Tag Archives: Research

Finding Good Things in the Strangest Places

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The CORE program is a unique sequence in Scripps College’s curriculum. In the first semester of the freshman year, the class incorporates different disciplines and many different professors who are experts in different areas. All freshman students share a universal experience when reading the same material and listening to the same lectures. But on discussion days, the class is broken into sections of fifteen people, led by one of the professors. Discussion classes vary greatly and are very dependent upon the professor and their style.

A freshman class lecture for the Core class.

A freshman class lecture for the Core class.

Over the summer, I checked the Scripps portal and was surprised that my discussion professor was a neuroscience professor. As I am on the science track, I was excited that I was going to have a scientific perspective in a humanities based class. I was also hopeful that he could act as another academic adviser or mentor for me.

My professor exceeded these hopeful wishes. I met with my professor several times after I submitted a less-than-satisfactory paper (it happens to the best of us). In these office hours and meetings, I not only improved my paper, I got to know my professor well. Because we are both fascinated and interested in exploring the natural world, our conversations ultimately turned to the subject of neuroscience.

In one of our meetings, he offered me a position in his lab at Scripps next semester. I was so flabbergasted and elated to hear the offer. I need all of the experience I can get so I eagerly agreed.

Ironically, A professor from my humanities class is allowing me to get experience in my intended career. Sometimes the best things are found in the strangest places. If you let your motives be known and seek advice and help from professionals with many connections, only good things are bound to happen. The kind teacher that helps with papers can also help you in life by offering you experience in many other fields. So, keep your options open! Seek help from many people and one of them will undoubtedly help along the way! If you are like me, you will not be disappointed–in fact you will be happy dancing.

Breathing in Breathtaking Claremont

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Being at a place like Claremont has me in constant awe: constant awe of the beauty on the campuses, constant awe of the passion my professors possess, constant awe of the above average cafeteria food (okay maybe not constant)…but definitely constant awe of the intelligence of my peers.

In classes I am enlightened by fellow eighteen to nineteen year olds. That, my friends, is rare. The different backgrounds and unique ideas coming from each individual make for extremely interesting class discussions. I gain insight into new topics that I have covered and I’m delving into new concepts I have yet to explore. Sometimes in class we discuss a wide array of topics with no input from the professor. On these days I learn more from my classmates than from my professor. I enjoy going to class and I cannot iterate how inspired I am by the intelligence around me. Claremont sets and meets high standards.

Yes, we all know that Claremont is a special place. It IS the city of trees and PhDs, but at Keck Science Center, the collaborative science center shared between Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, and Pitzer College, I have seen first-hand the quality work that students are producing. Keck’s faculty and resources truly cultivate smart people who are doing interesting things.

Philip Paulson ’12 and Associate Professor of Chemistry Kathleen Purvis-Roberts prepare a gas chromatography experiment in the W.M. Keck Science Department.

Philip Paulson ’12 and Associate Professor of Chemistry Kathleen Purvis-Roberts prepare a gas chromatography experiment in the W.M. Keck Science Department.

I saw a few fascinating projects my peers were engaged in last Wednesday when my science class offered an extra credit opportunity to go and listen to senior thesis proposals. In the deep, dark, basement of Keck I made my way to Burns Lecture Hall. The three individuals that I listened to were working in labs with test specimens ranging from cold-sensitive plants to fruit flies and writing their senior theses about their results. Listening to my peers–just a few years older than I–was inspiring but intimidating. These people are doing such cool things, and I am highly impressed, but it brought upon a lot of self-reflection. Should I be working in a lab already? How do I even begin that process? Will I ever gain technical experience? And it all culminated into the big, overarching question that I have been consistently asking myself in these first two months of college: What am I going to do for the rest of my life? (Notice how when in panic mode your mind jumps twenty to thirty years ahead in time.).

At that point I took a deep breath. Claremont sets the bar high, with people achieving things I can only dream of, however, Claremont provides the resources to excel. If I express interest in working in a lab I can probably get a position at neighboring Keck or at another lab nearby. With enough drive, persistence, and hard work, I guarantee opportunities will arise. My professors are here to guide me, my peers are here to help, and I am determined.

The awe-inspiring atmosphere at the 5Cs makes me strive to achieve great things. There is still time to figure things out; I am still adjusting; I just need to take a deep breath. We all need to take a deep breath. Who knows, three years from now maybe another girl will be writing a blog post on my senior thesis proposal presentation.

What I Learned from “Bridging the Gender Gap”

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Last Tuesday I attended a Life After Scripps event called “Bridging the Gender Gap”. This workshop, hosted by the vivacious Annie Houle, offered guidance on “benchmarking your starting salary and negotiating to earn what you deserve”. From my Core 2 class, Economics of Gender and Politics, I walked in knowing that women face gender bias and stereotyping in their careers. Our employers may assume that once we’re pregnant, we’re probably not coming back; whereas once a man has a family, he probably will work harder.

