Prospective Graduate Students
The COLOR lab is a good fit for graduate students who genuinely enjoy doing research, see it as a central part of their long-term career, and want to use it to inform policy, practice, and create meaningful change. Our work focuses on racism, anti-racism, and other systems of oppression, so students who thrive here care deeply about these issues and are motivated to contribute to rigorous, impactful scholarship. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine your fit with the lab:
Do you value research and view it as an integral part of your long-term career goals?
Are you pretty good at long-term planning (i.e., going from “idea” to “implementation”)?
Do you tend to take initiative, but also recognize when you need guidance/support?
Assuming there is a safe place to do so, are you open/honest about your progress and challenges?
Are you interested in investing in the mentorship relationship, viewing it as a long-term partnership characterized by mutual respect, honesty, and transparency?
Are you responsive to communication?
Are you interested in “showing up” for the lab community, including supporting and celebrating fellow graduate and undergraduate students?
Do you collaborate well with others?
Do you have the goal of holding yourself accountable (e.g., recognizing mistakes, accepting consequences)?
Do you tend to approach feedback with curiosity, rather than defensiveness and disengagement?
Do you value mentoring undergraduate students as part of your own professional development?
Do you appreciate frequent reflection, about yourself, your goals, your identity, the mentorship relationship, and the lab?
Do you enjoy engaging deeply with complex and uncomfortable topics related to oppression?
Are you adaptable in response to changes in lab needs, your goals, and undergraduate mentees’ goals?
Above all, are you reliable, reflective, and eager to contribute to the lab’s mission in a way that builds both your own career and the collective success of the team?
The more yes’s, the better of a fit you are!
If you would like to receive a copy of the COLOR lab handbook, which details lab expectations, important policies, and guidelines, please ask Dr. Mekawi (yara.mekawi@louisville.edu). In short, graduate students are expected to contribute up to 5 hours for lab tasks (e.g., running pts, meeting with two undergraduate mentees, data tasks, meetings) and conduct independent research. Specific goals regarding independent research (e.g., number of publications, skills to learn, studies to run) depend on students’ capacities, career plans, and desires. Most students submit at least one first-author publication and conference abstract per year (after their first year) and co-author at least two manuscripts and conference abstracts.
If you are a graduate student who is hoping to work with Dr. Mekawi in the COLOR lab, you can check out Dr. Mekawi’s UofL Psych. department webpage to see if she is accepting students.
Curious about how Dr. Mekawi evaluates grad student applicants? See this work-in-progress evaluation document!
Need a way to organize all of your grad school applications? See this grad school tracker document!
For a list of other grad school application resources, check this out.