Many students want to try their hand at research
The opportunity of a research year has been in high demand this year among Health's medical and dentistry students, leading to some students being declined.
The research year is the students' opportunity, for a while, to wave goodbye to textbooks and lectures and instead immerse themselves in research for a whole year. In the Health field, there are annually 112 spots available for the research year, which corresponds to approximately 25% of a cohort. However, it was not enough to accommodate all applicants, according to Lise Wogensen Bach, Vice Dean for Education:
"This year, we have experienced an exceptionally high demand for the research year. It is incredibly positive that so many of our talented students are also willing to dedicate themselves to research for a year, and therefore, it is naturally also unfortunate that a handful of them unfortunately did not secure a spot," she says.
Students admitted to the research year are granted a 12-month leave of absence from their studies, during which they work on a research project. The project must be approved by a supervisor, who will also guide the student, and many students find themselves co-authors of a scientific article during the year. It is rewarding for the students to get their hands on pipettes, excel sheets, registries, and article writing, says Lise Wogensen Bach.
”The research year is a unique opportunity to translate some of the knowledge that students have acquired during their studies into concrete research. Many of them experience that much of what they have learned ’clicks’ into place when they apply it in research projects. And for many of them, it is also a way to get a taste of whether research might be something for them on the other side of graduation.”
However, even though the research year is popular and has many benefits for students, we cannot expect more spots to be opened, says Lise Wogensen Bach:
"The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science has granted Aarhus University the opportunity to offer a research year to 112 students per cohort. Therefore, it is not possible for us to expand with more spots when there are more applicants. It is naturally disappointing for those who do not secure a spot, but at the same time, I think it's impressive that around 25% of a cohort gets the opportunity."
Read more about the research year here
Contact
Vice-Dean for Education Lise Wogensen Bach
Aarhus University, Health
Mail: lwb@au.dk
Phone: +4525488522