The research project that made me stay

[Salma]

I was going to transfer. I was done with community college. Then my professor asked if I wanted to help with her research. On water quality in the Bay. I said yes. I didn't know what I was saying yes to.

I learned how to test water. How to collect samples. How to label vials. How to store them. It's boring. It's important.

I learned how to use equipment I've never seen. A spectrophotometer. A centrifuge. Machines with buttons I was scared to touch. I touched them. They didn't break.

I learned that research is slow. We collected samples for months. We ran tests for months. We didn't find anything surprising. That's okay. That's science.

I learned that community college students can do research. I thought research was for grad students. For people at big schools. It's for people who show up. I showed up.

I learned that I want to keep doing this. I'm applying to transfer next year. But I'm not in a rush. I have one more semester with my professor. One more project. One more chance to learn.

I'm glad I stayed. I'm not done yet.

 

[Anne]

I transferred from a community college to a university. The first thing I noticed? The university students didn't know how to use equipment. They'd only used simulations. I'd used real spectrophotometers. Real centrifuges. Real vials. I was ahead of them.

Your professor gave you a gift. Not just the research experience. The confidence. The knowledge that you belong in a lab. That's worth more than any class.

When you transfer, you'll be ready in ways the other students aren't. You'll know how to fail without panicking. You'll know that science is slow. You'll know that showing up is the main skill.

You're going to be great.