<p>I ask this because I want to make sure I have as clear a vision as I can going into graduate school application in the Fall. Did anyone have an epiphany moment, did anyone that just fell into it or did anyone find out about what they wanted to research methodically?</p>
<p>At the moment, I like signal processing because I did a bunch cool guitar effects for my senior design so the ends justify the means for me--I like the end result. For the most part, I'm project oriented and results oriented for my gratification. The journey, for me, is just a pain in the ass but worth it in my opinion. This summer, I plan on doing some work with embedded systems but my project work is really up to me so any experience / advice / wisdom would be greatly appreciated.</p>
what was available at my University? I.e. it is very risky to get into something nobody at your university knows about.
what methods do I want to use/what skills do I want to learn?
This is probably the most important thing to consider, because this determines how you will spend a large amount of your time. For instance, I’d rather be dead than being one of the guys that were in the wet lab and sequenced the Neanderthal genome. Yet “having” the sequence available is incredibly cool.
which Professors was I interested working with?
If your supervisor is a jerk, the best research field is no fun.</p>
<p>Since you have an idea that signal processing sounds interesting, you would want to look at the lab’s websites next. Look online at the research being done, and email the professor if a topic sounds interesting. You should do this early and even before applying to the university if you want to do research in graduate school.</p>
<p>I took a wide variety of classes, and made sure I spent each summer working for a different supervisor. This is how I realized I couldn’t care less about biochem and chemistry was much more my thing.</p>
<p>Also I find that since you’re still in the process of learning as an undergrad, you’ll rarely pinpoint your interest right away. You’ll have an idea of what you want to be doing (for example, I know I like organic and inorganic chemistry, so anything to do with phys chem is out of the question), but it’d be hard to pinpoint the specifics before you get your hands dirty. This is why I think it’s imperative that you try as many things as possible as an undergrad. </p>
<p>Three summers and one semester of lab work later, I’ve finally started to figure out what works and doesn’t work for me, and what really piques my interest and what puts me to sleep right away. Even the supervisor that I worked for last summer told me it’s a good idea to get as diverse an experience as possible as an undergrad, before he accepted me back to his lab this semester.</p>
<p>This is not to say you should jump all over the place, but rather within a broad field of interest, try out different things in that field and see which ones you like the best. For example with organic chemistry, some groups focus on synthesis, some on developing new reactions, and others on reaction mechanisms, and it’s a good idea to get a taste of everything if possible.</p>