Summer Research Application and Acceptance Thread (REU, SURF, SURP, SIP, AMGEN etc.) 2015

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Hey guys, I wanted to jump in on this. I got accepted to U of Chicago's REU program today, and figured I'd find a forum to see how others are doing and get updates on other programs. I applied to a total of 12, but I'm only waiting for those that are more prestigious/on par with Chicago before deciding. That leaves me waiting on the following;
Stanford's Amgen
Berkeley's Amgen
Harvard's Amgen
UCSF's REU/Amgen
Jackson Labs SSP
Washington in St. Louis's Amgen
Columbia's Amgen

I'm considered under represented; woman in the sciences, a first generation college student, and from a low income background. I'm a biochem major with german and theology minors, cumulative GPA 3.8, science GPA 3.6. I had 1 internship that was science related and a summer with a camp that was ecology related, and am currently doing a directed research project with faculty from my home institution. I'm from a small liberal arts college with no graduate program and limited research opportunities but with a great undergraduate program in the sciences besides. Good luck to all!

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Just wanted to drop by and mention that the Leadership Alliance has a few schools already accepting students. UPenn, through the Leadership Alliance, sent me an acceptance into their SUIP at their Biomedical Graduate Studies. This happened on Tuesday, Feb. 10th, 2015 and I have two weeks to reply before they withdraw the offer.

I'm still waiting on UCSF for any of the three programs (Amgen, SRTP, and the NSF-REU) but I'll likely accept UPenn although I also applied to University of Chicago and Dartmouth with Leadership Alliance. I'm not going to be greedy though...

In case you're wondering at my stats:
  • GPA 3.37 (not stellar but it's good enough for grad school)
  • GRE 155Q, 157V 4.0W (definitely retaking these)
  • 2 years research experience including 1 summer.
  • McNair Scholar
  • Presented at 1 conference (oral)
  • Presented at 2 symposiums (posters)
  • Strong LoR from: McNair director + PI of Lab (debated who to get them from but I decided to choose people I know personally over professors of classes I've taken)
  • Underrepresented Minority (Hispanic)
  • Vice-president ASM Student Chapter
  • Community Service Chair McNair Ambassadors
  • Major: Microbiology and Cell Science
  • Minors: Bioinformatics; Chemistry
  • Year: Junior (soon to be Senior)
  • University Ranking: ~49 Nationally in US
  • Courses: All general science and math courses, statistics, and upper level microbiology courses as well. I'm taking Biochem right now along with some upper level microbio courses and I hope to do my best!
I just wanted to provide a sense of perspective for y'all. Good luck!

out of curiosity, when did you submit your application for leadership alliance?
 
How do SURF programs stack up to others? From what I hear it is a more personalized setting but depends on the school and supervisor. I've only done one summer at NIH before so any feedback would be appreciated!
 
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Anyone here applied to Ohio State SROP (cic), UVA SRIP, Colorado State REU or Iowa Microbiology REU? I've only heard from ohio...
 
Anyone here applied to Ohio State SROP (cic), UVA SRIP, Colorado State REU or Iowa Microbiology REU? I've only heard from ohio...
I applied to the Colorado REU as well, their website says they're notifying people sometime in March I believe
 
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Also got in U Chicago REU yesterday! I think I'll wait until the day before they start offering others before I reply. I'm from small Liberal Arts school too ha. But Chicago is still a great option--if you haven't heard from other AMGEN sites soon, I'd email them to say that you are considering Chicago and it has an upcoming deadline.
Hey guys, I wanted to jump in on this. I got accepted to U of Chicago's REU program today, and figured I'd find a forum to see how others are doing and get updates on other programs. I applied to a total of 12, but I'm only waiting for those that are more prestigious/on par with Chicago before deciding. That leaves me waiting on the following;
Stanford's Amgen
Berkeley's Amgen
Harvard's Amgen
UCSF's REU/Amgen
Jackson Labs SSP
Washington in St. Louis's Amgen
Columbia's Amgen

I'm considered under represented; woman in the sciences, a first generation college student, and from a low income background. I'm a biochem major with german and theology minors, cumulative GPA 3.8, science GPA 3.6. I had 1 internship that was science related and a summer with a camp that was ecology related, and am currently doing a directed research project with faculty from my home institution. I'm from a small liberal arts college with no graduate program and limited research opportunities but with a great undergraduate program in the sciences besides. Good luck to all!
 
