Doing research in college is a wonderful opportunity. It gives you the chance to work in your field and to see if you really made the right decision with your major. Working in a lab gives you the chance to make new friends. Working by yourself gives you the chance to make better connections with your professors. While being a research student comes with its perks, it does have its struggles. If you do research, you understand these things.
1. Getting funding
Nothing can ever get done without money. Whether you need to buy supplies or travel to a conference, you need to get funding from somewhere. Applying for research grants can be exhausting.
2. Finding time to meet with your advisor
You're busy and your advisor is busy, so planning is hard! Finding time to work on your project outside of classes and other activities is a struggle as well.
3. Finding time to meet with the 500 other people that are helping you out
Your research advisor isn't the only one helping you out. You'll get help from other professors and students throughout the course of your project.
4. Last-minute plan changes
You think you may have a plan, but sometimes things change or don't go as expected. Maybe the weather is bad for you to go out on the boat, or maybe you run out of a material you needed for an experiment. Doing research teaches you to go with the flow.
5. Doing the dirty work
This is especially true for undergraduates. You don't have people below you on the totem pole to go out in the mud and the dirt to do the work. That is your responsibility. It may not be your favorite thing to do, but in the long run, it'll give you valuable experience.
6. When that one thing just won't work
This is the moment when everything goes perfectly except... It's always a struggle trying to fix that one thing without messing up the rest of your work.
7. When your data gets disorganized
Maybe someone else messed up your data, or maybe you misplaced some files, but one of the most time-consuming things is organizing data.
8. When you lose your equipment
Well, there goes all that money that was so hard to get, right down the drain.
9. When someone steals your equipment
Seriously, why can't people just return things? Like, what are you going to do with a five-gallon bucket and some hose clamps?
10. Working on something for a few weeks just to change your project completely
Once again, things don't always go according to plan. Maybe your project changes because your interests change. Maybe you have a different question to answer. Maybe your funding (or lack thereof) limits what you can do.
All in all, being a research student is great, even though it comes with its struggles. Whatever you are researching, get out there and get great experience and have fun with it!
