Research at Colorado College happens in all academic departments! Your faculty advisor knows a lot about research being conducted in their department and can often steer you toward the people whose research matches your interests. Talk to the Assistant Director, Grants, Research & Fellowships Lisa Schwartz. 

• Classes can lead you to your interests. Professors with whom you have taken a class are a great starting point when looking for a research advisor or topic. 
• Look through department web pages. 
• Go to the Student Research and Internship Symposium (Friday, February 23, 2025) and review previous years' programs. 
• Talk to peers about what they have been researching and with whom they have been working. 
• Don't stress about finding "the perfect research project". You work and collaborate with faculty and/or other students. You should be flexible and not have a completely formed research idea in mind, rather be open to ideas and ongoing research. 

• Do your homework on the front end: Read up on the research of each potential faculty you are meeting. 

• You can sometimes obtain online a copy of their curriculum vitae (similar to a résumé) which details all of their research experience. Investigate their work before you meet. Also, speak with other students who may have worked with your potential faculty research mentors. 

• Come prepared.  

• Bring a copy of your résumé or curriculum vitae (work with a Career Consultant to develop one or update it), a copy of your transcript and/or a list of relevant courses you have completed. This will help the faculty determine if you are a good fit with their project or what type of project would be suitable.

Confirm your meeting location, be on time. Be enthusiastic and be interested in what they do; remember what you have read about the professor's research. Be polite and professional. 
Explain why you want to work with this professor, what area(s) of research interest you. Discuss opportunities and pathways. There are many ways to be involved in student research. Depending on the faculty member's research and teaching schedule and the students' circumstances, some options will work better than others. 

1. Volunteer to work with a faculty member on one of their research projects over a few blocks. 
2. In departments that offer these options, take an independent research block or adjunct for academic credit. This typically entails individual study and research under the supervision of a faculty member and is usually limited to juniors and seniors. 
3. Commit to a full summer of research with the faculty and receive a summer stipend.
4. Complete a thesis or a senior capstone in your senior year. 
5. Work or volunteer for a researcher outside of the college - in a hospital, medical center, research institute, private industry or community-based organization. (CC students with a F-1 or J-1 nonimmigrant visa cannot engage in paid or unpaid off-campus work/ training without the appropriate U.S. immigration authorization and should contact the Office of Global Education for more information.)