Summer Research Internships

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rxnfiend

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Hi all,

I was wondering what is a good number of summer research internships I should apply to? I have applied to 9 so far but they are all VERY selective schools so there is a possibility of not gaining an acceptance at any. Should I apply to more?

Few stats to judge by:
Junior at UF
3.96-4.0 GPA depending on how semester ends
Previous research in clinical lab for 1.5 years
NIH Summer Internship Program last summer
Great rec letters
Decent essays

Opinions?

Thanks! :)

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HAHAH thanks for the laugh. :laugh:

And yeah, I asked if 10 were enough not where to apply to. Any serious responses?

How selective are we talking here? Like AMGEN selective, or Janelia Farm selective? If its a SURF, then the level of competition varies widely depending on the host school. The NIH internship is not that tough imo, merely a question of being proactive. Can't think of any other worthwhile ones at the moment.
 
How selective are we talking here? Like AMGEN selective, or Janelia Farm selective? If its a SURF, then the level of competition varies widely depending on the host school. The NIH internship is not that tough imo, merely a question of being proactive. Can't think of any other worthwhile ones at the moment.

Well here is a list of the places I applied:

Columbia - AMGEN
Stanford - AMGEN
University of California, San Francisco - AMGEN
Mayo - SURF
Johns Hopkins - SIP
Yale - Leadership Alliance
University of Chicago - Leadership Alliance
University of Pennsylvania - Leadership Alliance
Vanderbilt - Clinical Undergraduate Summer Research Program
Harvard - SHURP
University of Michigan - SROP

I didn't reapply to the NIH because I wanted to try something new this summer and the living expenses were horrible there. I even asked my PI from my lab at the NIH for letters for the other programs and he gladly accepted by telling me having other opportunities is a great idea.

I am just scared that there is a real possibility of not getting any of these because of the competitiveness. Which ones of these are the hardest to get into? Thanks for the help!
 
Well here is a list of the places I applied:

Columbia - AMGEN
Stanford - AMGEN
University of California, San Francisco - AMGEN
Mayo - SURF
Johns Hopkins - SIP
Yale - Leadership Alliance
University of Chicago - Leadership Alliance
University of Pennsylvania - Leadership Alliance
Vanderbilt - Clinical Undergraduate Summer Research Program
Harvard - SHURP
University of Michigan - SROP

I didn't reapply to the NIH because I wanted to try something new this summer and the living expenses were horrible there. I even asked my PI from my lab at the NIH for letters for the other programs and he gladly accepted by telling me having other opportunities is a great idea.

I am just scared that there is a real possibility of not getting any of these because of the competitiveness. Which ones of these are the hardest to get into? Thanks for the help!

Well if you used a really simple model and said that you have a 10% chance of getting into each of the programs (which is double the acceptance rate at many of those programs), then your chance would be 1-.90^11 = 68.6%. But I know the Mayo one has a good (20%) acceptance rate. So if you had a 10% shot at all of them but 20% at Mayo, then your chance would be 1-(0.9^10)*.8 = 72.1% that you'll get in somewhere.
 
If you are a racial/ethnic minority then you are fine. If you are already in a program like AMP or MARC you are even better. If you are not then I would apply to a few more, especially if you are telling the truth on your applications and saying you are pre-MD. Going to UF helps because it is known as a diverse school. I am a minority, have a similar profile, and applied to 10 SURFs last year with only 2 acceptances. I got into my number 1 choice which accepted about 5% of applicants. The director of the program told me the details of selection and about her quotas. about 75% of the participants in her program had to meet NIH guidelines for URM (75% roughly represents how much NIH funded this particular program).
 
