Category Archives: Caitlyn

A Non-Traditional Chemistry Thesis

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Hello to my fellow Scrippsies and congratulations on making it to the (almost) end of the semester!! It’s crazy how fast this semester has gone by, and I can’t believe that I’ll be back in Claremont this spring. I’m definitely getting sad about leaving Dublin, but am very excited to rejoin everyone on campus and, let’s be honest, enjoy some of that SoCal sunshine. Hopefully everyone is practicing some good health care routines this finals season and I wish you well on your endeavors.

This past week has been exciting for me, as I have officially confirmed with my professor that I will not need to do lab research this summer in order to write my thesis.

For those who do not know, chemistry students often complete their thesis by conducting research in a lab setting and then write about their findings. As I know that I do not want to go to graduate school for chemistry after I graduate, I asked my professor what other options I might have for fulfilling these requirements, and he assured me that I would not have to complete research in a lab if I feel it didn’t pertain to my future goals. As a result, I have been thinking about ways to combine my love for chemistry and other fields that I hope to pursue in the future.

If you have been keeping up with my posts, you know that I spent time teaching science classes to elementary school kids last summer, and that I absolutely loved it. When I learned that I wouldn’t have to do research in a lab this summer, I immediately thought about going back to teach at this school. When I emailed my professor, asking if he thought there might be a way to include teaching in my thesis, he gave a resounding YES. At Keck, there is something called a library thesis where students have the opportunity to do research outside of the lab, on a chemistry topic of their choosing. I am not sure of the details yet, but if I wanted to teach, my professor told me that I would be able to write a library thesis. This is exciting for me, as teaching is something that I’ve always seen myself doing in the future, however distant it might be.

He also mentioned that a professor at Keck has done work in pedagogical studies, and I have since reached out to her in order to get more information and to see if it would be something I might want to do my thesis on. Either way, I have options as to what I will be doing for my research and I am very excited about both prospects.

I often feel that other fields within chemistry, or that involve chemistry, are forgotten amidst the multitude of graduate programs, so I’m happy to be branching out and finding some overlap between two things I love. If anyone has any questions for me regarding STEM classes, thesis, or ways to combine science with other disciplines, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Good luck on finals, and I will see you next semester!

Science Paths Beyond Graduate or Medical School

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Hello Scripps! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and are ready to take on the last bit of the semester. After that, it’s a month of relaxation and rest. I was able to celebrate thanksgiving with my flatmates and a few other friends who live down the hall.

  In the spirit of thanksgiving, I’ve been reflecting on the things that I’m thankful for in regards to my education and the opportunities that a place like Scripps has to offer. As I’ve mentioned in some of my earlier posts, I have worked in a research lab at Keck since the spring of my first year and have had multiple opportunities to present my research and experience what life is like in a full blown lab. I have also mentioned my hesitation in attending graduate school after I am done at Scripps and have had some wonderful conversations with friends that have really helped make it more clear what I want to do, while simultaneously making me more uncertain and stressed about my future (quite like Schmidt in this scene).I have a friend from home who is working towards his Masters degree in Dublin and we arranged to meet for breakfast one weekend, as it has been years since we’ve really had the chance to catch up. He attended Oregon State University and was a double major in chemistry and biology. He did not go to graduate school for either subject and has since spent his time working at companies where policy making and science overlap. I was very excited to get the chance to probe him about his own experiences in deciding not to attend graduate school and where that has taken him after college. Similar to me, he mentioned that he knew he didn’t want to attend graduate school after his undergraduate education and felt overwhelmed by the seemingly low number of options he might have for a career.

It was very nice to hear about the experiences he has had since graduating and the ways in which he knew if a job was a good fit for him. The one thing he said that really stuck with me was actually a piece of advice his professor gave him when he was trying to decide whether he should go to graduate school. She told him that, because he didn’t want to go to graduate school or medical school, his path was going to be more difficult to figure out. She was not saying that his path was going to be easier per se, but in terms of figuring out the necessary steps to take, it would be a challenge, which honestly made me feel like Michael Cera below.

