Lily Gebhart

Lily Gebhart

Neurosciences PhD Student

All about Summer Research

20 minute read

Published:

In my last post, I mentioned in the “Unconventional Advice” section that I had applied to a lot of summer programs. In all, I applied to 45 of these programs while in undergrad and was fortunate enough to get into several every summer. In this post, I will walk through what summer research entails, how to apply, programs for American students, and more! In the spirit of full transparency, I’ve also included my application materials for all the programs I got into, so you can see how my skills as a writer and researcher developed over time and hopefully use it as a guide for your own applications.

As a disclaimer, I was lucky enough to realize early on that I wanted to do research and have access to resources that enabled me to do research every summer while I was in college. The summer after my freshman year, I worked at Occidental under the Research Early Access Program. After my sophomore year, I joined an summer program at Rutgers University under the DIMACS (Discrete Math and Theoretical Computer Science) NSF REU. After my junior year, I was supported by Occidental’s Science Scholars Program and did a part-time, remote internship with the University of Missouri-Columbia Neuroscience NSF REU.

In this post, my goal is to give you all that I’ve learned about the summer research application process (with a focus on NSF REUs). Please feel free to reach out at gebhart [at] stanford [dot] edu if you have any questions, comments, or want to chat!

First off, why summer research?

  • Summers are often easiest to devote to research since you aren’t busy with classes and other during-the-semester obligations.
  • There’s a lot more funded opportunities in the summer than during the academic year (especially at other institutions or internationally).
  • Summers are the only time to experience full time research looks like while you are still in undergrad!
  • Summers allow you to get truly immersed in the research process since you are minimally distracted from other obligations (compared to the rest of the academic year). I found summer research to be the best time to learn whether research was really for me. I also had drastically different experiences in all labs I worked in, which helped me learn what kind of environment (and topics!) I was interested in studying in my PhD.

What kinds of summer research opportunities are there?

Short Answer: A ton. Long Answer: It really depends on where the funding is coming from and what kind of research you’re interested in.

Here’s a few of the avenues I’m familiar with for American students:

  1. Home University Programs Many colleges and universities in the U.S. run their own internal summer research programs for their own students. These programs often provide a stipend, some form of housing and mealplan, and program activities for students’ research development (and for fun!). They’re a great way to get hands on experience, get more familiar with what kind of research is done at your institution, and be better integrated into your institution’s research community.

  2. U.S. Government Funded Opportunities The most notable programs here are the NSF REU programs (National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates). These programs are funded by the National Science Foundation and allow students from different institutions to try out research with faculty and departments participating in the program at different institutions across the U.S.. Like “home university programs”, these research experiences also provide a stipend, housing, airfare or trael support, activities inside and outside of research, and sometimes funding to present your work at a conference.

  3. Privately Funded Opportunities These programs are similar to government funded programs in every way except where the funding is coming from!

  4. International Opportunities These programs are again, similar in structure to U.S. government funded programs but are take place internationally! Application requirements may differ from national programs.

How long are summer research programs?

Summer research programs are typically about 6-12 weeks long, with 8-10 weeks the most common length. They either tend to fall along the semester or quarter summer dates, which unfortunately limits the programs you can join (if your university is on a semester schedule attending a “quarter-compatible” program will potentially result in you missing the first few weeks of your fall semester and if your university is on a quarter schedule attending a “semester-compatible” program will potentially result in you missing the last few weeks of your spring quarter).

Where can I find summer research opportunities?

I’m going to focus specifically on STEM programs since I don’t know as much about research in the humanities. Here are a few resources for each of the categories described above:

1.Home University Programs
Check with your school!

2.U.S. Government Funded Opportunities
The thing about NSF REUs is that all opportunities aren’t available on a standardized website. While they are all advertised together (in locations I added here), all programs have separate sites hosted by each institution or department. The NSF list is the most comprehensive source of information on what REUs are out there but it is sometimes out of date. Best practice is to google the names of the programs you’re interested in and try to find their individual websites.

  • (New) General Website
    • While I was applying to programs, the NSF was gradually transferring information from their old website over to this site! It’s a lot easier to navigate!
  • (Old) General Website
    • There should still be opportunities on this site! But, make sure to google the names of the programs and find the insitution-maintained site before you decide to apply.
  • Math-specific REU Programs
    • This is a wonderful, annually-updated resource for finding REU programs in math research!

