Calvin University

Building Carpenter Helper

May 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

Working environment and experience

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Have fun during teamwork experience

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EHS Student Assistant

May 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

The flexibility and the people.

What I wish was different

None!

Advice

Always make friends with the people you work with. They are so fun!

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Student Painter

May 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

The boss, workers, atmosphere, vacation time

What I wish was different

Nothing, honestly.

Advice

The boss and crew are what make this job so great!

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Summer Research Fellow

May - August 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I liked the flexibility of the work and being able to look at work done at a graduate level and try and improve it!

What I wish was different

Advice

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Biology departament assistant

May - August 2018 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I got to work in the sunshine and the schedule was very flexible so that I could spend time doing fun things I'm the afternoon.

What I wish was different

I worked 7 days a week, so I would have liked to have a few days off.

Advice

Be prepared to work 7 days a week. It provides a flexible schedule with less hours each day, but you should be prepared to not have a day off. That said, if you keep looking at the sunshine, it's a really fun job working with a really great group of people.

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Recycling

May 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I liked working on campus and I liked my boss.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Research Assistant

May - July 2020 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

The opportunity to build on my skills, namely computer coding.

What I wish was different

Being able to work in person and take real data in the lab

Advice

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Laundry Crew

May - August 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

My supervisors and coworkers

What I wish was different

More bonding activities

Advice

It's tedious work but try to get to know your coworkers and supervisor. It makes the job enjoyable.

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Campus Safety Dispatcher

June 2016 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

The working environment (i.e. coworkers, hours, etc.)

What I wish was different

Could have gone over 40 hours a week

Advice

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Student Telecommunication Technician

September 2017 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed this position because it involves a good deal of both technical learning as well as face to face interaction.

What I wish was different

There was a great deal of uncertainty with this job this last summer - positions were changing and I was not sure how the changes would affect me.

Advice

I would really recommend experiences like this.

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Summer Research Fellow

May - August 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I have been working in this lab for a year, and I studied the infectious mechanisms of bacteria Group B Streptococcus. I enjoyed researching something I was excited about and having the opportunities to be more independent in the lab.

What I wish was different

I wish my project had been expanded upon, but this doesn't always work out to be realistic in only 10 weeks of work.

Advice

Be patient. Research is all about troubleshooting until an experiment actually works, and in that case, the data may not tell you what you expected.

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Office Assistant

August 2017 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I liked answering the phones and getting to know the people in the office.

What I wish was different

I wish the work had been a little more consistent.

Advice

Sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone before you can find what you are really passionate about!

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Front Desk Receptionist

May - August 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

Learn more customer services

What I wish was different

Advice

be friendly and humble

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Communication group leader

August - December 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

The flexibility of the job.

What I wish was different

Everything was good.

Advice

Relax and don't think too much!

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Entrada RA

June - July 2018 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

The RA staff was phenomenal and a blast to work with. The friendships made and people I met were not only inspiring, but a delight to exist with.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have had more time to get to know my scholars personally.

Advice

Find your schedule and what works for you, but be sure to get enough sleep.

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Horticultural Assistant

June - September 2020 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

Once I felt confident that I knew what was expected of me, I was allowed to work independently for the majority of my shift. This freedom (and the level of trust demonstrated by my supervisors) was instrumental in allowing me to work efficiently and stress-free.

What I wish was different

One of the only things I wish I would've done differently is be more on top of my list of tasks so that I always had something to do.

Advice

One piece of advice I would share is to take notes. Write down the details of the instructions you were just given! I promise you will not remember them in a couple days after getting instructions for new projects every day.

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Orientation Intern

February - September 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I loved the communal atmosphere of the Calvin's CIL office, as well as the team aspect of the internship. Working so closely on a team taught me more about myself and other's than I have learned from other jobs. The ability to grow my skills, while impact so many students, was irreplaceable.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had been able to spend more time working on some projects. Often, there was little time to finish things, which created a hurried atmosphere!

Advice

Enter into this experience whole-heartedly. Giving this internship everything you have is very rewarding, and you won't regret giving 110%!

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Summer Researcher

May - August 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I liked getting to run reactions to make new compounds.

What I wish was different

I wish the reactions had been more successful.

Advice

It is important to be patient and keep trying when things don't work out.

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Biology Research Intern

January - December 2019 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

I fell in love with the field work portion of this research because I was in my element. Being outdoors every morning, learning how to handle bluebirds, and having unexpected visits from various wildlife were just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how this experience stood out to me.

What I wish was different

Advice

This position does take a level of grit. You have to be ready to devote your entire summer to the field work, and flexible in the day to day changes in weather. Competency in the lab can also be helpful when a project's data analysis requires such work.

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Research Assistant

May - August 2018 • Grand Rapids, MI

What I liked

It was a very flexible job. It challenged me every day and sharpened my problem solving skills. My research mentor was invested in my learning research skills.

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

Finding a good research group is important. I have done research twice over two summers. The experience this past summer was amazing, and I am very grateful for it because I was working with incredible people.

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