With the intensification of the fever for postgraduate entrance examinations, many undergraduate students will choose to apply for admission to the university's laboratory at the undergraduate level, and brush up a beautiful resume by carrying out scientific research early, so that their resumes can be more "brilliant" in the process of applying for graduate or doctoral studies in the future, so as to stand out among thousands of applicants.
But at the same time, there are also opposing voices that undergraduates should focus on learning the basics, and starting scientific research too early will only lead to a weak foundation. If the academic performance is very average, even if the resume has rich scientific research experience, the supervisor of the graduate re-examination will only think that the student is uneasy and opportunistic.
In today's article, let's take a look at the three dimensions of time, space, and value, is it necessary for undergraduates to enter the laboratory early to start scientific research and brush their resumes? And how do you know if you are suitable to enter the lab early to start research?
The biggest argument for the idea that undergraduates should not enter the laboratory early is that undergraduates have a very limited grasp of professional knowledge, which is not helpful for scientific research in the laboratory, and even delays their learning process.
There is an old saying that if the foundation is not strong, the ground will shake, that is, without a solid reserve of basic knowledge, the scientific research carried out is like duckweed without roots, which is difficult to convince people, but this statement is not comprehensive and objective. Many teachers agree that both undergraduate and graduate students need to be constantly learning, but the core difference between the two is whether or not they emphasize subjective initiative.
At the undergraduate level, as long as you study step by step, do well in class, do well in exams, get high scores and high GPA, then you are an excellent student. However, no matter how well you study those professional courses as a graduate student, if you don't take the initiative to promote the progress of your own project, and if you don't take the initiative to learn the knowledge that you don't understand but the subject requires, then you can't be called qualified.
However, Xiao E is based on years of experienceUndergraduate learning is actually very inefficientBecause those knowledge points are all words in textbooks, even if there are specific demonstrations and opportunities for hands-on practice, the learning efficiency is extremely low. But when you really encounter a certain problem and need to solve a specific scientific research problem, you have to force yourself to understand the systematic knowledge system behind this scientific research problem.
At this time, the knowledge is no longer the text in the textbook, but the summary of your own problem-solving experience, and your understanding of a certain knowledge point will become deeper and clearer, which I believe will be deeply touched by the friends who have truly experienced the fun of scientific research.
In summary, if you have spare time, it is beneficial and harmless to enter the laboratory early to participate in scientific research. However, if you are struggling to study, you should concentrate on learning the basics.
Another argument against undergraduate access to the lab is that undergraduates (especially freshmen and sophomores) lack relevant experience and that entering the lab to operate instruments may pose unexpected safety risks. For some high-precision laboratories, there are many test equipment that can generate high temperature, high voltage and high current, which are potential sources of accidents. It is true that every year, the safety accidents of university laboratories will be on the hot search every three or five days, before the fire in the North Chemical Chemicals Laboratory, and then there is a suspected chemical exposure carcinogenic accident in Sun Yat-sen University, and the safety risk of university laboratories should not be underestimated.
However, no one is born knowing everything, and laboratory safety regulations are a summary of experience. Such risks can be greatly reduced if sufficient safety knowledge training is carried out for undergraduates who are motivated to enter the laboratory, and safeguards are arranged for undergraduates' research.
In summary, if the laboratory can provide adequate training in security skills and knowledge, and is equipped with adequate security measures, it is not impossible to appropriately open undergraduate students to the laboratory.
From a very utilitarian point of view, graduate students who are serious about doing scientific research in the laboratory generally have subsidies, including state subsidies, school subsidies, and tutor subsidies.
However, undergraduates need to pay their own tuition fees and pay their own living expenses, and if they still have to take the initiative to work in the laboratory, wouldn't it be "spending money to work"? If you can produce some results, it will help you to secure research and graduate school, but most undergraduates can't make results when they enter the laboratory, and even if they do, there is a high probability that they are 3 or 4 (1 and 2 are usually given to graduate students and mentors), which has little effect on the promotion of graduate students.
This issue needs to be discussed on a case-by-case basisIf an undergraduate student only wants to work immediately after graduation and does not want to continue to study for a PhD, then it is really useless for him to go to the laboratory at the undergraduate level, and the scientific research experience is not very useful for finding a job. However, if you want to continue your studies, even if you can't produce some results for your graduate studies, these experiences are far better written in your resume than a blank resume.
In addition, having research experience in the laboratory also means that you can get into the state faster and start your own project when you are in graduate school, which is also very helpful for achieving graduation goals as soon as possible and even applying for a PhD. If you are applying for a graduate program abroad, your undergraduate research experience is also a bright plus, and for competitors who do not have relevant research experience, you will have a great advantage.
So how do you know if you're fit to enter the lab early to conduct research?
Xiao E believes that there are the following judgment criteria:
1. Do you plan to further your studies after graduating from your bachelor's degree and study for a Ph.D.?
2. Are you interested in exploring the unknown and engaging in scientific research?
3. Do you want to add highlights to your resume and apply for graduate programs abroad?
4. Does the laboratory have enough safety training to engage in scientific research in non-high-risk directions?
5. Is your grade at the top of your grade and a top student in the eyes of others?
If your answer to the above questions is yes, then don't hesitate to join the lab! Early access to lab learning will do more pros than cons for you.
Of course, the above criteria are only applicable to ordinary students, if you are the first in Tsinghua Peking University's college performance points.
2. Winners of the National Prize and candidates for the special scholarship must join the laboratory as soon as possible and contribute to the future scientific research of the motherland!
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