, practice mentoring, and strengthen my ability to problem solve and think critically for my projects as well as when I was trying to help others. This type of learning for me goes well beyond a traditional classroom, in the problem solving and critical thinking especially. A lab has a large whiteboard where ideas are thrown, tangled, and grappled with until a problem has been solved or a new experiment is created. This type of process and scientific thinking is not exercised in a regular classroom to the same degree, and continuing to work in a research lab feels imperative to my long term...
In the continuous effort to become more of a well rounded and marketable employee, it is important to take time and reflect on how I can improve not only to increase my own level of expertise in my field, but be able to collaborate and benefit others in adjacent roles wherever I go to work. There is undoubtedly value in being able to communicate and collaborate outside of my field work, but doing so is a skill that is not particularly stressed or worked on while taking classes as an undergraduate. So the question is, how DOES an undergraduate looking to join the workforce develop these skills and habits prior to going in for an interview? I want to reflect here on what areas I can and should venture to improve upon for my own personal development, as well as a resource for each skill that can directly aid in that development. I want to address first the three skills that I believe I can develop to broaden myself and my horizontal stroke to ...