Here’s a fact: According to a 2021 report from the American Association of Colleges and Universities, 85 percent of employers reported being “much more likely” or “somewhat more likely” to hire a job candidate if they completed a collaborative research project with a professor during their time in college.

Even more interesting? Most of the employers who reported being “more likely” are under 40 years old. That means employers favor candidates with collaborative research now — and will continue to do so in the future.

Research is a systematic process of investigating a topic by collecting and analyzing data to establish facts, gain new insights, or contribute to a field of knowledge. Experts who have knowledge in a certain discipline — and have already earned master’s degrees — usually conduct research. Undergraduate research is simply when students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees join an ongoing research project or suggest new questions to study. What could that look like for you?

Build personal skills

Alex Montoye is associate professor and chair of the Integrative Physiology and Health Science (IPHS) department at Alma College. He works side-by-side with students on research that benefits the community around them, like a recent project that investigates cardiovascular health testing and exercise for local firefighters.

Alex says that regardless of what field you enter after graduation, you’ll benefit from having skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and teamwork. While academic skills are a critical part of any student’s college experience, it’s also important to learn to work as a team, explore challenging problems, and get along with others.

Conducting research helps you find diverse perspectives and come up with new approaches to answer difficult questions.

Professional skills, too

Research also pushes you to go beyond the learning you receive in a classroom. Students at Alma College pursue topics that mean a lot to them on a personal level, including land history and its implications for modern life, reducing injuries in athletes or objectification of women in media.

If you do research in college, Alex says, you’ll probably explore a question that no one has looked into before. This makes you an expert in that area, which can help you stand out when you start looking for a job. You might also get the chance to share your research at events where you can meet people who already work in your field.

Finally, while many students may not conduct research in their future careers, the experience of doing research leads to students becoming “intelligent consumers of research,” as Alex puts it. Alex finds that the students with the greatest success are often the ones who’ve engaged in research projects as undergraduates.

Tailor your college experience

Research is an opportunity for you to make your college experience all yours, by pursuing the studies you think are interesting and important. It also gives you 1-on-1 time with faculty mentors who are already experts in the field and can help take you from where you are, to where you want to be.

If you’re considering where to attend college or university next year, Alex advises, ask them if they offer opportunities for undergraduate research — you won’t regret it.

Learn more about student research by visiting alma.edu.