2012 Physics and Astronomy REU Programs

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses the application process for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs in physics and astronomy for the summer of 2012. Participants share their application lists, research interests, and experiences with acceptance notifications, while also expressing concerns about the competitiveness of various programs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants have applied to a range of REU programs, including those focused on nuclear physics, high energy physics, and astrophysics.
  • One participant noted that they received a denial from CERN-UM, citing a high number of applicants (over 250).
  • Concerns were raised about the difficulty of gaining acceptance into competitive programs, with some participants sharing their application numbers and experiences.
  • There is uncertainty about the typical communication methods for acceptance notifications, with some suggesting email is common, while others mentioned phone interviews for specific programs.
  • Participants expressed frustration over the staggered deadlines for applications and notifications, which complicates decision-making.
  • One participant shared that they received an acceptance from Minnesota for a theory/computational project and are considering their options based on other pending offers.
  • Some participants are awaiting responses from various programs and are worried about the lack of communication regarding their applications.
  • There is a discussion about the number of applicants relative to available spots, with some participants seeking more data on application statistics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express uncertainty and concern about the application process, with no consensus on the best strategies for acceptance or the typical applicant pool sizes. Multiple competing views remain regarding the competitiveness of specific programs and the communication methods used for acceptances.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include varying application deadlines, differing communication practices among institutions, and the subjective nature of the application experience. Some participants have applied after deadlines, which may affect their chances of acceptance.

Who May Find This Useful

Students interested in applying to REU programs in physics and astronomy, particularly those seeking insights into the application process and experiences from peers.

  • #91
I applied to:

Louisiana State University
University of Idaho
University of Chicago
University of Illinois
Vanderbilt University
Notre Dame
Michigan State

I heard back from LSU yesterday and I'm on the wait list, and I wasn't accepted to Notre Dame. Has anyone heard from any of the other schools?!
 
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  • #92
erin526 said:
I applied to:

Louisiana State University
University of Idaho
University of Chicago
University of Illinois
Vanderbilt University
Notre Dame
Michigan State

I heard back from LSU yesterday and I'm on the wait list, and I wasn't accepted to Notre Dame. Has anyone heard from any of the other schools?!
I'm also wait listed for LSU. Hopefully we get in! A few weeks ago, I contacted all the programs on my list and they all eventually responded with my status. I would recommend doing the same.
 
  • #93
ktb said:
I'm also wait listed for LSU. Hopefully we get in! A few weeks ago, I contacted all the programs on my list and they all eventually responded with my status. I would recommend doing the same.

Where are you on the wait list? I'm in the third group of ten so I'm not expecting much, but it still makes me feel better about my applications! And thanks for the advice, I just emailed my top two choices. Fingers Crossed!
 
  • #94
Anyone get a reply from UPenn yet?
 
  • #95
I applied to 20 REUs (probably overkill) and have not been accepted to any yet. I did get put on a wait list at two though. Was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? These are the ones I applied to.

X-Rejected O-Haven't Heard W-Wait-listed C-Cancelled

O SUNY
X Columbia
X Washington
O MSU
X ND
O Hawaii
O UNLV
O Wisconsin
O KSU
X Rochester
X Cern
X Minesotta
C UT (McDonald)
W NRAO
X MIT
O NAU
X KPNO
X LSU
W Caltech (LIGO)
O TAMU
 
  • #96
orion726 said:
I applied to 20 REUs (probably overkill) and have not been accepted to any yet. I did get put on a wait list at two though. Was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? These are the ones I applied to.

X-Rejected O-Haven't Heard W-Wait-listed C-Cancelled

O SUNY
X Columbia
X Washington
O MSU
X ND
O Hawaii
O UNLV
O Wisconsin
O KSU
X Rochester
X Cern
X Minesotta
C UT (McDonald)
W NRAO
X MIT
O NAU
X KPNO
X LSU
W Caltech (LIGO)
O TAMU
I contacted NAU(Northern Arizona University?) a few weeks ago and they said that they only had a couple positions left... probably full by now. I also contacted TAMU and they said they handed out first round acceptances around March 13th and were going to hand out second round acceptances between March 26- April 1. As I did I'd advise you to contact the REU's you haven't heard from, if you don't it is likely that you just never will hear from them at all.
 
  • #97
Has anyone heard from Vanderbilt? I've yet to hear and I applied before the early application deadline.
 
  • #98
DougUTPhy said:
Has anyone heard from Vanderbilt? I've yet to hear and I applied before the early application deadline.

I just emailed them today, The actual deadline wasn't until March 15th, so maybe they are reviewing all applications before sending anything out? I applied before the early application date too. I'll let you know if I get a response from them!
 
  • #99
erin526 said:
I'll let you know if I get a response from them!

Same here, good luck! I'm kind of thinking the same thing -- Maybe they're not sending anything out until all decisions are made.
I guess the other possible outcomes are I've already been rejected by the early application and I'm in the running for the regular, or I've been completed rejected ah! Haha we'll see.
 
  • #100
Not sure what is happening with Vanderbilt...
I applied to 6 programs:
  1. Notre Dame - Rejected
  2. Colorado-Boulder - Nothing heard
  3. UC-Davis - Rejected
  4. TAMU - Nothing heard
  5. LIGO - Rejected
  6. Lehigh - Offered, Accepted

Good luck to those who are waiting! I received 3 rejection letters within about a week, it was pretty disheartening.
 