As she noted, and as I have noticed through my research on graduate programs and medical school, the paths are relatively straight forward. If you want to be a doctor, you get an undergraduate degree, take the MCAT, apply to medical school, do your residency, and are a doctor. For graduate school, you get your undergraduate degree, take the GRE, and then apply to different programs. Although these steps are very rigorous, time consuming, and academically challenging, there is a sense of security in knowing that your path to get there is clear.

For me, I feel pretty lost in what I am going to do after I graduate from Scripps, especially when I am asked what I hope to do with a chemistry major and an English minor. I hope that with exposure to more interdisciplinary fields and the work that I will need to do for my thesis, I will find more of what I’m passionate about. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, it’s all right to not be sure of your future and can even help you be more open to new opportunities when they arise.

Best of luck in these last few weeks! I’m rooting for you all from Dublin!

Final Papers and Summer 2018 Plans

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Based on my time spent here at Trinity and the number of assignments I have turned in, you would think I had done absolutely nothing since arriving here. The truth is, I have read nearly ten full length books, in addition to poetry and other excerpt readings, but have not had any essays to turn in. For many courses at Trinity, your only assessment is a final paper at the end of the semester. Some courses have final exams as well, but as a visiting student I only need to submit a paper by December 15. During the former part of the semester, this fact made my time feel much more leisurely, as I was just focused on completing the readings assigned to me and, when I could, reading ahead. This made my weekends freer and I could relax, spend time with friends, and even travel! Now, as the end of the semester is looming, I am realizing just how much work I have to do before I leave (similar to how Joey must have felt in this scene).

Because the credit system is different in Ireland and I have to take enough credits to be considered a full time student back at Scripps, I am taking six courses. This means that I have to write six essays by December 15.

As I mentioned in some of my earlier posts, professors have distributed essay topics and even had assignments where we were required to think about our topics and even write an outline for what we wanted to discuss. I have just had another professor do this and I am very grateful to him for it because it will help give me some extra motivation to get a start on some rather daunting deadlines.

While on the topic of looking towards the future, I have started thinking about what I might want to do during summer 2018. Although it seems far off, applications for internships and lab positions are already being posted, many of which are due early next semester. If only applying was as easy as the gif below suggests. 

Because I am a chemistry major, I will need to do research in a lab that I will later write my thesis on. I have found many programs that offer lab positions for undergraduate students that I am interested in, where the next step is to figure out which ones I will apply to. My list is currently very long, so I will need to narrow it down. I found a position through the National Institute for Health that I am particularly interested in, as it focuses on public health, something that I have been interested in learning more about.

My current worry is whether or not that would produce enough hard data for me to write my thesis on it. If not, I have many other options, and may even end up in Claremont to do my research. This is when I am very grateful that I have the advisor I do, as I know he will be supportive in helping me make a decision that best suits my academic interests and future goals. I am also grateful for the other resources that Scripps provides in helping with these sorts of decisions, such as CP&R, which has helped me with internship applications in the past.

If you are worried about summer plans, please know that you have a kindred spirit in me. If you are feeling lost, please don’t hesitate to contact me or the staff at CP&R. That’s what they’re there for, and they are awesome! Cheers to the final weeks!

Final Papers and Looming Deadlines

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Hello Scripps! I hope all is well in Southern California. The weather here in Dublin has been getting chillier, and I’ve been wearing, wait for it…. scarves! And a coat! Both of which are practically anomalies in Southern California.

As I’m sure it is for you all in Claremont, things are ramping up here in Dublin and professors have already started to discuss final papers. Eep!

Here at Trinity, and at many European institutions, humanities courses are graded based on just one, or occasionally two, essays that students turn in at the end of the semester. This past week, my professors have begun talking about these final essays and I‘ve found myself feeling more stressed than I have been all term. The fact that we are halfway through the term has set in, and the fact that I have to write six long papers has done a good job of scaring me into beginning to think about my essay topics.

