Who is the bootcamp for?
The research bootcamp is a perfect fit for you if you are:
High school student: as a young student, this is the perfect bootcamp if you’re hoping to introduce yourself into the field of research. The Research Bootcamp is designed to build the fundamentals of the research paradigm for students so they can learn the right methodologies from ideation to execution for their projects.
College student: you’ve crossed the basic subjects and have now moved onto specializing in a field. While buried in books and semester exams, it can get difficult to remember the practical applications of the theory that you’re reading about. This bootcamp is perfect so you can get some hands-on learning with the theories that you’re already being taught at university!
Gap-year student: while you’re in-between educational pathways, whether it’s to take a break or simply take some time to figure out what you need to do next, the research bootcamp is an excellent way to spend your time in learning new skills and possibly opening up a world of a whole new experience, something you may even end up loving!
Early Career working professional: you’re juggling work, likely a 9-5 job five days a week. If you’re someone looking to expand your skillset, explore a different pathway or simply take research up as a hobby, this bootcamp is perfect for you. All the zoom sessions will be on the weekend, so this bootcamp is entirely manageable to complete part-time.
What do I get for my money?
During the 6-8 weeks, we’ll have a combination of live zoom lessons, live Q&As, mid-point evaluations on your projects, exercises and tasks to help you move your an actual research project forward while learning interpersonal skills of working in a multidisciplinary dynamic team. Let’s break down our value propositions:
#1 - You Get Incredible Classes, Q&As and Assignments
Our live zoom classes will be scheduled on weekends so all students can participate, even if you miss it- the recorded sessions will be available on your student dashboard to view and refer for the entire duration of the bootcamp.
Live Sessions with an Ivy League Graduate
This will cover the basic research outline of how the bootcamp will work. All projects and group details are typically emailed to student 2 days before the first kickoff live session. You will have the opportunity to interact with your team members, understand how the bootcamp will work followed by a live Q&A round where you can ask your questions.
The best part- all the zoom sessions will be recorded and uploaded to your personal student dashboard to reference later. So incase you miss the live session or simply want to go back and refer it, you will have the opportunity to do so.
Pushing you Outside your Comfort Zone
Since this is a hybrid learning model, you and your group will be given tasks to complete. Some may be small ones like watching a recorded chapter, and others will push you to your limits; may even take a few hours to complete. Even though the assignments will be identical for each group- the application will vary depending on your specific project.
There will be a total of 6 assignments that each team submits plus a peer review and feedback form. Contribution to these assignments and weekly team meetings with peers will ensure you learn communicative skills along with enhancing your technical skillset.
#2 - Ignite your Interpersonal Skills
The most underrated skillset that students are taught (whether in high school or college) is interpersonal skills. How do you actually work effectively in a group setting? Maybe you guys have done this with school/college assignments, but let’s add some more variables to our plot- what if one of your group members is from another country? What if one of your group members or 5 years older than you are? How do you work effectively in a team when you’ve never met your team members? As hypothetical as these questions may sounds, the hard truth is that, most research situations, in real life, are exactly like this. Imagine how much more prepared you could be to handle tough situations like these if you were actually taught the right way to handle them.
🧱 Agile-SCRUM methodology
💬 Effective Communication
🎻 Presentation
🎯 SMART Goals
#3 - Recognize your Passion
By this point you’ve realized that research is not something that you can do alone (you could, it’s just not the most productive way to go about it). Through this research bootcamp, we hope to expose you to the different areas of research where you have the opportunity to experience everything from initial literature reviews, hypothesis formulation, design of experiments, development and finally putting it altogether in the form of a report. The goal is to help you identify what you like:
👩🏻🔬 Maybe it’s all of it- fantastic! The research and academic careers are waiting for you, off you go.
🧫 Maybe it’s some of it- identify which aspects you like and pick a career that focuses on that.
🙅🏻♀️ Maybe you hate it- and that’s okay too. But at least now you know, and can explore other options.
#4 - Add it to your College Applications
Students often find themselves in a whirlpool when it comes down to listing 10-15 extracurricular activities. I mean, let’s face it, how many debate, MUNs, and clubs founding positions are you going to write about? A research experience shows drive and pro-activeness that as a student, you’ve taken an effortful decision to pursue an intellectual activity outside of your school. It demonstrates the highest level of academic excellence you can show in your college applications after your grades. Additionally, some colleges may also ask you details about your research- this is where you research report comes in handy. You can submit it as a supporting document and even use it to discuss your entire project.
Strive for Excellence.
If it’s so great, why isn’t everyone doing this?
Lack of awareness. International students spend majority of their time on two aspects when it comes to studying abroad:
Understanding the admission/application process
Writing essays (and more essays)
By the time they realize what type of activities would suit their profile and make it stand out- application deadlines are around the corner and they simply do not have time left to spend on exploring activities that would enhance their profiles or academically help it stand out. A research experience is the perfect way to demonstrate intellectual pursuits. To showcase through your profile/resume that you are a student who is passionate about learning and have pursued intellectual interests outside of the classroom like- research projects, independent studies, or participation in academic competitions. These activities demonstrate a student's intellectual curiosity and dedication to academic excellence. Out of these eight, most students miss out on leadership and academic based activities so let us help you unlock your full potential!
