Summer Research Application and Acceptance Thread (REU, SURF, SURP, SIP, AMGEN etc.) 2014

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JMB92 said:
I got rejected today too, not shocked at all. But my email said 650 apps for 13 spots!
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Guess where I'm not applying to next summer. :p
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I was also not taken off the waitlist for Emory SURE. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the Leadership Alliance and one other school, but I suspect they have already made their decisions. If I don't get in, it's not too big of a deal because I can just continue my research at my home institution. It's frustrating though, because I spent so much time applying to all these programs.
 
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Gigantron said:
So now that everything is finalized, I'll just go ahead and say that I've been accepted to the Undergraduate Student Scholars Program at Penn Med's Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases. So I'll be doing research in gastroenterology, woo!

Other programs I applied to:
  • Cold Spring Harbor URP - Rejected
  • Sloan Kettering SURP - Rejected
  • UPenn SUIP (the only other Penn program I applied to) - Rejected
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Injury Science REU - Rejected
  • Marshall University Biomedical Sciences Summer Research Internship - Waitlisted/Withdrew application
  • C-SURP (City College of New York summer research program) - No response/Withdrew application
  • UT-Southwestern SURF (Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences) - Rejected
  • TECBio REU at Pitt - No response/Withdrew application
  • NYS Department of Health/Wadsworth Center summer program - Rejected
  • WVU NANOSAFE program - Rejected
Pretty stoked to be heading to Philadelphia in the fall! Feel free to PM me if any of you have questions.
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The program in bold decided to send me a rejection email anyway lol...
 
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Just got a call from CUNY Surp that I got accepted to their program!! At last some good news!

So excited! Anyone else is doing that program?
 
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Ms.CDC said:
I got an email saying I was not accepted into Emory's SURE. I was on the wait list so I think they have sent out all of their acceptances.
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I just realized that I haven't been formally rejected by them. The site says they will notify by tomorrow. I guess it will come tomorrow, lol
 
I'm going to be applying next year for a bunch of summer research programs. What kinds of stuff do they ask for in the apps? Thanks for the help :)
 
Just going ask this again since there is no Facebook "bump mechanism":
Has anyone applied to the IAS (Institute of Accessible Science) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship that is through the Purdue SROP?
 
La Presse said:
mmmm....yo quiero.

Also received a rejection in the NW. Not mentioning the name. They led me on. :( Only 1 acceptance this year. Damn.
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1 more than me! :p I'll know for next year. Still hoping for the waiting list ones but it's doubtful. Might be nice to have a break from academic/lab stuff anyway. It all works out for a reason. Congrats on your acceptance, one is all you need.
 
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LACMA said:
I'm going to be applying next year for a bunch of summer research programs. What kinds of stuff do they ask for in the apps? Thanks for the help :)
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So...what is specifically asked for differs somewhat from school to school.

All will ask for transcripts from all school of some sort. AMGEN and some want scans. Others want physical copies.

Personal statements are common, but some will have you answer 4-5 short answer questions (about 1-2 paragraphs).

You'll need to report previous research somewhere. Sometimes you have to stick this in the personal statements. Sometimes it's a separate research personal statement. Sometimes it's just a short answer quick summary. Sometimes you have a bunch of different boxes to stick in research titles and descriptions (so each experience is listed as an item rather than integrated together). Presentations are sometimes with the research descriptions and sometimes separate.

You'll need to have two recommenders (occasionally three, but two's pretty standard). Some are forms sent to profs AFTER you submit your app. Some are forms sent BEFORE you submit your app. Some have them upload a standard letter and some are a couple of short answers. Some have the recommenders email a letter. Some have them physically mail one.

You'll also have to select research preferences and/or discuss what you want to accomplish/work on over the summer/why you're applying. Sometimes this is part of the personal statement; sometimes it's separate. A few will have you select your top 5-ish PIs, others will ask you after you say yes, and others will just assign you one.

Occasionally there will be another random short answer question. Stanford (if I remember) wanted to talk about a leadership role you've had. Jefferson asked what you thought the most important scientific advancement this year had been.

Also, some will ask you for a Goldwater style summary of your career goals (WashU for sure).

AMGENs will ask you what other programs you're going to apply to. I'm not sure if they actually discuss with one another/time their response based on other AMGEN programs or if this is just for statistics. A couple others will ask, as well.

Good luck!
 
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absolute abuse of the word "sometimes" @Genore ;) but i couldnt agreee more...

also my program says that you "may not hold jobs or take classes" throught the duration of program... and i need to take a summer class (orgo 2) otherwise i will be held a year to take my biochem class...

anyone has an experience of taking class during that time?
 
