7 Psychology Research Skills Every UC Riverside Student Should Master: Anushka’s Story

Mental health research is a fascinating field that can lead to powerful insights and systemic changes. Many students exploring psychology as a career path are motivated by a passion for helping others. After all, mental health research has the potential to improve the quality of life for millions, if not billions, of people around the world. 

Like many psychology students, UC Riverside psychology major Anushka Shinde is motivated by her compassion for others. Psychology involves a lot more than compassion, though. Students must be well-versed in psychology research skills in order to have a chance at making a difference. This is what led Anushka to explore psychology research during her high school career with Polygence. Scientific research skills aren’t often included in high school curriculums, which is why Anushka invested in her future by participating in a Research Mentorship Program. This program provided her with step-by-step guidance and individualized instruction. Gaining admission to UC Riverside is no easy feat and Anushka wanted to give herself every advantage possible. 

When asked about her career aspirations, Anushka shared that: “I've wanted to study psychology almost my whole life because I'm really passionate about mental health. That’s what led me to Polygence. I wanted to do a research project on mood disorders and how different parenting styles like authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful affect mental health outcomes, focusing on bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. The project really confirmed my passion for psychology and even made me consider psychiatry.” 

From Polygence to UC Riverside, Anushka’s educational path is a great example of how taking the time to cultivate scientific and psychology research skills while you’re still in high school is a great way to prepare for your future in college and beyond.

Why Research Skills Matter for UC Riverside Psychology Majors

UC Riverside psychology majors need to cultivate strong psychology research skills in order to participate in meaningful mental health research. After all, mental health research can inadvertently involve a lot of biases and false assumptions. Students don’t want to unknowingly perpetuate false stereotypes or cross professional boundaries when working with research participants. This is why having a strong understanding of the scientific research method and other protocols are so crucial. 

By gaining familiarity with various research methods, not only do psychology students ensure that they are performing ethical research, but they are also enhancing their overall academic performance and preparing for advanced study or careers in psychology and psychiatry.

Challenges in Psychology Research 

While psychology research can be rewarding, it also comes with its fair share of obstacles. Students often face difficulties such as managing bias, working with complex human variables, and balancing ethical responsibilities. Below are some of the most common challenges psychology majors encounter as they begin developing their research skills.

 Emotional Intelligence in Psychology Research

Psychology research isn’t just about numbers or methods—it’s about people. That’s why developing emotional intelligence (EQ) is such an essential skill for psychology majors. Emotional intelligence involves five key areas:

• Self-awareness – recognizing your own emotions and how they shape interactions.

• Self-regulation – managing stress and staying objective when analyzing sensitive topics.

• Social skills – working effectively with peers, professors, and research participants.

• Empathy – understanding perspectives and emotions beyond your own.

• Motivation – maintaining perseverance through the challenges of long-term research.

For students like Anushka, who are drawn to psychology because of their compassion, building EQ ensures they can approach research ethically and with care for participants.

 Cultural Competence and Ethical Awareness

As mental health research expands, psychology students must also practice cultural competence—the ability to understand and respect diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Anushka’s research on mood disorders could affect populations with very different cultural understandings of parenting, stigma, or treatment. By practicing cultural awareness, psychology majors ensure their findings are not only accurate but also sensitive to the people they aim to help.

Combined with strong ethical awareness—such as informed consent, confidentiality, and avoiding bias—this skill makes students better researchers and future practitioners.

Research Methods and Measurement Skills

An often-overlooked part of psychology training is learning how to design reliable research methods and measure outcomes effectively. UC Riverside students are exposed to multiple methods, including surveys, experiments, and observational studies, each requiring a strong grasp of validity and reliability.

For example:

• Designing a survey on parenting styles requires clear, unbiased questions.

• Creating a behavioral observation study means knowing what variables to track and how to code them.

• Measuring outcomes in mood disorder research requires understanding scales, psychological constructs, and reliability testing.

Developing these skills ensures that research projects—like Anushka’s on parenting styles and mood disorders—produce trustworthy, impactful results.

