Overall, my research progressed largely as I had expected over the six-week period. Although obtaining IRB approval took longer than anticipated (when I first designed my research, I didn’t even know the steps involved in the IRB approval process!), my recruitment and interview went smoothly, with more participants expressing interest in my research than I had initially planned to recruit. If I were to do anything differently, I would have started drafting parts of my research paper within the six-week research period. As I continued writing later in the summer, I realized how difficult it was to maintain momentum while working independently from home. Moreover, I wished I had spent more time consolidating my findings and observations into a clearer overarching argument. As the project progressed, I realized that many of my observations appeared as scattered points rather than as components of a single answer to my research question. Perhaps, this reflects the nature of transnational migration and settlement, which are inherently nonlinear and heterogeneous. If I were to approach the project differently, however, I would devote more time to identifying the structure underlying these observations when recreating these distinct decision-making pathways. Beyond the research itself, I also became much closer to my research mentor. She consistently challenged me to look beyond commonly held assumptions about international students when interpreting my interview transcripts and, in doing so, helped me become a more critical thinker. This is really meaningful to me because the research question is very personal to my own experience as a Chinese international student. I’m incredibly grateful for the guidance and encouragement she offered me throughout the process. More than anything, my Laidlaw experience made me realize how much I enjoyed sociological research and encouraged me to continue pursuing it.