Last edited:
  • #101
Just got a rejection from Stony Brook, they noted that they had several hundred applicants. Wow. :eek:
 
  • #102
I just got rejected from colorado boulder. Can't say I'm too surprised or upset because I never actually finished the application. lol. I submitted the online form but never actually submitted the essay because there was nothing i wanted to do there.

I'm going to Indiana but I still haven't heard back from purdue, michigan state, texas, or Illinois. Kinda curious still.

Just got a rejection from Stony Brook, they noted that they had several hundred applicants. Wow.

Yeah that seems to be a general trend. Colorado got 500 applicants, Columbia got ~400 as did UM CERN. These programs are incredibly competitive and I'd be interested in comparing the competitiveness of REUs in comparison to grad schools if anyone has done this.

I imagine REUs are more competitive because there are fewer spots, a greater pressure for minority and gender equality (which is understandable), and less top tier schools offering REU programs, but that's just my opinion.
 
  • #103
LBloom said:
Yeah that seems to be a general trend. Colorado got 500 applicants, Columbia got ~400 as did UM CERN.

Notre Dame told me they had 300 applicants. Wow!
 
  • #104
LBloom said:
I just got rejected from colorado boulder. Can't say I'm too surprised or upset because I never actually finished the application. lol. I submitted the online form but never actually submitted the essay because there was nothing i wanted to do there.

I'm going to Indiana but I still haven't heard back from purdue, michigan state, texas, or Illinois. Kinda curious still.



Yeah that seems to be a general trend. Colorado got 500 applicants, Columbia got ~400 as did UM CERN. These programs are incredibly competitive and I'd be interested in comparing the competitiveness of REUs in comparison to grad schools if anyone has done this.

I imagine REUs are more competitive because there are fewer spots, a greater efor minority and gender equality (which is understandable), and less top tier schools offering REU programs, but that's just my opinion.

I fully applied at Colorado and haven't heard anything. I've accepted an offer, but they don't respond to any inquiries. I also got rejected from from SUNY even though I told them to withdraw my application. Lehigh told me they got 700 applications (how?) when I got their acceptance. According to USNews they don't have a super high-ranked program so I wonder where they get all these people.
 
  • #105
I applied to 4 programs:

SUNY- Stony Brook: rejected
LSU- Waitlist
Oklahoma-received an offer
Idaho- Haven't heard anything.

Haven't made a decision yet, will decide by the end of the week.
 
  • #106
mobilehobo said:
I fully applied at Colorado and haven't heard anything. I've accepted an offer, but they don't respond to any inquiries. I also got rejected from from SUNY even though I told them to withdraw my application. Lehigh told me they got 700 applications (how?) when I got their acceptance. According to USNews they don't have a super high-ranked program so I wonder where they get all these people.

I wonder the same thing. Do you believe Leigh university would skew the numbers for any unknown reason/motivation or?
 
  • #107
I wonder the same thing. Do you believe Leigh university would skew the numbers for any unknown reason/motivation or?

I doubt it. I don't see any reason why they would want to impress someone who they're rejecting unless they don't want you to feel bad.

I fully applied at Colorado and haven't heard anything. I've accepted an offer, but they don't respond to any inquiries. I also got rejected from from SUNY even though I told them to withdraw my application. Lehigh told me they got 700 applications (how?) when I got their acceptance. According to USNews they don't have a super high-ranked program so I wonder where they get all these people.

You're probably waitlisted from Colorado then. I must have been among the first people rejected outright because I had an incomplete application.

As for why Lehigh got so many applicants, I imagine it was a safety program for a lot of people. Columbia got 400 applicants, but anyone who wants to apply to Columbia must know how competitive it is and must have a relatively good profile. Lehigh is not a good school, but it probably looked like a good safety that's on the east coast (as opposed to say Utah or Idaho).

I noticed that a lot of schools that aren't ranked highly have REU programs. I imagine Ivy's don't want to bother with students from lesser ranked programs and have research programs for their students. Columbia and UIUC are the rare exceptions to this rule.

Anyway I still haven't heard back from Purdue, MSU, or Texas, but at this point I'm sticking with Indiana regardless.
 
  • #108
Nano-Passion said:
I wonder the same thing. Do you believe Leigh university would skew the numbers for any unknown reason/motivation or?

they probably just sent out their flyers everywhere and got a lot of exposure.
 
  • #109
I got an e-mail back from Vanderbilt -- they're saying they hope to complete their review of applications by the end of this week.
 
  • #110
I just got a rejection email from Kansas State (even though I withdrew my application over a month ago :confused:) anyways they said they had over 160 applicants.
 
  • #111
I'll be at LSU; I was offered the position on March 18. Anyone else?
 
  • #112
Has anyone heard back from Princeton (PCCM/PRISM) yet?
 
  • #113
Just got rejection from Vanderbilt. 9 positions for over 400 applicants. Apparently I heard back so late because they were waiting to hear back from people and I guess enough people said yes to knock me out lol oh well.
 
  • #114
Colorado's rejection letters went out today.
 
  • #115
Has anyone heard anything from University of Idaho? The University of Idaho and MSU are the only places I haven't heard anything from... I go to MSU and after talking to the REU coordinator here she made it sound like it was full so it's looking like Idaho is my last option!
 
  • #116
erin526 said:
Has anyone heard anything from University of Idaho? The University of Idaho and MSU are the only places I haven't heard anything from... I go to MSU and after talking to the REU coordinator here she made it sound like it was full so it's looking like Idaho is my last option!

No haven't heard from them.
 

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