How do I find a Research Experience in S.F. without starving…

August 13, 2008 3:26 PM

I am a recent graduate of a M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, an interdisciplinary degree, and have just returned to San Francisco to try and get some research experience (in social science research) but because I don’t have any real background I am having trouble getting anything… HELP!

I didn’t realize that I wanted to pursue high level academia (sociology or social psychology) until my senior year of undergrad and because I went to a state school without any funding I never even saw research assistantships. At my grad program I got passed over consistently because of my lack of experience and because I was not a PhD student. I got rejected form my PhD program choices for a lower than normal undergrad GPA (3.2 grad was 3.8) not high enough GRE scores, and a lack of research experience. I am working on improving my GRE scores but I can’t seem to get any research positions. I am applying to anything that is non clinical and have not gotten anything. While I have been working on selling the skills I have and taught myself SPSS so that I could have that under my belt I cannot find anything. My passion does not seem to be able to get me any opportunities. So my broad question is how does one go about finding research positions without the background experience. While I would be open to volunteering as a research assistant so that I can get the experience I would rather get paid so that I don’t have to take on a night or morning job to pay for housing.
Secondarily… are there (free) ways to get help with my research acumen (like study groups) so that I can improve my understanding of research methodologies. I find research one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences but it is difficult to grasp the methodologies without an ability to have someone to talk to about them. My family and friends are done listening to me talk about research.

Sorry for the length… Any help would be positive!

posted by elationfoundation to education (9 comments total)

What academic training, if any, have you had in research methods? I can't quite tell from your question, but it sounds like the extent of your academic training in research methods has been minimal; if that's not the case, feel free to ignore pretty much everything from here until the last paragraph of my comment.

You don't say what your undergrad major was, but if it was in the social sciences it seems somewhat unusual that you wouldn't have been required to take both (1) an applied stats course that covered stats theory and the use of SPSS/Stata or similar software and (2) some sort of intro to social research methods course. In addition, as a senior sociology or psych major interested in research you would probably take one course each in qualitative methods and applied quantitative methods (mostly topics in regression and ANOVA past what would be covered in an intro stats course).

Did you not have the opportunity to take any quantitative or qualitative research methods courses in senior year or grad school? At least when I took an applied quant methods course, there were masters students from a pretty wide variety of programs, even ones that aren't typically associated with social research.

If you indeed missed out on formal training, you're going to need to make up for it in a classroom setting. Without having taken some portion of the typical undergraduate social sci research methods course sequence, I'm not really sure how far you'll get in a practical setting. I am basing this off the requirements and duties of RA positions at my own university, but I doubt that other schools will be significantly different in this regard.

it wouldn't to take an intro to research methods course as a non-degree student at a local university. The intro textbook used in my undergrad course a couple years ago was Fundamentals of Social Research by Babbie and Benaquisto; IIRC, it wouldn't be poorly suited for self-study. Beyond that, Bruce Berg's Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences is a good qualitative methods text. Given that I don't know what your stats background is, I'm somewhat reluctant to recommend a quant methods text.

Outside academia, you can apply social research methods (especially survey methodology) to market research and program evaluation. Sociology grads with strong methods training do get hired to work in those fields, so that is something to look at as well.
posted by thisjax at 4:39 PM on August 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

taught myself SPSS so that I could have that under my belt

While I would be open to volunteering as a research assistant so that I can get the experience I would rather get paid

It seems to me, lowly undergrad that I am, that you'd be best served by finding a supportive professor and an appropriate job, rather than trying to learn skills autodidactically to make yourself competitive being paid for research. (I've never come across a "Teach Yourself Social Science Research In 21 Days!" book at my library.) I'm not exactly sure what your degree entailed, but do you have any contacts at your program you could discuss this with? Alternatively, you might consider taking classes at a local university to add to your skill set.
posted by StrikeTheViol at 4:47 PM on August 13, 2008

what you need is an entry level position in research ... which generally means data entry or data collection. alot of the really cool social science projects are often handled by government agencies, and the competition can be pretty tough because everyone wants to do them. i had a lot of success (and a ton of experience) as an intern in an urban planning office. i called around all of the local planning entities untill i found something.

a great source of entry level research positions can be found in the market research industry. i had a lot of success starting as an interviewer. it's a true grunt position, and somewhat more pressure then what some people will tolerate, but the experience i was exposed to was staggering: interviewers work on a wide rane of projects, and are exposed to multiple research styles. i maintained a strict standard of professionalism, and was soon able to advance into management.

another good source is historical societies and positions. talk with the principals there, and see if they have any projects that are ongoing ... or even suggest one yourself. my brother, foe example, just had two articles published in a local historical society's journal. he does not have a degree in anything--just the gumption to do the research on a topic of his interest, and writing up an article. another example of a historical position would be in a church: i happen to know that my wife's Anglican church has a volunteer position called 'church historian.'

i know i rambled, but maybe you'll see some ideas here.
posted by lester at 5:20 PM on August 13, 2008

What sort of employment did other graduates in your program get? What does your school do for placement?
posted by gjc at 6:06 PM on August 13, 2008

What exactly do you mean, "anything non-clinical"? I work as a research assistant in cognitive neuroscience. Most of the professors where I work investigate everyday cognitive processes in normal people, which, broadly speaking, is non-clinical in the sense that the work doesn't entail patient populations or drugs for the most part. But, one huge advantage from a job-seeking perspective is that the labs are pretty well-funded because fMRI and electrophysiology studies are so expensive. In recent years, cognitive neuroscientists are increasingly turning their attention to questions that used to be more the domain of sociologists and social psychologists by studying things like empathy, cooperation, social cognition, abstract reasoning, prejudice, and bases of political affiliation. Plus, in a cognitive neuroscience lab you would easily be able to pick up quantitative and methodological skills that would be hard to acquire elsewhere.
posted by Maxwell_Smart at 8:38 PM on August 13, 2008

I cannot suggest highly enough: Live Journal's Applyingtograd community.

But beyond that, can you enroll in some undergrad classes at Your Local U and become an RA? Or, alternatively, can you work hard on your GRE scores, get into an MA program of the specific discipline that you're looking and and THEN apply to PhD programs? your MS in conflict isn't going to "count" for a sociology PhD anyway.
posted by k8t at 11:05 PM on August 13, 2008

And, like the 1st poster said, have you taken your methods and stats classes yet? Without those, you're not going to get a gig as an RA.
posted by k8t at 11:07 PM on August 13, 2008

WOW, Thanks! To clear up a few things. Yes, i have taken my methods and stats classes. Sadly, my stats class was business stats in undergrad and my grad program was trying a new stats class that due to time lost the stats part in the works. Becuase my question was focused at how I shoudl go about making myself better applicable for these positions are people reccomending that i put my stats and research courses on my cv? Thanks for the ideas.
posted by elationfoundation at 11:21 PM on August 13, 2008

No, the grad program will see your stats and methods on your transcripts.
posted by k8t at 1:23 PM on August 14, 2008