Anyone here applied to Ohio State SROP (cic), UVA SRIP, Colorado State REU or Iowa Microbiology REU? I've only heard from ohio...
+1 for UVA Srip.

My essays were brief and I asked my Hosp Volunteer to be one of my 2 recs, so I pretty much flubbed it.

Aside from benefiting from their URM focus, I don't expect much. I'm Hispanic and White.
 
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Also got in U Chicago REU yesterday! I think I'll wait until the day before they start offering others before I reply. I'm from small Liberal Arts school too ha. But Chicago is still a great option--if you haven't heard from other AMGEN sites soon, I'd email them to say that you are considering Chicago and it has an upcoming deadline.
I replied to the acceptance email asking for an extension of my deadline if I haven't heard back from the other programs by then, and they said they will likely allow it. They told me to just check back in in two weeks. As far as I know, the majority of Amgen sites said they will send out notices in early to mid march, so we'll see!
 
^Not to be a party pooper, but if that's how you worded your email, it was probably taken to be quite rude. Asking them to extend the deadline until you've heard back from other places logically means that they're not one of your top choices and you're using it as a fall-back. Which isn't really quite fair to other students who really did want it as their first choice, really wanted to get in, and may be on some waitlist. Just my take.
 
^I obviously worded it better than that, and the University of Chicago is far from a fall back. Originally I wasn't expecting to get in anywhere, so I was shocked by the offer. I'm waiting on schools like Harvard and Stanford though, so I would like to know what is available to me before making a decision. I've also been accepted to study abroad in Australia for the fall and the dates of the Chicago program would overlap. I would choose the REU over Australia, but if I get in somewhere else that is just as good of a school and would allow me to do both I would prefer to have both experiences.
 
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Hey everyone! Got my placement in the Mayo SURF today! For those of you who are going to accept this one (or who have done it in the past), how does housing work? Do we get randomly matched with roommates? If you have some info or insight into this message me or comment back please!
 
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+1 for UVA Srip.

My essays were brief and I asked my Hosp Volunteer to be one of my 2 recs, so I pretty much flubbed it.

Aside from benefiting from their URM focus, I don't expect much. I'm Hispanic and White.
I feel you on that. It was one of the first apps I did and I feel like I kind of did crappy essays. Well, not near as good as the other essays for my other apps. I kinda rushed. I'm hispanic. And like you, I'm not expecting much, to be honest.
 
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Which Mayo SURF programs have gone out? And do they notify you of rejection? I called and passed the initial cut but haven't heard anything from the PI. I'm starting to assume I've been passed over.
 
Thank you! Where in the site? I must be blind. I check and check and can't find anything. Not even a FAQ
Hmmm.... I just went to check and I'm honestly not sure where I found it... Their engineering REU promises to notify applicants by the end of March so with any luck the biochemistry one will be done around then/before that as well.
 
out of curiosity, when did you submit your application for leadership alliance?

Literally the day of the deadline. I was constantly checking and rechecking my essays and getting them reviewed by a lot of people. It's not a rolling admission thing so they view all applications at once.
 
Literally the day of the deadline. I was constantly checking and rechecking my essays and getting them reviewed by a lot of people. It's not a rolling admission thing so they view all applications at once.

ohh, did you list them as your first choice? or does it not matter?
 
Hey everyone! Got my placement in the Mayo SURF today! For those of you who are going to accept this one (or who have done it in the past), how does housing work? Do we get randomly matched with roommates? If you have some info or insight into this message me or comment back please!

You have to arrange/pay for it yourself from the stipend they provide you. Though they list some recommended places to stay on their website (http://www.mayo.edu/mgs/programs/summer-undergraduate-research-fellowship/stipend-and-benefits). I've heard terrible things about the Kahler Hotel, so I think I'm going to stay in 318 commons (it's not too far from Mayo either).
 
Which Mayo SURF programs have gone out? And do they notify you of rejection? I called and passed the initial cut but haven't heard anything from the PI. I'm starting to assume I've been passed over.

I got notification from a cancer lab on Monday. Last year when I got rejected I think they emailed me in March? But I wouldn't lose hope yet--some people will probably turn down the spots, etc. Where else did you apply?
 
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I got notification from a cancer lab on Monday. Last year when I got rejected I think they emailed me in March? But I wouldn't lose hope yet--some people will probably turn down the spots, etc. Where else did you apply?

