Demystifying the Junior Research Associate (JRA) scheme application process in five simple steps

Law, Politics and Sociology

Dec 1

Photo of Madeleine Vallier — Madeleine Vallier

This post is by Madeleine Vallier (final-year student on the LLB in Law at Sussex) and reflects on her experience applying for and undertaking a research project as a Junior Research Associate (JRA) in the summer between her second- and final-year studies. The piece sets out five steps for getting the most out of a JRA application: 'Overcoming your imposter syndrome', 'Daring to take a deeper dive', 'Finding your courage', 'Channelling your commitment' and 'Conquering your fear'.

'There is no greater illusion than fear'

All students in the twenty-first century are acutely aware of the competitive state of the market when they complete their undergraduate degree and venture out into the big wide world. Whether that be into the jobs market or further study, this competitiveness can serve as a double-edged sword. While it should, and does, alert us to the fact that we must do more to stand out, this is accompanied by the unwelcome realization that we are to be judged against all of our peers, resulting in a state of perpetual self-doubt. Therefore, when opportunities such as the JRA scheme drop into our inbox, we are all far too hasty to hit the delete button. Being a student who has been through the process myself this summer, I have decided to reflect on my experience, in the hope that this may alleviate some doubts for future JRA participants – even if you don't know that is you yet!

Step 1 – Overcoming your imposter syndrome

We naturally start at the beginning, possibly the hardest step in the process. It was an ordinary Thursday like all the rest; my inbox inundated with University emails. However, there was one particular email that popped in that day which piqued my interest: the subject read 'JRA Scheme 2022 News'. It described the opportunity to take part in an eight-week, full-time, funded (yes you did read that correctly) research project over the summer, working alongside academic supervisors, to contribute to cutting-edge research.

In an instant, my imposter syndrome kicked in, telling me to click delete as this was not intended for the likes of me. This kind of moment has been termed 'the butterfly effect', where a seemingly small decision can have widescale effects. I want to point out that in order to overcome your imposter syndrome in this moment, you do not need to commit to applying to the scheme, you simply need to commit to moving to the next step.

Step 2 – Daring to take a deeper dive

This is the investigation stage, where I check the eligibility requirements and fixate on the words 'a good academic track record'… which my brain interprets as 'must be top of the class in everything that I have ever done'! Aware of the irrationality of my thought process, but unable to shift the self-doubt, I paused and made one of my wiser decisions: I contacted Carmel, the course coordinator, to arrange a Zoom call.

Within a couple of minutes of the call my worries began to dissipate as Carmel assured me that this scheme was open to everyone. Far from needing to be Sussex's best-achieving student academically, it became clear that all I needed to get myself started were the three Cs:

Courage (to contact a supervisor);
Commitment (to the process); and,
Curiosity (to delve into a new area of research).

With that in mind, I signed up for the JRA information session.

Step 3 – Finding your courage

Upon deciding that the opportunity was too good to be missed, I commenced the third stage in the process, perhaps the scariest: contacting a supervisor. It was time to put my big girl pants on.

Possibly the most feared word of the academic experience is 'original' – the requirement to come up with an original research idea for your proposal.[1] However intimidating this prospect may seem, it is a necessary evil and a pre-requisite to contacting your supervisor; it is strongly advisable to have at least an idea to discuss, when making contact. While this seems daunting, you must take into account two things: you are only a second-year undergraduate student and you only have eight weeks to complete your research project, and both factors will be taken into account when assessing your application.

A tip that I can offer to rein in the disproportionate negative feelings I get from the word 'original' is to re-frame it. Instead of thinking of it as an original idea, think of it as an angle, a perspective – your perspective – on something that has almost certainly been written about before. Once you have formulated an idea it is time to begin the search for a potential supervisor.

The internal barrier that you face is that pesky devil on your shoulder, telling you that they will just laugh at your ideas and that the whole experience will be humiliating; you could not be further from the truth. You must remember that these 'supervisors' are academics who have made a career out of research and have chosen to work in an educational setting. This does not mean to imply that anyone you contact will say yes but, at the very worst, they will be flattered that you considered them and will politely decline.

My two top tips here are the following: passion and persistence. Know your passions and align them with your supervisors. This may sound obvious but the key to an academic's heart is an interest in their work… read what they have published! Equally important is persistence. We've all heard the saying 'if you get knocked down get up again'. Well, guess what? That is great advice! So don't be disheartened if someone says no – it wasn't meant to be, but don't give up, ask someone else.

You will learn a lot of skills just by going through this stage of the process whether or not you end up on the scheme. From a practical point of view, use the Sussex researchers search tool which provides you with information about each academic at Sussex, including their areas of interest and, importantly, access to their publications (don't forget to read some before you make contact). Once you've found your match, drop them an email. Again, it may sound obvious, but proofread your email – first impressions count for a lot. Once you have secured your supervisor, you have survived the worst of the psychological torment that you have put yourself through, an achievement in itself. Give yourself a pat on the back!

Step 4 – Channelling your commitment

With the anxiety-inducing tasks out of the way and help at hand, it is time to channel your commitment and embark on writing up your research proposal. For most of you, the first step will be to narrow your topic; this is a skill which will be transferrable to every piece of academic work that you will do. Take your topic, narrow it, narrow it some more, and narrow it again.

Using myself as an example, I began with the topic of transitional justice in Colombia, then narrowed this specifically to the reparations pillar, then narrowed this some more to how land reparations provide for Indigenous and Afro-Colombians, and then narrowed it further to focus specifically on land reparation measures under Colombia's Victims Law 2011. This resulted in the research question: 'A socio-legal analysis of land reparation measures in Colombia's Victims law 2011: can they provide effective restitution to Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities?'. This process is vital given the eight-week time constraint.

One of my main concerns at this stage was that the research proposal deadline ran alongside my second-year commitments. There is no benefit in sugar coating it, this is a balancing act, and you should treat it as such. It is not advisable to sacrifice your university grades by putting too much emphasis on the JRA scheme, the time for the JRA is over the summer. That said, it is a competitive process, and you need to demonstrate your commitment to it. Simply put, it is a matter of priorities. It could mean some juggling (or one less hour watching Netflix in the evening), but it can be done – I had a job as well as my university commitments throughout my second year and still participated in the JRA scheme. My best advice is that you pick a topic that interests you as this will make the necessary reading around your topic seem less like a chore and more like a hobby.

Finally, remember to utilize your supervisor. They are there to help so don't suffer in silence. Once you have had your research proposal signed off by your supervisor, and have collated all of the necessary documents for the application, it is time to hit send and breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that you have done all that you can to put your best foot forward.

Step 5 – Conquering your fear

This journey finished much as it had started. It was an ordinary Thursday like all the rest, my inbox inundated with University emails. However, there was one particular email that popped in that day which piqued my interest: the subject read 'JRA Scheme 2022'. It confirmed that my application for the Junior Research Associate award had been successful!

Six months later and I am now working alongside that very same supervisor for my final year dissertation, whilst preparing to apply for a Master's, knowing that I have acquired skills which will bolster my application. However, what I am most grateful for is the confidence it has given me not to hit the delete button when an opportunity drops into my inbox and instead to dare to take a deeper dive.

[1] I should add a caveat by saying that it is possible to join an existing research project but this is less common, especially within the law department.

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