@FluffyPolishUnicorn: Yeah, it was initially to emphasize the diversity...but I ended up including more things than I initially intended. Lol. :)

If you need to take Orgo, I would turn down the internship. Either that or see if you could start early so that you could end early to get off to take the class. I would think about risking it for an online English (or similar) class spread out over the whole summer, but a lab class as intensive as Orgo won't be possible with a summer research internship. :/
Not only will you be attending class during most of the day for that month, but you'll have labs afterward almost everyday (depends a bit on the university) AND all of the homework and lab write ups. So you'll start at 8 and end at 3 if your university is anything like mine, and then have 4 hours of homework. That doesn't leave time to get any research done. I would not do them both, especially since it will be in your contract so there's the potential that they will kick you from the program if they find out. And they will find out with the hours you'll be forced to be away at class. You won't be able to succeed, unfortunately, at either if you do them together. Good luck in your decision (I'd talk to your adviser to determine if you really need to take biochem junior year).
 
La Presse said:
mmmm....yo quiero.

Also received a rejection in the NW. Not mentioning the name. They led me on. :( Only 1 acceptance this year. Damn.
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One is one more than many. No one from this point will care will you got rejected...just focus on learning a lot and getting a good recommendation and you'll be solid. If you are able to apply next year, you'll know more about the application process and be a better applicant (since you'll have proven yourself with your current program).
 
Genore said:
One is one more than many. No one from this point will care will you got rejected...just focus on learning a lot and getting a good recommendation and you'll be solid. If you are able to apply next year, you'll know more about the application process and be a better applicant (since you'll have proven yourself with your current program).
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I'm aware of what it takes to get into one of these programs; this experience will be my second one.

Interestingly enough, I scoured some of the previous participants' profiles on several pages and discovered that a majority of them are coming in with
solid research experiences, even those in "mid-level" programs. Stowers. NIH. AMGEN. Vienna. It's disheartening, but all you can do is apply with the best credentials you can and hope for the best.
 
Hey everyone, I'm still waiting on 7 programs (5 CIC, 2 Leadership Alliance), but I'm going to lose both of my back-up plans if I don't commit to one early next week. So I'm throwing in the towel on these REUs. It was great talking to all of you! Congrats to those with acceptances, and I hope everyone enjoys their summer!

I also thought I would share the conversation I had with a program coordinator today. She told me that since they receive like 1,000 applications per year, they don't even look at them all. They wait for students to call to express their interest, and that narrows it down to a few hundred. I was shocked by this and felt really stupid/upset with myself for not calling sooner. Of course this does not apply to all programs, but it would make sense that at least some of them do something like this. Just a tip for next year!
 
I have been accepted into a program and have accepted. I am a bridesmaid in a wedding this summer that is on a Saturday. Do you think most PI's would allow me to leave early Friday to fly back to my home if I agreed to work more hours earlier that week?
 
Ms.CDC said:
I have been accepted into a program and have accepted. I am a bridesmaid in a wedding this summer that is on a Saturday. Do you think most PI's would allow me to leave early Friday to fly back to my home if I agreed to work more hours earlier that week?
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I say they would. During mine last year July 4th was a Thursday and they gave us that Friday off. I did work on a few Saturday/Sundays though.
 
JMB92 said:
Hey everyone, I'm still waiting on 7 programs (5 CIC, 2 Leadership Alliance), but I'm going to lose both of my back-up plans if I don't commit to one early next week. So I'm throwing in the towel on these REUs. It was great talking to all of you! Congrats to those with acceptances, and I hope everyone enjoys their summer!

I also thought I would share the conversation I had with a program coordinator today. She told me that since they receive like 1,000 applications per year, they don't even look at them all. They wait for students to call to express their interest, and that narrows it down to a few hundred. I was shocked by this and felt really stupid/upset with myself for not calling sooner. Of course this does not apply to all programs, but it would make sense that at least some of them do something like this. Just a tip for next year!
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Thanks for letting us know, I'll definitely call next year. Which school's program coordinator said that?
 
@Genore : that i exactly what i was affraid of!

But i did talk to the program administrator, and he said that i could take the class if my mentor is cool with it... since my class would start at 5:30 pm M-TH, he told me that i need to be available 9-5, and I could always work something out with the mentor, since he predicts that I will have some stretches of a lot of work and little work (ive been unofficially partnered with a neuroscience research!! yey me )

So will decide after meeting my mentor... but I do know it will be rather tough... and yes I need Biochem - Its req for my Chemistry major!
 
