Want a great experience? Attend an academic conference

 
Since I am getting sick of using my column to complain about things, I believe that this week I'll use my powers of persuasive writing for good.

Over the past weekend, I was afforded the opportunity to present a paper I wrote at an academic conference in Dubuque, Iowa. In fact, a friend and I were both accepted to this conference, and we were very excited to share our work with others in a similar field of scholarship. Upon hearing the news of our acceptance, we petitioned SGA for funding to attend. 

Thankfully, SGA granted us a bit of money and we were able to make the drive to Dubuque and we quite successfully presented our papers to a classroom full of our fellow nerds.

Following our presentation, a really great discussion ensued. What started out as a brief question and answer session turned into a growing conversation that included not only us as the presenters, but some audience members as well. As it turns out, many of the attendees to our session were professors who happened to show a keen interest in each of our papers. I can honestly say I have never been so invigorated about a discussion of Renaissance literature as I was that afternoon.

Not only did I participate in a great discussion, I was given many more ideas in the ways that I could further my research and broaden the scope of my paper. It was also very validating to hear other scholars respond so well to something that I had written.

I would highly recommend submitting and attending any academic conferences that you can in your time as an undergrad. Not only does it prepare you well for future work as a graduate student, but it also gives you an opportunity to share your passion for your work with others of a like mind. Conferences and symposiums like Seven Rivers here at Viterbo, or Streamlines, the conference I attended in Iowa, are great venues for sharing your research. 

So I guess my plug for the week is to get out there and share your work. You can only benefit from the experience and it looks great on a resume. You also might just get a chance to geek out about something that really interests you for a few hours, without the judgment from those who just don't understand.