Jan Brändle, spring 2024 cohort:

What I liked most: The REAL meetings gave me a refreshing way to see my project from a broader perspective. In day-to-day work, it's easy to get lost in the technical details. But explaining my project to people outside my specific field each week helped me step back and refocus on the bigger picture, which was invaluable for staying on track.

What surprised me most: I was surprised by how much explaining my work at a higher level sharpened my own understanding. It made complex ideas clearer, even to myself, which was an unexpected but powerful benefit.

Phlippe Brigger, spring 2024 cohort:

What I liked most: At REAL I learned how to explain complex concepts in a simple way, by using more analogies and tangible examples.

What surprised me most: REAL made me aware that we are all specialists in our research. Even though everyone in our group had similar degrees, there were many technical terms related to everyone’s theses that the others could not understand.

Anne-Laure Matthijs, spring 2024 cohort:

What I liked most: REAL has taught me how to rewrite my texts. I often fail to mention all the things that are needed to follow the points I am connecting in my mind, or I include too much unnecessary information. Rewriting efficiently helped me a lot to combat this issue. 

What surprised me most: I was always aware of the different academic bubbles we move in. However it was only during the weekly REAL lab meetings, that I realized how even in similar study directions the basic knowledge on topics which we often assume to be known is very different.

Raul Cruz-Oliver, spring 2024 cohort:

What I liked most: One of the best things I take with me after the time at REAL was learning how to tell the same in a more concise way with less words.

What surprised me most: I was surprised how necessary it is to give context to your projects. When we are talking about rather specific topics, introducing people to the field is really important to make them understand our contributions.