Rice University

Undergraduate Researcher

June - August 2021 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I enjoyed the campus and being able to learn with varying equipment they had.

What I wish was different

Advice

Take advantage of all resources they offer with summer programs, even making use of bus and free gym access throughout the city.

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Coordinator

June - July 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I really enjoyed serving as a bridge between the instructors and the students. This internship allowed me to refresh and re-familiarize myself with the Engineering Design Process, but more importantly, it was a great experience to learn scheduling, time management, conflict management, presentation skills and how to constantly strive for improvement.

What I wish was different

I would wish to have more training or more knowledge about the exact details of this job before I started so that I could better prepare myself for possible challenges and problems.

Advice

I would say being always ready to learn and adjusting yourself to face whatever challenge are the keys to handle the job.

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Engineering Design Intern (Summer Experience in Engineering Design)

June - July 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

Project based work allowed me to work with a diverse team on a challenging design project. The internship taught me many technical skills and exposed me to a full-time work environment for the first time. All my other fellow interns were really cool, and I got to work with international students from Brazil, which was definitely a highlight of the summer. All the interns had constant support from our TAs, and guidance from our professors.

What I wish was different

Better communication before the start of the internship (start date, more specific scheduling details)

Advice

Reach out to professors at Rice and ask about internship/summer opportunities. A lot of them are willing to help you find jobs/internships over the summer, and many of them have their own projects that they'd enjoy help on.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

They were very nice

What I wish was different

I felt tied down but gr hats just the nature of a job

Advice

If you want a job, just ask nicely

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Garden Intern

May - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I liked being able to work outside and have my own hours.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to work on bigger projects and also had more responsibility.

Advice

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Researcher

May - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I loved the research topic and the lab I was working in.

What I wish was different

That I had dedicate dnore time to read more articles on my area of knowledge and converse more with my principal investigator.

Advice

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Engage with the topics and the people around you.

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Tour Guide

May - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I liked being help to give prospective students my perspective and a thorough understanding of Rice and what it can offer

What I wish was different

Advice

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

Lots of independence to choose how I wanted to go about things.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more meetings with my grad student, it seemed like what I was working on wasn't very important to him and he had a lot on his plate.

Advice

Don't be scared to tell your lab manager if there is something you're interested in and would rather work on, or if the thing you're working on isn't enjoyable to you.

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Engineering Design Intern

June - July 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I got to work on an engineering design team on a project of my choosing. I was given a lot of autonomy and was able to learn on my own.

What I wish was different

Because it was through Rice University, the internship felt like ENGI 120 for the summer rather than an internship in industry.

Advice

If you like engineering design or have taken ENGI 120, you should definitely apply for this! This opportunity is a more laid back and long-term version of ENGI 120 or ENGI 200.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

Being fully immersed in the lab setting was a great experience, especially since I'm interested in applying for graduate school. I learned a lot of lab techniques and skills that are applicable to other labs in the future.

What I wish was different

I wish it had been a paid research position. Since my entire day was spent in the lab, I had no way of earning an income over the summer. I had to rely on my income generated during the school year from my student job.

Advice

Apply to as many labs as possible and start as early as possible! I applied all throughout the spring semester and to multiple labs. It maybe disheartening to not hear back from the majority of the labs you're interested in, but you will get to where you want if you work hard and are persistent!

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Research Assistant

May - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

Lots of freedom: opportunity for independent and fulfilling work.

What I wish was different

My research supervisor travelled frequently, leaving low points throughout the summer without much to do.

Advice

Your research experience is highly dependent on your research supervisor. Consider factors like how busy he/she is with other projects, travel, etc. and how good of a mentor they are.

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Economic Research Assistant

June - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

Enjoyed being able to contribute to an advanced project, and to be able to work independently while receiving help and guidance from experienced researchers.

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

Get into a good schedule so that you can structure your time-- routine will make logging hours easier.

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Autonomous Drone Team Intern

May - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

Very hands on and flexible, challenging project and experience.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Civic Immersion Site Leader Coordinator

February - August 2023 • Houston, TX

What I liked

The collaborative environment.

What I wish was different

Nothing!

Advice

It is really fun and good for self-improvement.

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Programming Methodology and Languages Researcher

May - August 2021 • Houston, TX

What I liked

money

What I wish was different

non remote would be great

Advice

get it

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Research assistant

May - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

The schedule was flexible and laid back.

What I wish was different

Advice

Requires lots of self discipline to make sure you are maintaining progress

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

May - August 2018 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I love how I was able to learn about "what's behind the system"

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

Enjoy every second of your internship because the material you are currently learning will provide you with amazing tools to help your community in the future.

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Summer Research Intern

June - August 2021 • Houston, TX

What I liked

I enjoyed that I had a lot of freedom in the research that I was doing; I had a lot of control, and I really learned a lot from everything I worked on.

What I wish was different

I wish, to some extent, that the pace of my project had been faster. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the experience.

Advice

I would share, to anyone doing full-time research over the summer, to work as hard as possible to make progress on your projects. It's really important to take advantage of those 40 hours each week to make the progress that can be difficult during the school year.

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