New Information: The biggest thing I’ve learned is that a research question can’t just be interesting, but it has to be specific, feasible, and anchored in what has and hasn’t already been done. At the start of the summer, I thought a good project came from a broad, compelling idea. I’ve since learned that the real work is in the narrowing through reading the existing literature closely enough to find the actual gap, and then choosing a question my data and my timeline can genuinely support. I’ve also learned how much research depends on theory. A finding means little on its own and needs a framework that explains why, which was not how I understood research when the summer began.
Self reflection and evaluation: I’ve changed most in my relationship to uncertainty, as I came in wanting to go wherever seemed most impressive and to figure out the specifics later. I’ve since realized that clarity about my own interests, goals, and limits is not a constraint on my ambition, it’s what makes ambition usable. My relationship to my CBI hasn’t changed in topic, but it has changed profoundly in approach. I no longer see it as an idea to defend, but as something to shape, question, and revise as I learn. I’ve grown more comfortable being openly in-progress, which I believe has made me a better researcher.
Environmental influences: Being in a new research environment has felt daunting and exciting at once, and I’ve learned an enormous amount from simply being immersed in it. Two contrasts with home stand out. First, the emphasis on research ethics here is far more elaborate than anything I encountered before, as I hadn’t had coursework that examined the ethical foundations of research in this much detail, and it has reshaped how carefully I think about my own work. Second, the attitude toward AI is strikingly different. At home, I most often hear that AI is mostly harmful, while here, the faculty are notably pro-AI, engaging it as a tool full of possibility. Sitting between those two perspectives has made me more thoughtful about my own stance, and more aware that my views on my CBI are shaped by the environment I’m in. My cohort has also been central to this. They are intelligent and curious, and our conversations are consistently thought-provoking in ways that push my thinking forward and these relationships with my cohort and with my mentor are what’s really helping my Capstone take shape.
Where do I go from here?: The decisions I’m making now are about scope and framing, such as narrowing my question, choosing a theoretical lens, and being honest about what I can accomplish in the time I have. My goals are to keep grounding my CBI in real literature, to let my mentor’s and cohort’s input refine it, and to stay open to revising my approach as I learn. My Capstone is coming together not as a fixed plan but as an evolving one, sharpening each time I engage with the ideas and people around me. Going forward, I want to keep pursuing conversations like the ones I’ve had this summer, as they’ve been the single greatest catalyst for my growth.
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