Should I do this research thing over the summer?

College Life
1

So originally my summer plan was to continue at the summer job I had last year and save up money for tuition, and I also wanted to learn to drive (my mother and her bf would help me with that).

Today the professor of my independent study in Linguistics emailed me, asking if I wanted to apply for a $3000 grant to do unpaid research with him over the summer. This seems like a good way to get started doing research and I am interested in the readings we have been discussing. But I wouldn’t be able to do the driving or money saving, and I wouldn’t get to go home for the summer, which I was kind of looking forward to (living at home and doing a job I’m already used to seems like a real vacation, as opposed to having a completely new experience, which would inevitably be stressful for me.) Also, I have been thinking about an inter-school transfer to study Communication Sciences and Disorders, so I don’t know that Linguistics research will be that useful for me in grad school admissions or in the field in general.

I registered for my independent study with this professor with the intention of doing Linguistics research, before thinking about the transfer, so I’d feel weird saying no, and I think it could be a good experience, but there are still the drawbacks I mentioned above. I don’t have a whole lot of time to make a decision because there is a deadline for the grant application. Any ideas? Should I make an appointment with my college advisor?

BTW I am a freshman, if that makes a difference.

2

Why not apply for the grant and see what happens. If you don’t get it, then work.

3

$3000 is not unpaid research! the ‘pay’ is provided by the grant, but is just as real $$. For a first year, that’s pretty goo going.

Summer research is useful for grad school (unless you are completely changing fields), and the first one- even if not 100% your area of interest- can be parlayed into a second one next summer.

This is where you start to choose paths: it is hard to give up the idea of ‘summer vacation’!

But- check your dates, you are likely to have several weeks at one / both ends of the summer.

4

@collegemom3717 it is unpaid. The grant is for living expenses.

Also it is not a program with certain dates. I’d just be doing research with him throughout the summer

5

To clarify, the grant is specifically for living expenses for unpaid research/internships. I will not have money left over at the end of the summer. It looks like I’ll probably end up applying and kinda hoping I don’t get it, even though they are not competitive from what I’ve heard.

6

Fair enough- thanks for the clarification. In which case, if you get it, you will want to clarify things like dates with the prof before you commit.

7

@collegemom3717 Yeah he hasn’t been very plan-oriented with the independent study but hopefully the summer would be more focused

8

Doing research would at least help you find out if you like doing research which is important for grad school.