Oh okay, I applied Neurobiology of Disease. It sounds foolish but I only applied to Mayo. I have a position at a lab at Stanford SoM for independent research (not Agmen/etc.) waiting if I don't get into Mayo this year. But the thing is I'd rather do something more structured like Mayo, honestly. Would you recommend contacting a PI?
 
Oh okay, I applied Neurobiology of Disease. It sounds foolish but I only applied to Mayo. I have a position at a lab at Stanford SoM for independent research (not Agmen/etc.) waiting if I don't get into Mayo this year. But the thing is I'd rather do something more structured like Mayo, honestly. Would you recommend contacting a PI?
No, that's great that you have a spot in a lab at all--especially at Stanford! Honestly, I couldn't say if contacting a PI would help you. I know that if you pass the initial round, they forward your application to PIs who might be interested in you (so potential PIs might have already seen your app). But it's worth a shot, right?
 
Bwblue - I will at the mayo Jacksonville, Florida location.
Have you heard anything about this campus? Also have you heard what surf programs are like at the Mayo? (Sorry this is my first ever summer internship anywhere)
 
Some strong applicants here! Made an account here to wish you all the best. Hope to meet some of you at the symposium.

I'm applying to Amgen at Columbia, UCSF, UCLA and NIH. By the summer I'll be sitting on about two years of high-impact research at some big name places doing some wild, over-the-top things undergraduates usually don't do. One of the experiences is at the lab pioneering my particular field. All of the host institutions have host labs working on precisely the same niche I've been working in, and that makes me feel particularly confident. The rest of my application is solid, and I feel really good about the quality of my recommendations and the people they're coming from. I applied as pre-MD/PhD.

You know, it's funny. A few years back I was reading these threads thinking to myself how on earth I'd ever be able to submit and feel like I had a real shot. A few years later and a lot of hard work, I'm posting in one after having applied. Time flies.
 
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Bwblue - I will at the mayo Jacksonville, Florida location.
Have you heard anything about this campus? Also have you heard what surf programs are like at the Mayo? (Sorry this is my first ever summer internship anywhere)

I haven't heard about the Jacksonville location specifically, but I assume it's smaller than the Rochester campus, and there will be less SURF students there. But that can definitely be a good thing , especially for your first internship (my past internship had a small group of students, and it was awesome)! You'll probably be working at least 9-5 in the lab, possibly more depending on your goals/PI. From my understanding, the SURF program will have weekly seminars (all the SURF students come together and listen to a research presentation) and social events planned throughout (I'm sure you'll have a few trips to the beach in store!). At the very end, there will be a poster symposium where all the students can present their research. I'm sure you're going to have a great time!
 
Is there a separate thread for NIH-SIP!?!?!?!
Seems like no one has applied to this or everyone is still in the shadows about it..

To all that applied to NIH.. What are your preferred centers?

I applied to NIH. They don't have a centralized selection process (unless you applied to their new AMGEN or community college programs), so you;re responsible for finding a PI willing to take you. As far as I know there is no separate thread here for the SIP.

I'm hoping to get placed in NIMH, NINDS, or NCATS
 
Anyone here applied to Ohio State SROP (cic), UVA SRIP, Colorado State REU or Iowa Microbiology REU? I've only heard from ohio...
I applied to Ohio too, and a few other CICs. But I'm humanities.

I'm so nervous. I have good stats for a sophomore (3.82 GPA/conference/stellar recs/good personal statement/belong to underrep. groups) but I'm afraid I won't get in anywhere.

Also, I can express my gratitude enough for all of you putting this thread together. I can't believe I can find one like this anywhere else on the Internet. Good job having your lives together and good luck to everyone else!

I really hope I hear from leadership alliance or anywhere else sooner. I have some discipline specific programs I can apply for, but those are due the end of March and I would prefer to not have to apply for them. Here's hoping!
 
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Hi, I applied to UCLA Amgen and UCLA SPUR. If anyone find out from these programs, let me know!
 
Hi! I'm a U2 Physics major with a Biophysics track at a small private uni. ~3.94 cGPA with 2 semesters and 1 summers worth of research in nonlinear dynamics.

