
Clau González
Doctoral Student
University of Washington
University of Washington
Doctoral Student
I ask questions to understand how organizations work.
A mentor once told me "I know what I think when I read what I write." I spend most of my mornings writing about my questions and their answers. After writing, I meet with my mentors and peers to improve my ideas. I love having discussions that help me better understand the things that have been studied before so I can focus on studying the things that have not. I also take time to meet with my former students and mentees to help them in their journeys.
Here's the first step for college students
If you like to ask "why" certain things happen and then find out, talk to your professors. Ask them about how they spend their time and about research. Volunteer to help them with their projects to really understand how academia works. If possible, ask them to help you learn to create your own project. Look for organizations in your school that support Undergraduate research. For example, I was a McNair Scholar and it was instrumental in helping me learn about research.
"You are never going to make it to college with those test scores."