@La Presse, yeah, admissions is a tough game. Unfortunately, the original purpose, of providing high quality research experiences to those who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity, has fallen by the wayside in many programs (except for those who are trying to encourage minorities, etc.). I think targeting your applications to the schools is really important, and something I definitely didn't focus much on my first go around. I'm glad you were able to get somewhere eventually. :)

@JMB92, wow. That's maybe not wholly surprising, but it is unfortunately. I realize that it may be difficult to sort through all the applications, but all should be given a fair go at it. Base cut offs on GPA or a perceived likelihood of accepting if accepted, etc. :/ Will you tell us if it's a Leadership Alliance school or a CIC?

@FluffyPolishUnicorn: I'm glad you were able to get an accommodation from the program admin. How late will the class go? Also, congrats on getting into the neuroscience program. A lot of that sort of research, based on my brief experience in that field and talking to friends in that area, is on the computer, which can be done at any time, thankfully. However, it will be a lot of work to balance both, but if you're committed to doing well and talk with your Orgo professor, you can probably make it work.
It's also interesting to hear that it's a night class four days a week. At my school, it takes up the entire day until the early afternoon, so I guess your program covers more weeks of the summer. The setup there should work a lot better for doing both at one.
Yeah, that makes sense. You might want to start talking to him/her as soon as possible, preferably by Skype or phone so you can see or at least hear whether they actually would be fine with it. It's also important to send a follow up email if they say it's fine to confirm what they said (to "check your understanding of your conversation"). :) It's always important to have things in writing to refer back to if something unexpected happens. Good luck!
 
Genore said:
@JMB92, wow. That's maybe not wholly surprising, but it is unfortunately. I realize that it may be difficult to sort through all the applications, but all should be given a fair go at it. Base cut offs on GPA or a perceived likelihood of accepting if accepted, etc. :/ Will you tell us if it's a Leadership Alliance school or a CIC?
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Yeah I think it sucks because I applied to a total of 16 REUs and thought I had a solid chance. I didn't want to annoy programs by calling them! I thought submitting an app which took me months to put together was enough to "show interest" lol

It was a CIC to answer your question and @USAmerican I'd rather not say which. But she did say that she thinks most of the CIC SROPs do work that way. I'm not pre-med (I'm applying to PhDs) so I don't even know if CIC programs are aimed for future med school applicants. But the way I see it, they're all pretty similar, especially in the number of applicants!
 
Ive been downgraded for my SURP this year, from Neuroscience (brain pathology to be exact) explicitly to just psychology in general... I feel CHEATED!! I was suppose to inject mice and rats and now... I absolutely dont know what I will do bc my "mentor" doesnt know either.... le sigh

Just need to let out my range bc me hubby told me he cant hear about any SURP anymore ;)

done complaining - thank you :)
 
@JMB92...how odd. It may depend on the program even within the school. I got into University of Iowa and University Michigan programs without previous contact (I don't think Iowa emailing me to have me check on a recommender for my letter and me responding counts). I had asked a question (about if a screenshot of my ACT score would work) of the administrative assistant at University of Nebraska, but my roommate did a program there and I don't think she contacted them early. However, last year I applied to another program at Michigan and thought I was pretty competitive for that one and got a rejection....so maybe that was it. :p At the same time, I hadn't heard of CIC before you posted about it (which is sort of embarrassing considering I'm from and currently reside in one of those states...) so maybe I applied to non-CIC programs at the CIC universities. Who knows...

@FluffyPolishUnicorn, don't be too disappointed. While SURF programs often offer you the ability to experience a field of interest that's not strong at your home university, the projects usually aren't exactly in your interest area, anyway. In my Immunology program, there were people working heavily on a genetics/computer program and others on hard virology projects, instead of "traditional" immunology projects. But, that is a great way to see first hand the diversity in the field and to learn how to succeed on a new project. You probably won't be in a lab that's doing exactly what you love in grad school, either, since the lab environment and PI personality are far more important than the subject studied (according to all grad students I've talked to, though the PIs disagree :p). However, your experience will still a great experience to learn about research at another university and hopefully to expand your interest areas and expertise. Also, at most programs, you can't work directly with mice/rats unless you have a previous certification from your university so that may not have been a viable option either. It's a good thing that your mentor doesn't have a project set up, given your interest area, because s/he should be willing to help you make a project that have aspects of both of your interests. Learning how to design your own project will be a great skill to have for the future! Hope all goes well. :)
 
