Week 9 General Meeting 10/22/19

REU's 101: Student Panel

What Is An REU?

• REU is an acronym for Research Experience for Undergraduates
• REU's typically consists of a group of undergraduates that work within research programs at a host university. Typically, students will be assigned to a specific research project where they will get the opportunity to work alongside faculty, other researches, and graduate students from the host university.
• In many cases, students are granted stipends and assistance with both housing and travel.​

University of Michigan REU Application Supplements

• Required Letters of Recommendation
• Statement of Purpose
• Demographic Information

University of Virginia REU Application Supplements

• Leadership Alliance
• Transcripts (Unofficial are Okay)
• Two Letters of Recommendation  
• Demographic Information

  University of Pittsburgh REU Application Supplements

• Required to Attend an REU for McNair program
• Informal Application in the form of a Google Survey
• Required to Submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Letter of Recommendation (1)
• Personal Statement 

Advice for REU’s 

• Use Spreadsheets to Organize Potential REU's
• Don’t Wait Until the Last Second! 
• APPLY EARLY!
• Broaden Your Horizons and Apply to Multiple REU's!
• Writing About Professor's Lab Work You're Involved with is Good!
  • Especially if That Professor Attended the Same REU or an REU in General
• Get Your Application Proofread

Favorite Part of REU’s

• Having the Opportunity to Mentor Other Students
• Gaining First Hand Experience in Graduate Level Research Lab
• Opportunity to Explore a New State
• Newfound Sense of Independence After Spending Time Away From Home
• Solidified Decision to Stay in Psychology and Continue Research and Pursue PhD

Did This Solidify Your Decision to Continue Research? 

• Yes, and it also showed me that I could be away from my family for prolonged periods of time
• Yes, it solidified my decision to go to graduate school, do research and pursue a PhD 
• Yes, being in an environment of a graduate level lab and having a mentor was a unique experience and one of my favorite memories.

How Did Your Program Help You Grow Individually and Academically?

• I was able to grow academically because I learned a lot of new information and new skills such as new ways to analyze data. 
• University of Michigan had lots of workshops on how to apply to graduate school so now feel prepared academically. I was able to grow individually because being away from home for awhile allowed for more self exploration and I came home more confident than when I left.
• I was able to grow academically because there were many academic based workshops such as applying to grad school and how to create a curriculum vitae (CV).
• I was able to grow academically because I had the opportunity to take GRE courses and begin preparing myself to take the test. 

Did Attending an REU Change Or Strengthen Your Research Goals? 

• It definitely helped solidify my decision to apply to counseling programs for graduate  school, because while I like research I also want to do other things outside of research.
• When I began the REU, I was not sure that the sort of research I went in with was something that I wanted to do in the future or forever, but the experience helped me narrow down the type of programs I want to apply to.
• Before attending this REU I wasn’t sure what specific area I wanted to pursue for my PhD, but when I got the opportunity to try research in the area of mind-fullness, I found that I enjoyed that area a lot and wanted to continue to research more about it.

Last Comments and Thoughts?

• The whole purpose of this program is to help you in determine whether or not you want to continue this for 5-7 years
• You should apply to out of state programs because it allows you to gain a realistic feel of what it would be like to attend a graduate school away from family, friends and home.
• REU's are free to apply to and sometimes participants get paid so you have nothing to lose when applying!
• It's important to be aware that many of these programs are funded by the government so undocumented students may run into issues in regards to finding an REU program but they do exist so keep searching!

Q&A’s

Do you need to be a McNair Scholar in order to get into REU's?

• Not all programs require you to be a McNair Scholar and most programs don’t require it. 
• Sometimes you just need to have a (faculty) mentor
• don’t apply alone, ask psi chi or professors for help

What year do you recommend applying?

• You can apply as early as your first year! Leadership Alliance offers a research experience program specifically for first years.
• A good time to apply is typically your third year, which would be your last summer before you graduate college.

Is completing an REU once enough to make you a strong candidate for graduate school?

• The answer to this is also dependent on the undergraduate university that you attend as well because some universities offer more research opportunities than others.
• While REU's are an important part of undergraduate research, the research that you do on your home campus is equally as important too.
• REU's can definitely make you appear to have more research experience but it is not a guaranteed acceptance into graduate school.
• REU's are not the only way to make your grad school applications stand out. There are plenty of other valid research experiences such as poster presentations, research internships, and talks.