Summer research programs versus research at home university?

[Joey Carter]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey y'all. I've been looking at various programs for next year (I'm a freshman), and I see that acceptance rates for these programs are extremely low (SURF, Amgen, etc). I'm curious- do you guys think it's better to independently find a lab at one's home institution or to spend a summer in a different city with one of these programs? I just don't see why it would be better to go through one of these programs, spend a summer in a lab 500 miles away, and then go back home. Any thoughts?

 

[DrHart]

I'm in the same predicament. I applied to like 10 different REU/internship programs. They all offer decent stipends... Some even as much as $5000 plus room and board. But I've already been rejected from a couple and as a white male with only a little bit of past research, I'm not holding my breath. I could work unpaid doing surgical outcomes based research at my home uni which is cool too I guess. As a freshman I'd say you have plenty of time to do a summer REU. It wouldn't be bad to do the research you can get to beef up your resume a little. GL whatever you choose to do.

 

[Lucca]

Home Lab = Longer Time Commitment = Higher probability of presentation/publishing = shows dedication and focus = possibility for a good LOR

Prestigious Summer Research Internship = possibility gor a good LOR from someone at a medical institution you are interested in = networking with medical researchers and faculty. Also, it's a good way to get lab skills and experience you wouldn't have otherwise earned in your home lab.

The way I see it, if you can do your own independent project then Home > Summer

If home doesn't let you do your own independent project and you have the resume to get into summer then summer > home.

 

[CarlosDanger]

The advantage isn't really about the actual project, but getting accepted into a competitive internship program that will look good on your app, and possible networking opportunities. Apply for these programs, but also try to have a plan B lab at your home school in case you don't get picked to move to NYC for the summer. Ideally (if you want to invest in undergrad research) you would have a home lab to work at during the school year to establish a long-term relationship with PI and hopefully accomplish something, and maybe a summer internship at an outside lab. At a major research university, it's not very hard to find a lab doing interesting work, so if you just want to get general lab experience, then no you don't need a fancy internship program.