RESEARCH and INTERVIEWS

You will spend the next few weeks researching your topics for background information. You must have at least two sources of written material for information (unless their topics are very unusual and written information is truly unavailable). While you are probing written material, you will prepare to conduct interviews with experts on your topics—the key aspect of this search. This is often most challenging to students, and waiting until the last minute can make this project really difficult. You should start searching for and lining up interviews/experiences immediately because it usually takes a few weeks to get interviews scheduled. You are required to conduct at least two face-to-face interviews (phone interviews are accepted only if a face-to-face meeting is impossible); many students will have more. You are also encouraged to add relevant experience if possible. One of my former students shadowed several emergency room doctors; another spent a day with a second grade teacher; a third attended a college course. The process of lining up interviews and experiences is complex, sometimes frustrating and intimidating, but ultimately students end up thrilled with the breadth of knowledge they gain individually and as a group.