When Gustavus summer research students sign up for lab projects, they’re getting a lot more than just deep-dive explorations of scientific discovery; they’re also developing valuable knowledge and abilities that will serve their future careers.
Life on the Hill invariably quiets down between May and September, but the Gusties who remain on campus for programs such as the First-Year Research Experience (FYRE), Second-Year Experience at Research (SEAR), and other summer employment opportunities stay busy with a host of webinars, field trips, and in-person sessions that help them zero in on their long-term goals and provide the tools to realize them.
Faculty organizers who these students know from the classroom and the lab also advise them on writing resumes and CVs, cover letters for job applications, and personal statements for grant programs. These lessons go well beyond the mere crossing of Ts and dotting of Is by inviting students to think deeply about what skills they already have and which ones they need to develop. Students also explore how they’d like their post-Gustavus path to reflect their own personal values, a particularly useful exercise for a generation that understands the value of a manageable work-life balance.
Multiple times per summer, these current Gusties meet with STEM-focused alumni, in career stages ranging from grad school scholar to established professional, who discuss how they chose and pursued their paths and how their Gustavus education helped them get where they are today. “These sessions were very informative and taught me some important things to keep in mind as I plan the next step in my career,” said Maddie Chaplin ’26, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major who has been in the research program each of the past two summers. “They ranged from basic foundational knowledge about the hierarchy of lab jobs or grad school research, to more personal aspects like quality of life.” The Gustie grads in these sessions talked (and answered questions) about everything from finding the right mentor and work or grad school culture, to the surprising variety of job types in the STEM world.
In addition, summer researchers travel to area corporations such as Medtronic, Hormel, and 3M to learn about the virtually limitless career options they could have after graduation. “I didn’t realize how big of a company 3M is, and how many different opportunities there are within that company, just by having basic chemistry knowledge,” said Ross Hebel ’26, a Chemistry major. “Obviously, a lot of people there have PhDs and master’s degrees, but there are others who don’t that are still super valuable and make professions out of it. It gives you an idea of the difference between a corporate life in chemistry versus a more academic route.”
Chaplin said her summer research experiences have helped her winnow and clarify her goals, which while “not set in stone,” may include working with the College Fellowship Office to pursue something like a Fulbright Scholarship and doing research abroad. Hebel, on the other hand, has found that the wealth of knowledge and experience he’s gained this summer have opened doors for him that he didn’t even realize were there. “If anything, it’s actually created more questions for me,” he said with a laugh. “It would have been easier for me just to hate this and say, ‘Alright, I won’t go to grad school; I’ll just go find a job somewhere.’ But I’ve liked how fun it is to think things through and follow procedures while also being able to make my own decisions about what I want to do and what I think I should do to get a better result. So, I have more questions about which path to take, but it’s definitely cemented the idea that I really like chemistry.”
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