alexandrabilder

Working as a research assistant in clinical, basic lab, public health, and secondary research for over 6 years, I’ve had some time to reflect on what actually makes a good research assistant, and what qualities stand out to PIs. Boiled down, I think these are 1) curiosity, 2) organization, and 3) initiative. The first two came relatively naturally to me, but the third took me longer to develop, largely because I misunderstood what taking initiative had to involve. Curiosity: Take an Interest...

When I started my DIY post-bac, I was working a mostly 8-to-5 job. My schedule was hybrid and fairly flexible, and the mental demands of any given day varied considerably. On paper, it seemed like a pretty ideal setup for taking classes alongside work. And, for a while, it was. I liked my job, it was relevant to my eventual medical school application, and continuing to work meant I could pay my bills and keep saving while completing my prerequisites. I generally took one course at a time,...

As the new school year approaches or has already started for many, I thought it might be useful to talk about a few ways that AI can be integrated into the study workflow. There is no doubt that AI has changed, and will continue to change, the way we learn. I know there are several skeptics who believe Large Language Models (LLMs) are curbing our ability to think and reason on our own. However, I (and many others) have found that AI can also be an exceptionally powerful tool that can help...