Hi everyone! I know this thread is dead and I posted last week about giving up BUT... I got an email from Stanford today! I'm going!! This was my top choice from the beginning and I'm actually in disbelief. Now I have to call my summer job boss and hope she doesn't get too upset lol. So excited:soexcited:
 
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Just going to ask again if anyone is doing MMRL's Summer Research Program------ pm me if you are!
 
sorry im a little later on this thread, but has anyone heard back from NYU/CNS? their website says notifications will come mid-late April, and I'm getting really antsy
 
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starbuckslover said:
sorry im a little later on this thread, but has anyone heard back from NYU/CNS? their website says notifications will come mid-late April, and I'm getting really antsy
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It's probably a rejection. I haven't heard back either, but most of my programs have been pretty late to get back to me this year.
 
starbuckslover said:
sorry im a little later on this thread, but has anyone heard back from NYU/CNS? their website says notifications will come mid-late April, and I'm getting really antsy
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I don't know anything about that program, but I recommend just calling. They should understand that you're anxious to hear. I was able to quickly get answers or information out of most of the programs I called.
 
I don't want to make an individual topic but I'm probably going to be applying to these research programs and fellowships for the 2015 summer, and I'm looking for tips on how to bolster my application especially since my GPA is a little low and I don't know how my application stacks up against the competition. If anyone can PM me to offer help I can share my current relevant stats and respond back quickly!
 
Did anyone apply to Roswell Park SIP? Still waiting to hear from them!
 
Everyone traveling this summer, good luck and have fun. Hope you get a good experience. I'm sure I will.
 
Hello; has anyone heard from Harvard?

farafeelo said:
Still haven't heard anything from my 3 leadership alliance sites. Should I take it as a rejection? There is nothing posted on my account. It just says "no decisions have been made. Check back later." My three sites were Harvard, Columbia, and U of Chicago.
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Farafeelo, have you heard back yet?
 
Accepted into [snip] with a housing stipend too. Honestly kind of surprised since much of my coursework is gen. ed. and light-ish on science. :)
 
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summerwars said:
Hello; has anyone heard from Harvard?



Farafeelo, have you heard back yet?
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Rejected from all 3 leadership alliance sites. No email. They just updated the website...except Columbia sent a rejection email. Harvard SHURP has sent out all acceptances.
 
Hi all, just a quick question for anyone accepted who might still be following the thread.

This may vary by field, but how are you all listing your experience on your CVs? I will definitely put it under "Research Experience" of course, but since this is also a monetary award, should it go under my awards/scholarships section, too? It's almost like a mini fellowship for undergrads the way I see it.

By the way, hope everyone's summers are great so far!!
 
JMB92 said:
Hi all, just a quick question for anyone accepted who might still be following the thread.

This may vary by field, but how are you all listing your experience on your CVs? I will definitely put it under "Research Experience" of course, but since this is also a monetary award, should it go under my awards/scholarships section, too? It's almost like a mini fellowship for undergrads the way I see it.

By the way, hope everyone's summers are great so far!!
Click to expand...
I believe most people put it under both. :)
 
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JMB92 said:
Hi all, just a quick question for anyone accepted who might still be following the thread.

This may vary by field, but how are you all listing your experience on your CVs? I will definitely put it under "Research Experience" of course, but since this is also a monetary award, should it go under my awards/scholarships section, too? It's almost like a mini fellowship for undergrads the way I see it.

By the way, hope everyone's summers are great so far!!
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd put it only under "Research Experience" for my resume, but that's because a resume is only one page and I don't want to be redundant. It might come off as a cheap way to "buff-up" the lines of your resume with the same accomplishment. I would write it as something like:

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
XXXXXX University (June 2014-July 2014)
Undergraduate Research Fellow
-list the things I did as part of the internship
-more things I did as part of the internship

However, if I were compiling a complete list of everything that I've done (not limited to a single-page) I might put them under both.
 
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Charizard said:
Personally, I'd put it only under "Research Experience" for my resume, but that's because a resume is only one page and I don't want to be redundant. It might come off as a cheap way to "buff-up" the lines of your resume with the same accomplishment. I would write it as something like:

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
XXXXXX University (June 2014-July 2014)
Undergraduate Research Fellow
-list the things I did as part of the internship
-more things I did as part of the internship

However, if I were compiling a complete list of everything that I've done (not limited to a single-page) I might put them under both.
Click to expand...

