The Alternative EEE Freshers Guide: UROP
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Having been on the undergraduate research opportunities programme (UROP) during all three summer breaks, I am treading the fine line between UROP expert and UROP maniac. So let me tell you what UROP is, why I did it and all the pros and cons.
The role of a UROP student will normally be to assist a member of staff in some way. What you do ranges from data entry and literature reviews to programming tasks and independent mini projects. If you are required to update a database or similar dull affairs, UROP can be a waste of time and a member of staff will never agree to pay you enough to make it worth your while. If however you get a challenging and interesting task as a member of a research team such as playing with robots or simulating stellar systems using state of the art equipment, it is one of the greatest experiences you will ever have. The research can often help you with your studies or inspire a final year project. If you are thinking about a PhD, this can be your first experience of the kind of work involved.
Ludwig the Robot, Tim’s best friend for 3 summers now...
Regardless of the academic benefits, a UROP placement will earn you CV points, and will be useful when applying for any kind of job. If you require a reference, the supervisor from your UROP placement will also know you much better than your tutor and will be able to write a glowing commentary on your ability to carry out independent projects and on your soft skills.
The working atmosphere I experienced was relaxed and enjoyable. No one
will mind you turning up at 11am. You may often find yourself working
for more than eight hours because you get so involved and interested.
I ended up programming the controls for a humanoid robot called LUDWIG
(London University Develops Wildly Implausible Gadgets).
There is a down-side to the scheme - the pay is generally quite bad. When
you have to live off a student loan, it can be a strug-gle to cope for
the rest of the year when you spent your summer earning so little money.
The salaries range from nothing to £250 per week, but the R.R.P.
(Recommended Research Price) for a UROP student is about £150 a
week. If you plan early, you can apply for a bursary from the City &
Guilds College Union worth £500 for the 10 weeks the work usually
lasts. No work permit is required and no tax has to be paid or reclaimed.
Keep in mind that life in London is expensive and even if you live in
halls for the summer you will still have to pay about £70 a week
for rent. A UROP placement is something that should be done for love,
not money.
Another thing to bear in mind is that it will not be much of a holiday, since you will be spending your summer where you spend the rest of the year - in college. I am yet to spend more than two weeks away from college since I've been here!
Being interested in research does not necessarily turn you into a geek. This depends on whether you do other things and have a social life as well. So if there is an area of research that you find interesting, find yourself a member of staff in any department and convince them to give you a chance, and maybe even some money! It will be a truly great experience and much more fun than working at Starbucks!
Useful Links
The official UROP websiteTim's own Web-Page, featuring information on his work with robots