Resilience and Adaptability

College research can be demanding. Fast-paced coursework, challenging readings, and emotionally heavy subject matter require psychology students to build resilience—the ability to bounce back from setbacks—and adaptability—the capacity to adjust to new environments or unexpected findings.

For Anushka, adjusting to UC Riverside’s quarter system was a test of resilience. Each term brought new classes, new professors, and new challenges. Developing coping strategies and staying adaptable helped her thrive academically while also building the mental toughness needed for a psychology career.

Anushka’s Research Journey: From Polygence to UC Riverside

During her time with Polygence, Anushka worked with research mentor Victoria Rodriguez. Polygence pairs students with expert research mentors who share similar interests, goals, and learning styles with students, and like many Polygence scholars, Anushka got a lot out of her mentorship opportunity. 

When asked about her mentorship, Anushka remarked that “Victoria was super patient and understanding, especially because I was doing my project during college applications. She was very resourceful and guided me through research, editing, and formatting my paper. She knew a lot about the topic and all the resources I could use. She made the whole process so much easier and was just a really great person to work with.”

Not only did Polygence’s research program prepare Anushka for college-level research, but it also looked great on her college applications. In fact, Anushka recounts that: “I included [my project] in one of my UC essays that asked why I wanted to study my major. I talked about my research paper, my mentor Vicki, and the overall process. I also mentioned it in club applications, volunteering, and when applying for the honors program. It really came in handy.” 

And that’s not even the best part! After completing her independent research project, Anushka published her research paper with Young Rising Scholars through Curio, which you can read here. 

7 Essential Psychology Research Skills for UC Riverside Students

From knowing how to cite sources correctly, to budgeting your time appropriately under the quarter system, there are 7 essential psychology research skills for UC Riverside psychology majors. As previously mentioned, psychology research skills help mitigate any biases and ensure that research participants are given care and respect. So if you’re interested in pursuing mental health research, these 7 research skills should be a top priority!

1. Literature Review and APA Citation

Learning how to find, read, and cite psychology research papers properly can feel overwhelming, especially as an incoming freshman in college. But you don’t have to wait until college! Anushka reflects on her first few months as a college student: “A lot of my classmates didn’t know how to use APA style because we all learned MLA in high school, but I already knew how to use APA from Polygence. That made writing essays and citing sources so much easier.”

2. Scientific Writing and Paper Formatting

Developing clear, structured, and well-edited research papers are crucial as a UC Riverside psychology student. After all, scientific writing follows specific very rules and guidelines that aren’t often taught in high school. In fact, Anushka recalls that: “I went into Polygence completely blind, but my mentor guided me through every step. She taught me how to do research, how to cite sources, and even gave me other papers to read so I could understand what a research paper looked like. The Polygence platform was also helpful because I could share drafts with her, and she would edit and comment on them, which improved my writing a lot.”

3. Critical Thinking and Analysis

Evaluating and synthesizing research findings effectively is one of the most critical psychology research skills. This is where you have the chance to be innovative and make a difference. After all, even if you follow all the right steps and protocols during your data collection process, without critical thinking skills you won’t know how to apply your research. This is why fostering strong critical thinking and analysis stills are crucial for psychology careers. 

4. Time Management Under the Quarter System

Balancing fast-paced coursework and research commitments can be difficult even for the most experienced student. This is why fostering good time management skills is so important. And unlike some of the more specialized research skills, time management is something you can start learning on your own in middle school and high school. For Anushka, time management took on even more importance her freshman year at UC Riverside, on account of the school’s quarter system. 

Here’s what she had to say about adjusting to her new college schedule:

“We take around four or five classes each quarter, depending on the number of credits. Everything changes every ten weeks, so it feels very fast-paced. There are also breadth requirements that we have to complete before we can take upper-division courses. Right now, I can only take one psychology class per quarter, and the other classes are usually breadth courses. You make friends in one class and then it all changes in the next quarter. It is always a new environment….I also had to learn to manage my time because I had to plan everything myself. At home, my parents would help, but in college, it was all on me.”