Yep. The resume building software I use works exactly like this.
 
I know it's early, but I'd like to see what you all think about my chances at acceptance to some REU programs. I'm a Junior biology major at a small liberal arts college with limited research opportunities. I did plant biology research last summer and am volunteering in a biochemistry/molecular biology lab this summer. GPA is 3.4 (kind of low because two semesters with overloaded schedule (18 credit hours)). I'm really interested in studying immunobiology, specifically HIV/AIDS research. I'm conflicted about applying for MD/DO schools, OR for PhD/masters programs. I have 2 faculty in mind that would write pretty good letters. Last year, I applied to University of Nebraska's REU in molecular biology and was wait listed.

A few programs I've began researching:
Colorado State Uni. REU in Molecular Biosciences:
http://www.bmb.colostate.edu/undergraduates/reu/program-description/

Loyola Uni. Summer Undergraduate Research Program: http://www.stritch.luc.edu/lumen/deptwebs/microbio/summer/details.php

Wadsworth Center REU:
http://www.wadsworth.org/educate/molcel.htm

Uni. of Wisconson, Madison IBS-SRP:
http://biology.wisc.edu/Undergradua...edBiologicalSciencesSummerResearchProgram.htm

I know REU's are really competitive, but I want to apply. Do you think my institutional affiliation will help my chances? Most say a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required; is a 3.4 going to hurt my chances?
 
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Bryan@Centre said:
I know it's early, but I'd like to see what you all think about my chances at acceptance to some REU programs. I'm a Junior biology major at a small liberal arts college with limited research opportunities. I did plant biology research last summer and am volunteering in a biochemistry/molecular biology lab this summer. GPA is 3.4 (kind of low because two semesters with overloaded schedule (18 credit hours)). I'm really interested in studying immunobiology, specifically HIV/AIDS research. I'm conflicted about applying for MD/DO schools, OR for PhD/masters programs. I have 2 faculty in mind that would write pretty good letters. Last year, I applied to University of Nebraska's REU in molecular biology and was wait listed.

A few programs I've began researching:
Colorado State Uni. REU in Molecular Biosciences: http://www.bmb.colostate.edu/undergraduates/reu/program-description/

Loyola Uni. Summer Undergraduate Research Program: http://www.stritch.luc.edu/lumen/deptwebs/microbio/summer/details.php

Wadsworth Center REU: http://www.wadsworth.org/educate/molcel.htm

Uni. of Wisconson, Madison IBS-SRP: http://biology.wisc.edu/Undergradua...edBiologicalSciencesSummerResearchProgram.htm

I know REU's are really competitive, but I want to apply. Do you think my institutional affiliation will help my chances? Most say a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required; is a 3.4 going to hurt my chances?
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Just have to apply!

I think its about the person as a whole... i had 3.94 cGPA and 4.0 sGPA and got rejected from 4/5 programs. Then one decided that I am a good fit. IMO GPA isnt a great predictor of chances, if you show your interest and come across as a person who fit their program then you will get in...

GOOD LUCK!!
 
Bryan@Centre said:
I know it's early, but I'd like to see what you all think about my chances at acceptance to some REU programs. I'm a Junior biology major at a small liberal arts college with limited research opportunities. I did plant biology research last summer and am volunteering in a biochemistry/molecular biology lab this summer. GPA is 3.4 (kind of low because two semesters with overloaded schedule (18 credit hours)). I'm really interested in studying immunobiology, specifically HIV/AIDS research. I'm conflicted about applying for MD/DO schools, OR for PhD/masters programs. I have 2 faculty in mind that would write pretty good letters. Last year, I applied to University of Nebraska's REU in molecular biology and was wait listed.

A few programs I've began researching:
Colorado State Uni. REU in Molecular Biosciences: http://www.bmb.colostate.edu/undergraduates/reu/program-description/

Loyola Uni. Summer Undergraduate Research Program: http://www.stritch.luc.edu/lumen/deptwebs/microbio/summer/details.php

Wadsworth Center REU: http://www.wadsworth.org/educate/molcel.htm

Uni. of Wisconson, Madison IBS-SRP: http://biology.wisc.edu/Undergradua...edBiologicalSciencesSummerResearchProgram.htm

I know REU's are really competitive, but I want to apply. Do you think my institutional affiliation will help my chances? Most say a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required; is a 3.4 going to hurt my chances?
Click to expand...

Put effort into your personal statement/ essay questions and stray away from the generic essay you could submit to all schools via copy and paste... you'll get 1-2 offers
 
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