SURF Experience

[PsychPhDHopeful]

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I was accepted early March into Yale's SURF program. YAY!

Does anybody care to share what their experience was like with a summer research fellowship? Did you learn a lot? How intense was it? Were you able to get a good letter of recommendation out of it?

Any information would be greatly appreciated - I have looked online and wasn't able to find much information from people who had participated.

Also, how much weight do you think a summer fellowship at a university like Yale would have in the application process to grad school? Yes, I know there are many other factors, but in general...

 

[somedude14]

I was accepted early March into Yale's SURF program. YAY!

Does anybody care to share what their experience was like with a summer research fellowship? Did you learn a lot? How intense was it? Were you able to get a good letter of recommendation out of it?

Any information would be greatly appreciated - I have looked online and wasn't able to find much information from people who had participated.

Also, how much weight do you think a summer fellowship at a university like Yale would have in the application process to grad school? Yes, I know there are many other factors, but in general...

I had a summer research position at an ivy league school and it was a great experience. However, mine wasn't an official program. I've heard mixed things about REU programs. Some people love them, some hate them. It depends on the advisor and people you work with really.

Yes, it will look good for applications and depending how you work and what your advisor is like you could get a great LOR. For me, it wasn't that i worked at an ivy league school, it was the quality of research experience that was most important. If you go do your SURF thing and you don't get any quality research experience or LOR, then it won't look super good, just pretty good.

Bottom line: Yes it will be good for your application, but how good? No one can know.

 

[reluctantPhd01]

I did something like this (another Ivy). I was lucky because the professor took a real interest in me, and really made sure I got a lot out of it. Honestly though, it is hit or miss. You can't really get to know someone that well in 3 months, but often, professors realize that the whole point of you doing this is for a rec letter. It just depends. In some ways, I might argue that you'd be better staying at your home institution would be a better bet, and offer some more continuity, senior thesis options. But, if you can work with someone with a big name, get a letter, learn a few things, work your butt off and get on a poster or a paper, it will DEFINITELY help. I think it being from Yale will matter very little; nobody will care where you did it, it depends what you do it with it and how it unfolds.