Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought that Hope College would have research opportunities for Accounting majors, but then again, that’s the beauty of Hope. One of my accounting professors contacted me last spring asking if I would have a desire to apply for a Frost Research Grant to study the Affordable Health Care Act and its impact on our tax system. My professor knew that I had an interest in going to law school, and that having research experience would separate me from my peers. Several weeks later, after applying for funding, we learned that we had received the grant, and that our summer would be filled with court cases, survey design, Human Subjects Review Board, and abstract writing.
Working as an undergraduate research assistant was a great experience. I found it challenging and rewarding all at the same time. It was challenging to learn about survey design and how to correctly ask questions. Even after analyzing my survey results, I can’t say that I perfectly asked my questions. But at the end of the day, it’s such a cool thing to say that I’ve designed my own research project.
Fast forward a year to last Friday, when I participated in the Celebration of Undergraduate Research. All Hope College students who either have research grants or have completed research for class present their projects. It was so exciting to see so many of my fellow classmates and friends presenting their hard work. And who can know – maybe in twenty years one of those people will be famous for some great discovery, which started at Hope!
If you have more questions about participating in undergraduate research please don’t hesitate to email me at chelsea.barfield@hope.edu. I’m so thankful for the opportunity that Hope gave me to learn about an issue that is so important in today’s political arena (and business world). Not only did I learn academic knowledge, but I also learned the importance of being an informed and engaged citizen – both of which are important!