I applied to
Princeton's Molecular Biophysics Program
Vanderbilt's summer anesthesiology
UPenn SUIP
Wash U. MTSP
UCSD MTSP
UCSD-Scripps SURF
UCSF Biophysics Research
UNC Biophysics Program
Stanford and UMissouri REU

And I'm finishing up my apps for
Yale, Vanderbilt, Purdue,UMich,UWashington REU's
and Virginia SOM SRIP

I have a phone interview with Princeton sometime this upcoming week! *crossing my fingers* I really hope I get in!
Also, I'm an Asian male. That's why I applied for so many, but also because most of these programs are really competitive. UCSF sent out an e-mail 2 weeks ago saying they have about 30 spots for 2000 applicants... I don't know how many applicants there are for the other programs, but it's probably a large number too!
Good luck to you all!
 
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I applied to Ohio too, and a few other CICs. But I'm humanities.

I'm so nervous. I have good stats for a sophomore (3.82 GPA/conference/stellar recs/good personal statement/belong to underrep. groups) but I'm afraid I won't get in anywhere.

Also, I can express my gratitude enough for all of you putting this thread together. I can't believe I can find one like this anywhere else on the Internet. Good job having your lives together and good luck to everyone else!

I really hope I hear from leadership alliance or anywhere else sooner. I have some discipline specific programs I can apply for, but those are due the end of March and I would prefer to not have to apply for them. Here's hoping!

Which CICs did you apply to? I applied to 4 or 5 I believe. I gotta check my list, but I remember OSU because they interviewed me. Did OSU interview you? I'm nervous. Haven't heard much from them.... :/
 
Hi! I'm a U2 Physics major with a Biophysics track at a small private uni. ~3.94 cGPA with 2 semesters and 1 summers worth of research in nonlinear dynamics.

I applied to
Princeton's Molecular Biophysics Program
Vanderbilt's summer anesthesiology
UPenn SUIP
Wash U. MTSP
UCSD MTSP
UCSD-Scripps SURF
UCSF Biophysics Research
UNC Biophysics Program
Stanford and UMissouri REU

And I'm finishing up my apps for
Yale, Vanderbilt, Purdue,UMich,UWashington REU's
and Virginia SOM SRIP

I have a phone interview with Princeton sometime this upcoming week! *crossing my fingers* I really hope I get in!
Also, I'm an Asian male. That's why I applied for so many, but also because most of these programs are really competitive. UCSF sent out an e-mail 2 weeks ago saying they have about 30 spots for 2000 applicants... I don't know how many applicants there are for the other programs, but it's probably a large number too!
Good luck to you all!

About the UPenn SUIP, did you apply through Leadership Alliance or did you just apply straight through the BGS school? I think they're only 30 spots regardless (although one year they had 33?) and according to the 2010 stats there were 800 people applying. I'm guessing there are way more now... Anyway, I think the first wave of applications have already been fully sent out. If you make it in I'll be seeing you there since I'm definitely going now.

http://news.pennmedicine.org/blog/2014/08/making-the-summer-count.html
 
About the UPenn SUIP, did you apply through Leadership Alliance or did you just apply straight through the BGS school? I think they're only 30 spots regardless (although one year they had 33?) and according to the 2010 stats there were 800 people applying. I'm guessing there are way more now... Anyway, I think the first wave of applications have already been fully sent out. If you make it in I'll be seeing you there since I'm definitely going now.

http://news.pennmedicine.org/blog/2014/08/making-the-summer-count.html

I applied through BGS. Congrats to you! I'm so nervous right now, and will be for the few weeks! This is my first time applying to research programs.
 
Which CICs did you apply to? I applied to 4 or 5 I believe. I gotta check my list, but I remember OSU because they interviewed me. Did OSU interview you? I'm nervous. Haven't heard much from them.... :/

No interview, unfortunately. I applied to a bunch. Penn State, Michigan state, Northwestern, Ohio State, Illinois, and Iowa. I'm also a humanities person, so I don't know how much that is affecting my chances.

Did anyone apply to Berkeley, Columbia, or UNC? I haven't heard anything from any of them yet. I'm also hoping to hear back from a leadership alliance school soon. I have a faculty mentor who agreed to work with me, but I also need to get accepted to the program. I assume that's probably a matter of whether they want to fund me or someone else.
 
