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Post‑Baccs are for skill-building and clarity - use this time to deepen your research skills and clarify your research interests.

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University research assistant positions and lab manager roles are generally always great experience for graduate school.

To make the most of your time:

• Ask to work on your own, independent project.
  • Try to establish yourself as an independent researcher.
  • Create your own research aims - figure out what interests you and what we still need to learn about it.
• Be visible, not just productive.
  • Present at conferences, co‑author posters, and ask to join collaborative meetings.
  • Volunteer for manuscripts, data cleaning, or literature reviews - try to get involved in all aspects of the research process.
• Track everything.
  • Keep a document of projects, skills learned, papers read, and feedback received (or anything else that might be relevant).
    • Makes writing statements and preparing for interviews easier down the line.
• Connect
  • Cultivate a relationship with co-workers, staff, and students - a lot of these people may be your future colleagues.
  • Ask to speak with graduate students. Most are more than willing to provide insight, advice, and even mentorship on the path to graduate school.