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So many undergraduate research assistants want to be in the lab to do the minimum time and effort, get the check mark in their cv, and move on. Then they go int

So many undergraduate research assistants want to be in the lab to do the minimum time and effort, get the check mark in their cv, and move on. Then they go interview with an impressive looking list of labs and projects they've worked at, but when you inspect their thinking there is little depth. Then you find the jr specialist applicant that stayed at one lab their entire undergraduate career, shows some understanding and language surrounding the basic problems in that field, and mental dedication to work through the hard problems without bailing. That is what I valued in candidates. No matter how tough it gets, they didn't give up.

ThomPete 8y ago
Little depth is exactly the problem. I am all for the expert generalist but you need to at least have tried to dig into something really serious and spent the years learning to become really good at something. First time I did that was with music where you learn that you will hit plateaus along the way were it feels like nothing happens until then suddenly you are catapulted to an ever more accomplished level. Luckily this still happens but it seems like it mostly happens outside of academia because it's not been as politicized as much of that seems to have become.