3.Privately Funded Opportunities

4.International Opportunities

This is not an exhaustive list, but will hopefully get you started! Most universities also maintain a list of external summer research programs.

How to go about finding programs and organize applying to them?

I found it useful to devote a weekend afternoon (or a couple) to deep diving all possible programs. I would build a spreadsheet to record program details of every program that piqued my interest (program name, link to program website, link to application, area/field, faculty whose research I liked, location, due date, required materials, number of recommendation letters, stipend amount, housing and other benefits, etc.).

Once created, I would sort the spreadsheet by application due dates and rank programs by which I was most excited about. That way I had a priority list based on several factors. These spreadsheets were also helpful in crafting spreadsheets to send to my recommenders to make writing and submitting letters of recommendation as easy as possible for them.

What do applications look like?

Most summer research program applications are fairly straightforward, but can be a lot if it’s your first time applying to a research program. However, these are great practice for bigger applications later on (if you decide to go to graduate school) especially since applying to and attending these programs is free!

In general, you’ll be asked to provide:

  • A personal statement (500-1000 words) detailing your academic background, motivation for applying, research interests, and past research experience (if any). You do not need to have past research experience to apply and be successful!
  • A CV (or resume) outlining your education up to this point (coursework, GPA, etc.), activities or organizations you’ve participated in, any noteworthy projects or prior research experience, awards and honors, and skills. I’ve included a few examples of my CVs over the years in the sections to follow.
  • Letters of recommendation (typically 2-3), ideally from professors who know you well academically (you’ve participated a lot in class or office hours, done well in their classes, etc.).

The application portal will vary by discipline. But for NSF REUs, the NSF has been working on streamlining the application process through the “new” NSF website. But, when I was applying, most applications were submitted through a portal on the program websites, emailed to the program directors, or submitted via the math programs website (for math REUs). Other fields and types of programs may have their own standard application systems.

When are they normally due?

Most NSF REU program applications (and other national university-hosted research program applications) are due between November and April. This wide application window means two things:

  1. If you haven’t been accepted to one yet, keep applying! New opportunities are still popping up well into the spring.

  2. Some programs post their application information much later than you’d expect. If a program’s website hasn’t been updated yet, don’t assume it’s not running this year. I’ve found that most programs are pretty good at notifying prospective applicants when their programs won’t be running. I would often check back once a week to see if programs had posted information for the current cycle. Typically programs have similar application due dates year-to-year so if prior deadline have passed without any website updates from a program you’re interested in, it is fairly safe to assume it won’t be running this cycle.

How do I write a strong application (even if I haven’t done research before)?

Most REUs are designed for students who haven’t done research before. While requirements and what programs are looking for can vary (especially by discipline), showing enthusiasm, curiosity, and strong motivation in your application is often more than enough.

It is always good to include a personal anecdote as a hook to your statement. Some ideas include how you got into science, a moment where you really got excited about the discipline you’re applying in, etc.

When talking about your past experience, some topics you may want to cover include:

  • If you’ve chosen your major (and/or minor), what drew you to that discipline?
  • When did you realize science was for you?
  • If you’ve done research before, what did you like about it? What got you “hooked”?
  • A puzzle or problem you’re drawn to (ideally in the field you’re applying in and relevant to the research done in the program).
  • A moment of failure (shows resilience)
  • A time when you got excited about something or were interested in something that surprised you.
  • Any experience that demonstrates curiosity, resilience, critical thinking, problem solving skills, etc.
  • Transferable skills including the ability to problem solve, work independently and in groups, ask good questions, communicate, learn new skills quickly, stick with hard tasks, intrinsic motivation, etc.
  • And of course why you’re a stellar candidate for the program!

I’ve found it helpful to think of my personal statement as an argumentative essay for why I should be accepted to the program. The goal here is to show your past experiences and interests align VERY well with the faculty involved in the program. Near the end of your essay is a natural spot to justify why YOU fit in the program (after describing your experiences) and mention specific labs or topics you’re drawn to and how this program will allow you to pursue that interest.

I also found it was helpful to apply broadly across disciplines and subdisciplines I found interesting. That way, you’re giving yourself the most chances to get into a program and explore research in new areas! However, this strategy doesn’t work well for everyone, especially if you have well-formed interests early on. But, if you are applying broadly, I would only apply to programs where you feel confident justifying to yourself (and the program) that you are interested in the research done by SEVERAL faculty in the program.