5. Communication and Collaboration

Engaging productively with mentors, professors, and peers is key to making the most out of your college career. After all, networking is the cornerstone to every successful career. Not only can working closely with your professors and peers increase your academic capabilities, but the more people you connect with, the more opportunities and resources will become available and known to you. 

Anushka has had a great experience connecting with peers and professors so far at UC Riverside: “Everyone here is so nice, and the professors are really supportive…Psychology is a really fun subject, and there are so many resources on campus. The TAs and professors have all been great, and I have not had a bad experience with any class so far.”

6. Open-Mindedness and Social Integration

Joining clubs and making friends are two great strategies for adapting to college life. After all, networking and collaborating with others aren’t just helpful inside of the classroom. Being open-minded and trying new things will help you surround yourself with new and interesting people who could become great friends.  

Anushka remarks that: “College is a completely new environment, and it is easy to feel out of place. Joining clubs, getting involved, and making friends are really helpful…Surrounding yourself with the right people and building connections can make a big difference.”

7. Self-Advocacy and Resourcefulness

Colleges like UC Riverside have amazing academic and student resources. Do your best to educate yourself about what services and resources are available to you by asking plenty of questions and going through your college website thoroughly. You’ll also want to follow your school’s social media accounts so you can stay up-to-date on what’s happening on campus and save important phone numbers in your phone (such as campus security, crisis hotlines, your RA, etc). And remember, student services aren’t limited to writing labs, tutoring, and the career center; you will also have access to services like counseling, disability services, and financial aid. The main takeaway is that if you need help, ask for it!

Overcoming Challenges in College Research

From forming healthy routines and time management skills, to building community through clubs and campus traditions, being open to new experiences is key to succeeding in college. Adjusting to life away from home and managing homesickness are ongoing processes, so be patient with yourself. And remember, investing in your community and making connections with your professors and peers are the best ways to feel at home on a new college campus. 

Advice from Anushka for High School Students Interested in Psychology Research

As a first-year honors student at UC Riverside, Anushka has a lot of great advice for high school students interested in psychology research. When reflecting on her own research journey with Polygence, Anushka shared that: 

“Research can get tedious, and if you do not care about the topic, it will feel like a chore. Time management is also so important. Research takes time every week, and balancing that with school can be hard. Even if you are doing it for college applications, choose something you enjoy so you can actually have fun with it. The experience will help in college because you will need to write research papers and essays all the time. For example, I had to write an APA paper instead of participating in research credits, and because I had experience from Polygence, it was really easy.”

What Makes UC Riverside Unique?

Every college has its own distinct culture and Anushka feels right at home at UC Riverside: “The campus is full of orange groves, and you can just pick oranges right off the ground. There are also donkeys that roam around campus, which is so cute.” And donkeys and oranges aren’t the only cool things about campus. According to Anushka, “Every Wednesday, they have something called Nooners where clubs table in the quad and give out freebies like stickers, food, and Boba.” And that’s not all: “There are two big concerts every year: Block Party in the fall and Spring Splash in the spring. They give out free food, merch, and there are food trucks everywhere.”

So what about the academics? According to Anushka, the professors are just as great. In fact, Anushka reflects that: “The professors are amazing too. Even ones with low ratings on Rate My Professor are really kind and helpful. The quality of teaching is very high, and everyone genuinely wants you to succeed.”

Looking Ahead: Building Success in Psychology at UC Riverside

You don’t have to wait until your freshman year to start building success in psychology at UC Riverside. You can start preparing for college today by working on your time management and research skills. While there are likely many opportunities for you to learn about time management throughout the course of your high school career, developing psychology research skills are more specialized. This is why joining a research mentorship program, like Anushka, can make such a difference in your academic career. 

By joining a program like Polygence, you’ll be able to develop research skills before you even step foot on campus. Not only will this give you an advantage in your college courses, but the fact that you participated in such a valuable program will help you stand out from your peers during the college admissions process. Gaining admission to a school like UC Riverside is hard work and Polygence can help you gain confidence and competence so that you passion and potential are at the forefront of your college application.

Interested in learning more about what Polygence has to offer? Peruse our database of expert research program mentors and take a look at our college admissions results.