 

There were a lot of facts and figures in Ms. Houle’s presentation, but here are some of the key takeaways I brought home with me:

  1. A small difference in pay will grow larger and larger over the years, because bonuses are calculated as a percentage of one’s salary. Thus, it’s hugely important to negotiate one’s pay from the start of one’s career.
  2. There are a lot of ways to be compensated by an employer—without the compensation taking the form of a salary. Besides pension plans and health insurance, Ms. Houle suggested considering health clubs, business travel insurance, paid holidays, and promised review dates.
  3. When negotiating compensation, center your argument on the job and your skills and qualifications instead of your financial needs.
  4. Never say yes to the first offer. Ask for time to consider it and discuss it with your family, and if necessary, an attorney.
  5. Get everything in writing.

Ms. Houle also walked us through the steps of benchmarking a starting salary for an entry-level position as a communications editor. (“Benchmarking” simply refers to figuring out a realistic salary range.) This sort of knowledge is essential to making responsible financial decisions. In an effort to put what I learned from the workshop into practice, I decided to repeat the benchmarking process for the job I hope to have after graduation.

I started by determining a job title. I intend to declare as an economics-accounting major and an art history minor; I’m currently researching positions as an art appraiser or an accountant for a firm like Sotheby’s or Christie’s. For the purposes of this exercise, I decided the most appropriate title would be “Accountant I”, according to the choices given on the WAGE Project’s website (click on “Calculate What Your Job is Worth”). The median salary range given for the San Francisco area is $55,992, with the 25th and 75th percentile earning $50,493 and $62,024, respectively. The San Francisco Center for Economic Development website states, “Securities and investment firms in particular have high employment concentration, as do commercial banks—national leaders Wells Fargo and Bank of America among them. The City is also home to the Federal Reserve Bank and the Pacific Stock Exchange.” The economic conditions for accounting work in a city like San Francisco would offer greater opportunity for employment than a small city like, for example, San Mateo. As for benchmarking benefits, the WAGE Project website said that the base salary should be ~69% of the total compensation, with ~31% coming from benefits. Immediately after graduation, I would not be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); I hope, however, to be on track to receiving certification. Because of the skills and experience I will have upon graduation, I believe a realistic salary range—if I do choose to become an accountant in San Francisco—would be between $55,000 and $60,000, though I would strongly consider compensation in the form of funds for education.

It was very interesting to see just how much compensation varies from one level to another (Accountant I to Accountant II) and from city to city (In San Jose, the median salary range for the Accountant I position is $56,038). I would recommend looking up the area on Google Maps and trying different cities as part of one’s research.

*This was meant only as a very rough surface treatment of the benchmarking process. If you are in the process of researching and would like more information, please make an appointment with a career counselor at CP&R!

 

5 Steps to finding an on-campus job, one step at a time

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Finding an on-campus job can seem daunting. Getting back into school mode, while filling out applications and going to interviews can be overwhelming—at least it was for me. Anyone seeking an on-campus job, but does not qualify for work-study positions have the added challenge of finding specific positions that are open to non-work-study students. I got my first on-campus job in the spring semester of last year. This semester, I will be continuing to work as Professor Delmont’s research assistant. Here are five tips that will hopefully point you in the right direction if you are looking of an on-campus, non-work-study job.

1. Spend time on The Gateway. Look at all the different positions that are available, even if they are work-study. Scouring The Gateway helped me gain a better understanding of all the different kinds of jobs available to students. And, it helped me figure out what kind of job I would be most interested in.

2. Determine what kind of job you want to get. Some things to consider might include: flexible hours or concrete hours, working independently or working with peers and possible career interests.

3. If there is a job you really want, but is not offered to non-work study students, I would recommend contacting the person who posted the listing. Chances are they may have a volunteer position you could take. If the volunteer position is in an area you are really interested in, it might be worth it to ask if they see non-work study positions becoming available anytime in the future.

4. Talk to friends and talk to professors. Many professors have research assistants who help out with their academic projects. You could ask your adviser if they know of anyone who is looking for a research assistant or office aide. Chances are, they will be able to point you in the right direction.

5. Respond quickly. The sooner you turn in your application, the better. However, make sure that it the application is thorough and doesn’t have any typos. I often get so excited about new possibilities that I try to get everything done as fast as I can and it ends up not being my best work.

I hope this gave some of you a good start to finding a job. What have other people’s experiences been like? Has anyone else found a non-work-study job a different way?