Upper Division Honors

Student Profiles

Duc Do
 

Where you involved in an Honors program prior to starting your project?

Yes, I had completed the Lower Division Honors Program prior to starting the thesis project for Upper Division Honors. I had also done independent research in religious studies with the HNPG 97 course.

What was your experience like with the Upper Division Honors program?

It was an overall very rewarding experience, albeit quite busy at times, especially while trying to complete 48 units of upper division science courses at the same time. I spent most of fall and winter quarters researching for the project, researching a variety of secondary literature. While ideally, I would have incorporated more primary literature research, it was not as feasible due to my tight schedule. That said, the majority of my paper was actually written in the week of Spring break, and then revised over the course of the first several weeks of spring quarter. I would say that the most exciting part of the experience came after all the research, writing, and preparation for the presentation was complete - that is at the conference - as it was an opportunity to both present everything that I had worked on during the year and an opportunity to listen to other students present what they had worked on for the year.
   
How do you feel the Honors program prepared you for your life after UCR?

I feel that my participation in the Honors Program, both in the upper and lower divisions, and the opportunities for research through the Honors Program helped me immensely in applying and being accepted into medical school. Besides that, though, the knowledge I gained in general from doing this research project has made me a much more knowledgeable and informed individual in the area of religion and society.

 Was it hard to do your thesis?

Doing the initial research and writing were all quite time consuming, but the hardest part was probably juggling time for research with my hectic class/midterm/final schedule.
  
What was the deciding factor in committing to the Upper Division program?

While it is definitely true that I committed to the Upper Division program in part because it would benefit me in my application process to medical school, the topic that I worked on was one I had always wanted to explore, and the Upper Division program was a perfect way (and incentive) to study this topic.

How do you feel you are as a student because of the program?

I definitely learned how to balance priorities and manage my time more effectively as a result of working on this project at the same time that I was completing many classes for graduation.

What is the biggest strength you have gained from the experience?

The greatest strength I gained from this experience was probably the knowledge I gained which has made me a much more knowledgeable and informed person in terms of religion and its relation to individuals and society.

Duc is a member of the Thomas Haider Biomedical Program