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Hey Guys,
This is my first post on SDN (I just joined after having been a lurker for a while) because I am slightly freaking out about summer internships. After having done research for 1.5 years in a psychology and a biology laboratory, I applied to 10 programs for this summer. I was wondering if anyone else had heard from these or applied in the past and if you had any idea about the likelihood of getting accepted. Thanks. The list is:
1) Columbia SPHSP (public health)
2) NYU SURP
3)University at Buffalo CLIMB-UP
4) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory URP
5) Albert Einstein SURP
6) Mount Sinai SURP
7) Gerstner SURP
8) University of Michigan FPHLP (public health)
9) John Hopkins SIP
10) Cincinnati Children's SURF
Good luck to us all :)
 
Hey Guys,
This is my first post on SDN (I just joined after having been a lurker for a while) because I am slightly freaking out about summer internships. After having done research for 1.5 years in a psychology and a biology laboratory, I applied to 10 programs for this summer. I was wondering if anyone else had heard from these or applied in the past and if you had any idea about the likelihood of getting accepted. Thanks. The list is:
1) Columbia SPHSP (public health)
2) NYU SURP
3)University at Buffalo CLIMB-UP
4) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory URP
5) Albert Einstein SURP
6) Mount Sinai SURP
7) Gerstner SURP
8) University of Michigan FPHLP (public health)
9) John Hopkins SIP
10) Cincinnati Children's SURF
Good luck to us all :)
I also applied for the CSHL URP...Seems there are post said that they have 25 acceptance/~800 applicants (seems it's pretty old stats). I'm also quite worried about the summer internships...With a 3.24 cGPA and a 3.65 major GPA it seems that I have high probability to fail in the initial cut-off...
 
Got into MD Anderson! I'm a little sad to turn them down, but I know I'll be doing cancer research either way​
 
^^dont give up hope just yet! I know someone who got into a really prestigious program last year with a 3.2 GPA. Goes to an Ivy though, so I don't know how much that helped.
 
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I also applied for the CSHL URP...Seems there are post said that they have 25 acceptance/~800 applicants (seems it's pretty old stats). I'm also quite worried about the summer internships...With a 3.24 cGPA and a 3.65 major GPA it seems that I have high probability to fail in the initial cut-off...


You still have a chance. My cGPA was 3.1 last year and I got in somewhere.
 
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I also applied for the CSHL URP...Seems there are post said that they have 25 acceptance/~800 applicants (seems it's pretty old stats). I'm also quite worried about the summer internships...With a 3.24 cGPA and a 3.65 major GPA it seems that I have high probability to fail in the initial cut-off...

Don't lose hope until you actually don't get in. You never know. I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us. Did you apply anywhere else?
 
Has anyone heard back from any of the AMGEN sites yet?
 
That's awesome! May I know which program you did?

University of Miami. But I think my letters of recommendations were really good and supposedly my personal statement is very well written. I know because my gpa is low I have to depend on everything else for acceptances.
 
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University of Miami. But I think my letters of recommendations were really good and supposedly my personal statement is very well written. I know because my gpa is low I have to depend on everything else for acceptances.
I like reading things like these. Not that I'm happy people have "low" GPAs, but it just goes to show GPA is not everything. Too often people put waaaay too much emphasis on GPA and not enough on properly portraying yourself on personal statements and building relationships for LORs. :whistle:
 
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Don't lose hope until you actually don't get in. You never know. I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us. Did you apply anywhere else?
Thank you for encouraging me!
Thank all of you above!

Actually I only applied for two program. Janelia farm and CSHL URP. Beause I'm an international student and not many programs are open for me.
 
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I like reading things like these. Not that I'm happy people have "low" GPAs, but it just goes to show GPA is not everything. Too often people put waaaay too much emphasis on GPA and not enough on properly portraying yourself on personal statements and building relationships for LORs. :whistle:

Exactly. I meet a lot of people who think that they can't do anything (med school or grad school) because their GPA isn't 3.5+ and I always try to tell them that there is still a chance. A smaller chance, but still a chance. But I am optimistic. I know if I don't get in anywhere this year, I met a lot of PI's in Univ. of Miami that offered me a position in their lab for the summer.
 
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Thank you for encouraging me!
Thank all of you above!

Actually I only applied for two program. Janelia farm and CSHL URP. Beause I'm an international student and not many programs are open for me.

Hopefully you get into CSHL. I applied there too!
 
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Has anyone heard back from any of the AMGEN sites yet?

Reading through last year's post, nobody mentioned acceptance to an Amgen site until the first week of March. I'd be surprised if anything is announced before your REU decision is due.
 
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