The evolution of my applications: Dissecting what worked and what didn’t

Here, I’ll share what programs I applied for each year (with zero research experience and zero coding experience before my freshman year), which I got into, and some reflections on the process each cycle. I’ve also linked my successful personal statements and CVs and tried to link programs I applied to that are still running.

Summer 2022 (After Freshman Year)

This summer, I was casting a really wide net on research topics and institutions. I applied to pretty much everything that sounded interesting to me. At that point in undergrad, I was deciding whether I wanted to pursue a degree (and research) in physics, math, cognitive science, or some combination of the three. As a result, I applied to a mix of physics, math and neuroscience programs and let what programs I got into choose which discipline I tried first.

Programs I applied to (15):

Successful Application Links

Reflections

As mentioned previously, I ended up doing physics research at Occidental College (my home institution) that summer! Looking back, this was the best possible outcome for me at the time.

Summer 2023 (After Sophomore Year)

After experiencing physics research the summer before, I was really interested in determining whether I liked math research or not. So, I mostly applied to math and computational biology programs, as well as a few neuroscience programs!

Programs I applied to (15):

Successful Application Links

Reflections

The first program I got into this summer was the DIMACs REU at Rutgers University and it was the one I attended. It was a really fantastic program with wonderful staff and other participants. It really opened my eyes to what pure math and theoretical computer science research looks like. While enjoyable, I also was fairly certain that theoretical math and computer science research was not for me.

Summer 2024 (After Junior Year)

After my math research experience the previous summer, I was really eager to test out neuroscience research. At this point, I was also gearing up to apply for PhD programs the next year, so I wanted to determine whether a neuroscience or cognitive science/psychology program would be best fit for my interests. I almost exclusively applied for neuroscience programs. I ended up submitting fewer applications this year because I learned I had received the Science Scholars fellowship at Occidental in early January.

Programs I Applied To (10):

Successful Application Links

Reflections

That summer, I did in-person research at Occidental through the Science Scholars fellowship and successfully negotiated for an extended part-time remote REU through the University of Missouri-Columbia. This was a fantastic learning opportunity in so many ways. I was able to get closer to finishing up a project I had been working on at Occidental while also exploring whether neuroscience research was for me. However, I would not recommend doing 1.5 research programs at a time over the summer (especially given that one was full time). I was intellectually stimulated, but quite burnt out by the end of this summer.

How do I know I got in? Or I didn’t?

For NSF REUs, interviews are very uncommon. I believe they are more common for other programs. You will normally be notified by email when you are accepted to a program, though this takes a varying amount of time. I received email notifications that I was rejected and accepted to programs as early as December and as late as April.

Programs also don’t always let you know if you don’t get in, so it’s up to you to decide when to stop hoping to hear back. If you don’t hear back by April though, I would try to move on (unfortunately).

What if I don’t get into a summer research program but I still want to do research?

Not getting into a formal program doesn’t say anything about your potential as a researcher. These programs are highly competitive, you’re often competing with hundreds of students from across the U.S. (and sometimes internationally too) for 5-20 spots. Plenty of amazing researchers never did an NSF REU or other research program.

Here’s a few tips:

  1. Looking for opportunities at your university is a great way to get involved in research outside of a formal summer program. Professors are often eager to incorporate motivated undergrads into their labs during the academic year and the summers.
  2. Also, don’t underestimate the power of cold emailing! I knew an international student in undergrad who got a research fellowship at an ivy league institution just by cold emailing and showing they were passionate, motivated, and curious about the professor’s work.
  3. Try out an independent project! This is a great way to determine if you like the research process and can be great to add to your application in future cycles.
  4. Try again next year! REUs tend to accept more rising seniors, especially those without any prior research experience.

Other Notes

  • Location is important. More important than you realize. But it’s also a fantastic chance to learn about a place. For example, I applied to the MITACS globalink program in Canada mostly because I was really excited about living in Canada for a summer!

  • Something I ran into several times was I would get into a program, be unsure if it was completely for me, and then have to commit before I heard back from any other programs. This was frustrating. Go with your gut here. My fear was always I wouldn’t have a summer job if I didn’t accept the first offer I got, even if I wasn’t beyond excited about it. But this may not be the best way to go about it.

Resources

Other Blog Posts about REU Programs

Sample Applications

Acknowledgements

Thanks again to my letter writers (you know who you are) and the countless friends and family members who read my applications and supported me in applying to these programs year after year. I’m grateful for you all!

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