Why should you get involved with undergraduate research?
The skills developed through the process of conducting original research—creativity, perseverance, and the ability to collect and interpret data—are fundamental for preparing students to tackle the challenges our world faces in the 21st century. Students who learn to observe the world as researchers are better prepared to serve as innovators, problem solvers, and ultimately, citizens.
Just as importantly, doing research is really fun!
While once it was rare for undergraduates to get involved with research, it is now becoming increasingly common. William & Mary aims to be the premier university for undergraduate research. Getting involved with research will help you better understand the ideas you’ve found interesting in your classes. It will train you in developing new skills and ruling in, or ruling out, different career paths. Plus, it will give you a leg up when you’re applying to jobs or graduate school. You can read more about what SNaPP Lab alums say about their experiences here.
Why should you join SNaPP Lab instead of one of the other cool research opportunities on campus?
Prof. Settle’s research interests are related to political behavior broadly defined: public opinion, ideology, partisanship, political knowledge, participation, campaigns, the media (including social media), and polarization. She does most of her work in the context of American politics, though she was worked with students are interested in comparative political behavior. If you are interested in any of these topics, or you have skills that you want to apply to real world problems, you might be a good fit for the lab.
For more information on the ongoing research projects, click here.
To find out what students in the lab are currently helping Prof. Settle with, check out this page.
If you want to get a sense for what a year in the life of the lab looks like, click here.
If you’re interested in learning more about the other research and topics Prof. Settle is interested in, check out the publications page on her website.
And if you want to find out more about the independent research that students in the lab have done, check out this page featuring their work.