Proposing Your Own Research
- Gracie Lykins
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
Written by: Gracie Lykins
Position, Member Since: General Member, Joined Fall 2024
Major & Track: Biochemistry, Pre-Med
Current Year: 1st Year
If you are a pre-med student, research is an amazing opportunity and looks good when applying to medical school. When I first started looking into research I was super nervous. I believed that research could only be in a lab. However, this is not true!
First, contact a teacher that you would want to be your advisor. Advisors will help you write your research proposal and oversee your work throughout the year. Your Advisor needs to be within the same college as you, so CLAS or CALS. Your college decides what research application you fill out. To search through opportunities you can look up undergraduate research at the University of Florida.
I am currently researching accessibility of birth control: barriers and knowledge. My advisor is within the women’s studies department. She helped me write my proposal and figure out what in particular I wanted to research. Instead of a lab; I will be doing interviews with participants through a survey. I am doing this as a freshman, so your year does not matter!
Overall, when you're proposing you get to decide how involved you want it to be. You can decide what days and how many hours, but you do have to be around in the summer. The process of research takes one summer semester and through the fall and spring. I would favour proposing your own over joining someone else's because it is a lot more flexible and you can do what you are interested in.
Never give up! If you don’t make it through a certain program there are plenty of others you can apply to. If you get denied, don’t feel upset. I have applied to so many programs and been denied from a lot, but I just keep applying. At some point you will find the opportunity that is perfect for you.
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