If you are a racial/ethnic minority then you are fine. If you are already in a program like AMP or MARC you are even better. If you are not then I would apply to a few more, especially if you are telling the truth on your applications and saying you are pre-MD. Going to UF helps because it is known as a diverse school. I am a minority, have a similar profile, and applied to 10 SURFs last year with only 2 acceptances. I got into my number 1 choice which accepted about 5% of applicants. The director of the program told me the details of selection and about her quotas. about 75% of the participants in her program had to meet NIH guidelines for URM (75% roughly represents how much NIH funded this particular program).
See this is what worries me. I am a white male so definitely not a minority by any means. It is almost reverse discrimination and seems unfair that I have a much harder time getting accepted just because I have white skin. :(

Since I am not a URM, which others should I apply to?
 
HAHAH thanks for the laugh. :laugh:

And yeah, I asked if 10 were enough not where to apply to. Any serious responses?

This question is like asking if x amount of medical schools is enough to apply to. Who the hell knows? If you're serious about doing a research program, apply to as many as you possibly can and hopefully you'll get one.

This kind of stuff really is common sense. There's no secret here. Before dismissing my first post as not srs, perhaps you should do your own research and look into the programs listed there.
 
Try the HSCI (Harvard Stem Cell Institute) and Harvard NEPRC (New England Primate Research Center). I am also a white male and I applied to a lot of the ones you are applying to and only got into the 2 I just listed (my top two choices). I ended up going to the Harvard NEPRC, but I know both do not reverse discriminate. Many summer programs do reverse discriminate and I feel like that was the case for me at a lot of them. HSCI and NEPRC are purely merit based. GOOD LUCK!
 
This question is like asking if x amount of medical schools is enough to apply to. Who the hell knows? If you're serious about doing a research program, apply to as many as you possibly can and hopefully you'll get one.

This kind of stuff really is common sense. There's no secret here. Before dismissing my first post as not srs, perhaps you should do your own research and look into the programs listed there.

Cole, this is a valid question whether you deem it to be or not. I frankly do not care if you believe it is common sense, because it is not. I was looking for anecdotal evidence from other users which is why I posted here. Get off of your high horse, you are not special.

Anyways, thank you bconstant that is exactly the kind of response I was looking for! I will apply to both of those so thanks for the heads up. Hopefully my research over the past 1.5 years and the NIH summer internship should be enough to grab a few eyes when reading over my application. :xf:
 
I applied to over 20, got into one at Siteman Cancer Center at WashU St Louis. Be happy to answer any Qs. It's a great program. I really really liked it and got a lot out of it.
 
I applied to over 20, got into one at Siteman Cancer Center at WashU St Louis. Be happy to answer any Qs. It's a great program. I really really liked it and got a lot out of it.

Wow over 20! Maybe I should put in some more apps. :oops:

Just a few questions: are you a URM? If not, did you find this to be a major disadvantage when applying to the programs? Also, what specifically did you really like about the Siteman Cancer Center at WashU? Thanks!
 
Wow over 20! Maybe I should put in some more apps. :oops:

Just a few questions: are you a URM? If not, did you find this to be a major disadvantage when applying to the programs? Also, what specifically did you really like about the Siteman Cancer Center at WashU? Thanks!

No, I am not a URM. And to be honest with you, in my group there were no URMs, except maybe for one Hispanic person, but he had AWESOME stats too!
In general, these summer research internships are very competitive. A few of my friends tried to apply to the same program in the following years, and none of them were able to get in. They get hundreds of apps for a few (5-10) spots. So you can imagine.

I loved WashU in general. People, culture...Med school is just amazing. Research opportunities unlimited. This is, perhaps, the best research center in the country, or at the minimum in the top 5. The administrator of the program is a really nice person, she really cares about you, both as a student and person. It's been more than 3 years now and we still keep in touch. She really tries to balance your summer experience and make sure that you don't get stuck in lab all summer, but meet other people, get to know St Louis, and attend at least a few social events. I think it's important. She makes you feel welcomed and part of WashU community.

I also got really lucky with my research mentor. Recommendation letter that I got from him opened doors to some very competitive schools in the country (my MCAT score was solid but not amazing). Also, there's constantly visitors from other top research places giving lectures on a variety of topics and you are welcome to attend all of them. The presentation that you have to give at the end of the internship is in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
 
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