Thankfully, most of my professors have given us assignments that require us to start thinking about potential topic ideas. This is convenient, as I’ve now had to start thinking about my topics and will receive feedback from my professors as well.

This is somewhat different from Scripps, where I will often stop by office hours to talk with a professor and discuss an idea for my essay. Here, where the class sizes are so large, it is hard to get individual attention during office hours. Thus, having a piece of writing that contains your topic ideas allows them to give you feedback and is a sort of substitute for that one-on-one time you might be used to in office hours.

I have also found that catching professors after class can be more effective if you aren’t able to make their office hours, or if they are too crowded for a one-on-one conversation. If I have a quick question about something that was discussed during the lecture, I will stay after to ask the professor, which I find to be most effective because the idea is fresh in my brain and then I don’t have to worry about trying to get to their office hours. Just like the professors at Scripps and the 5Cs, professors at Trinity are always more than happy to discuss topics from the lecture or answer any questions you have about the material.

One thing I was nervous about, coming to Trinity, was how accessible the professors would be, and they have proven to be very accessible. Particularly when it comes to emailing, I was warned that oftentimes, professors wouldn’t respond promptly and was nervous that I would have a hard time getting in touch with them. I don’t think I’ve ever gone more than 24 hours without receiving a response from a professor, which I would compare to the response time of professors at Scripps and was very pleased that it didn’t live up to its expectations.

As it’s the middle of the semester at Scripps as well, I’d like to empathize with those back home. Even though I’m in a different country and have been able to travel, I’m still spending my days in the library, doing lots of reading and writing, so just to emphasize that it’s not all play over here.

Please let me know if you’d like to talk with me about Trinity or study abroad; I’d be happy to share about my time here!

Mid-Semester Slumps

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So far, studying abroad has been so much fun. I have met so many new people from all over the world, many of whom I hope to stay in contact with when we all return to our respective universities back home in the states.This past weekend, I got to visit one of my very best friends at Oxford University, where she is studying for the year. We explored London the first day that I arrived, then traveled to Oxford where I stayed with her and got to explore the town and campus. It was so much fun to see where she is studying and to walk around a campus that is hundreds of years old.Often, after traveling, it can feel like a let down to return home, where all of your responsibilities are there waiting for you. Although I was happy to return to Dublin after my time visiting my friend, I definitely felt this way, finding myself with a long list of things to accomplish and little motivation to get them done. At some point in the middle of the semester, most students at the 5C’s, and on campuses all across the globe (including Trinity!), feel a sort of slump, where a lack of motivation takes hold and is hard to reignite.

I have tried to reconcile this and have come up with a few reasons that I think the middle of the semester is particularly difficult. First, you are no longer excited by all the new opportunities that the new semester brings. You have settled into a routine on campus, you’ve seen your friends after being apart for three months, and you classes are in full swing. Second, you are still far enough away from the end of the semester that, if you do start looking towards that date in December, you might just make yourself feel more hopeless than before (see Michael Scott’s face below). 

I’ve come up with a list of a few things that may help get you motivated and push through this sluggish time in the semester. 

  1. Get enough sleep. This is the most important, in my opinion, because sleep determines so much of how we feel and how well our day goes. I can almost always make a direct correlation between the amount of sleep I get and how productive, focused, and overall feeling of wellbeing during the day. If you don’t get enough sleep, you are likely to get less work done, in addition to it being of lesser quality, at least, that’s been my experience in many cases.
  2. Engage with the texts and homework assigned to you! If you don’t understand something, ask! Try to find things that interest you in the text or note particular concepts that excite you. If you can actively engage with your work, you are more likely to stay motivated and finish your work. 
  3. Know your study habits and know when to call it a day. There are often times when I find myself pushing to finish a chapter or a set of notes, when I should really just press pause and come back to it later. It these times when eyelids are heavy and focus is wavering that it often pays to just come back to it later, whether you decide to go to bed or simply take a break.

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine in Claremont and continuing to push through this sluggish time in the semester!