<p>I'm a International Business and GSCOM major, and I just got this email from my school that there is an opportunity to participate in a research program as an assistant. The research deals with obesity, and environmental factors, as well as reducing weight and is being conducted by the Psychology department. It is mainly targeted towards families with teenage children. This research is something that interests me, and an oppurtunity I want to pursue. But, there is a problem; I'm going in as a freshman so I don't have any prior college experience and I'm on the business side so I don't exactly line up with the common applicant.<br>
I did do well in AP Psychology(4) and I conducted a study/wrote a paper on the Stroop effect(psychology related). I have done various research papers as well as experiments and presented my findings while in high-school and have received awards(for physics and chemistry related projects). My only other experiences are mainly leadership and community service or business related in nature so while I did mention them I don't think they will help. I am really interested in this opportunity, but my major is completely different so is there any way to increase my chances of getting the position of research assistant? Also as a business major how can show interest from a business perspective?
(I am mainly interested in the experiment because of the nature vs. nurture debate that it probes. I find the topic fascinating, and would love to explore it in regards to obesity.)</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Edit: If someone was willing to peruse my cover letter, and/or my resume, I would greatly appreciate it, and will PM them. Thanks!</p>
<p>It is common for business majors to minor in psychology to have a good grounding in the “people aspect” of their profession. Social psychology and industrial/organizational psychology are particularly popular and useful in this respect.</p>
<p>If by “environmental factors” they are including marketing (such as food commercials), then you could say you are interested in how business/product marketing impacts adolescents and the effects on their health and well-being. </p>
<p>If you’re really interested in the topic then certainly apply and see how you do. Mention the study and paper regarding the Stroop effect, as that will show you have some experience even if very introductory. They may be looking for upperclassmen who have already had research methods and statistics courses, but it never hurts to try, and you can learn from the experience if interviews are involved.</p>
<p>Thanks NovaLynnx! Should I mention that I took AP Stats? I took it two years ago, so it has been a very long time and I don’t remember too much. Also the Stroop paper used descriptive stats so will that help even things out a bit?
Thanks again!</p>
<p>You may list “relevant coursework” on your application/resume and include AP stats and psychology, although honestly, there is a good chance you wouldn’t be running the statistical analyses of the experiment anyway. You would likely be doing grunt work such as preparing surveys (printing, putting together packets of information), researching relevant articles to include in the intro and discussion of the final paper, etc. Especially with very little background in the topic areas, your contributions would not be significant at this stage in your career as a student. </p>
<p>And in describing your Stroop paper you can state that you used descriptive statistics to determine the effects of…(whatever variables you were researching with the Stroop effect). You want to make sure you understand what you are describing so if you don’t remember some of the specifics, brush up and do some research before submitting your application so that your descriptions make sense.</p>
<p>Thanks, I realized I wouldn’t be doing to much ‘research’ but I just wanted to add anything that would give me a better chance. I appreciate the feedback and hopefully it works out!</p>