I am currently still in Montana at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR). I finished giving my presentation on Friday and I think it went well overall. ^^ I got a couple of questions from the audience and was able to hear about some of the interesting things other students were researching throughout the country. For more info on the academic benefits of attending undergraduate conferences see Frances’ blog because my post will be more focused on nonacademic benefits (although some of them will most likely overlap).

1. Meeting new interesting people from your home campus and from universities across the nation– The NCUR trip was organized by the Macaulay Honors College so I was able to interact with students who are also part of the program from various CUNY campuses throughout the city. At the conference I also met and talked with students who came from Montana, Texas, Ohio, etc.

2. Visiting states you would never have considered going to otherwise– Last year the NCUR conference was held in La Crosse, Wisconsin and this year at Missoula, Montana (both states that I have never been to before and probably never would have gone to if I was not participating in an academic conference)

3. Engaging in fun, interesting activities that you would also have never considered doing otherwise– The second day I arrived in Montana, a whole group of us hiked up a mountain along the M-trail behind the university

4. Learning about the history and culture of a new place– On Friday I attended a pow wow where I watched some members of the indigenous tribes perform traditional Indian dances. Earlier today I also visited the People’s Cente, a small museum with displays about Native American history and lifestyle

5. Tasting new regional foods– The NCUR coordinators organized a traditional Montana style barbeque for students where we sampled some staples of the local cuisine like pulled pork hamburgers ^^

So I will be heading back to New York tomorrow but I had a great time at the conference doing new things and meeting new people. =] I would definitely encourage students to attend academic conferences, particularly those out of state because in addition to helping you develop good public speakinga and other professional skills they also you to new, exciting experiences that are just great for personal growth ^^