Undergrad life and the importance of joining a lab
So, after several days of fighting with a problem, and weeks of dealing with a difficult educational situation, I was able to find a solution to both with one chat to my former lab partner.
I know that in today's world, the push is to have huge labs or none at all, but mine has been absolutely pivotal to my education, my success, and quite frankly, my well being.
All of us who joined the lab that year became close. And some of us are still best friends to this day.
I love that we can call each other this many years later and still help each other find answers and solutions to the problems we can't solve on our own. And I have no idea how other students survive without it.
A lab should absolutely be necessary for every undergrad.
Undergrad life and the importance of joining a lab
@Juxtacognition
>>So, after several days of fighting with a problem, and weeks of dealing with a difficult educational situation, I was able to find a solution to both with one chat to my former lab partner.
<<Daily occurrence for me. I'd make a ticket system for myself, but I'd put myself out of businesses with my own backlog of unfinished wip.
>>I know that in today’s world, the push is to have huge labs or none at all, but mine has been absolutely pivotal to my education, my success, and quite frankly, my well being.
<<In my field of work, most people DiY at home. Fortunate few find local groups- others pay to go to local hackerlabs(essentially maker spaces).
>>All of us who joined the lab that year became close. And some of us are still best friends to this day.
<< Never had that experience in university, unfortunately. Most classmates either had egos or alternative interests outside my own, and couldn't relate. I've had better luck with IRC.
>>I love that we can call each other this many years later and still help each other find answers and solutions to the problems we can’t solve on our own. << Yeah, I'm the workplace- we're supposed to know where to get answers if we don't have them already. That's where friends come in... "I can't give you the answers, but I know a guy...."
>>And I have no idea how other students survive without it.
<<Desperation breeds innovation.
>>A lab should absolutely be necessary for every undergrad.
<<Either you are what you do or you do what you are. Extracurricular studies and experimentation are essential for quality learning and development.
Undergrad life and the importance of joining a lab
@Juxtacognition
>>Agree so much. I work from home, so I spend a lot of time figuring out things on my own, but I find that it’s given me a bad habit of not talking it through with others or asking for help? Maybe just a me thing.
<<It's a common force of habit that's not as easy to break, but easy to remedy.
>>I can relate to not fitting in with class mates. I’m old enough to be their mom, honestly, so it makes me very different, but that somehow didn’t matter in the lab. We were paired together informally based on what our area of interests were, so the differences didn’t matter so much?
<<Common interests help lay down groundwork for common perspective which is required for easier communication of intents and ideas. It helps a lot, but not required.
>>I can tell you that my new lab isn’t as great, but I think it’s because we don’t really study much in common.
<< My condolences, at least you have a lab to go to? On the flip side, although common ground is near nil- that also means there's other perspectives you can hopefully draw help from, should you be able to reach out to them.
Undergrad life and the importance of joining a lab
@lucifargundam
It seems to. I have finished all of my neuroscience and just finishing up the last statistics course available, while the others are pretty early in their studies (or chose not to take either), so it sure helps that way, at least.
Undergrad life and the importance of joining a lab
@lucifargundam
Agree so much. I work from home, so I spend a lot of time figuring out things on my own, but I find that it's given me a bad habit of not talking it through with others or asking for help? Maybe just a me thing.
I can relate to not fitting in with class mates. I'm old enough to be their mom, honestly, so it makes me very different, but that somehow didn't matter in the lab. We were paired together informally based on what our area of interests were, so the differences didn't matter so much?
I can tell you that my new lab isn't as great, but I think it's because we don't really study much in common. (My supervisor retired, so I'm a bit of an educational orphan for my last year, I suppose.)