Applying to Math REUs Summer 2009: Results & Discussion

[GreenWolf]

RCA, I was waitlisted for the Rutgers REU program, sort of. They had a shortage of funding, so they weren't able to actually fund all of the projects that they wanted to do. I was selected to do one of the projects that didn't get funding, and then I was also as the back up for one of the projects that did get funding.

I got accepted into Rose-Hulman last Monday, and they gave me a week to decide yes or no. Since Rose-Hulman wasn't my first choice, I e-mailed my top 3 programs (of which Rutgers was one) describing my situation and asking about the status of my application, and that's what they told me.

 

[Sheneron]

Got a letter in the mail from Duke/TUNL today. I was rejected. It was kind of nice though to actually hear back from one of these places finally. Starting to get a little bit nervous...

 

[Jacobpm64]

I know how that is man. I've applied to 8 schools, and I only heard back from 2 so far. I hope that they are still in the reviewing process.

 

[RCA_0]

I've applied to quite a few schools as well. I wonder how much longer we will have to wait to hear a decision? Maybe this waiting process is a good sign that our applications are being carefully considered. I am starting to become nervous since early decisions have been sent out to those already accepted into REU programs. I'm sure many programs are still in the process of evaluating our applications though.

 

[sciboinkhobbes]

So... Just got rejected from Montana State - Bozeman (solar physics) :( That was my safety application, so... while it was good to hear back from someone at least, I'm really afraid that I didn't get in anywhere :(

What kind of back up plans have people been considering if REU applications don't work out?

 

[Jacobpm64]

If I don't get accepted to any of them, I will be studying for the math subject GRE test. So, I hope to have a productive summer either way the coin lands.

 

[Ai52487963]

So... Just got rejected from Montana State - Bozeman (solar physics) :( That was my safety application, so... while it was good to hear back from someone at least, I'm really afraid that I didn't get in anywhere :(

What kind of back up plans have people been considering if REU applications don't work out?

I just got the MSU rejection e-mail today too. Now I'm down to two internship programs out of 13. I get more depressed every week it seems.

I think studying for the GREs is a good idea, actually. My summer will probably consist of that, work and whatever research I can do with my adviser over the break.

 

[anaximanderma]

A buddy of mine got into Williams a few weeks ago. I'm so jealous! I thought I had pretty good chances, but apparently you need to have taken a thousand graduate courses, get great letters of rec, etc. to get in. It's slightly annoying, because my GPA's significantly higher than his...but I guess they don't care too much about that :(

 

[Sheneron]

Yeah, I don't know what to do if I don't get into an REU. I need to make some money but I can't go back to a menial job... I really can't. But its looking like I am going to have to think of something

 

[sharon_stoned]

A buddy of mine got into Williams a few weeks ago. I'm so jealous!

wow. i thought nobody ever gets accepted to williams...what did he do to get in? sell his soul to satan?

 

[sciboinkhobbes]

I concur, studying for the GREs does sound like an excellent idea. Sorry to hear you're down to two programs, Ai :S I wish you the best of luck, but even if it doesn't pan out I'm sure there's always a backup plan. If I don't get into any REUs this summer, I think I'll be attempting to find some last minute research opportunities, and talking to my advisers to see if they have any suggestions...

I definitely agree with Sheneron, it's got to be something more than just a regular summer job - but I think the physics/math related opportunities are out there, they just require some searching.

But ehhhhh, the waiting part is just not fun at all.

 

[sutupidmath]

What kind of back up plans have people been considering if REU applications don't work out?

I'm still waiting to hear from the second(and last as well) program i applied for. I'f i don't get accepted, i will most probably fly home and take a couple of nice math books with me so i will have something to rejoice in.

 

[anaximanderma]

wow. i thought nobody ever gets accepted to williams...what did he do to get in? sell his soul to satan?

Probably...it seems like the people who get into the most prestigious REUs and grad schools are always the most unlikely ones. He's just very, very quiet, and doesn't seem particularly smart at all...but I guess appearances are deceiving!

It looks like I'm in the same boat as the folks who are watching their summer plans fall through...been rejected from 3 REUs out of 7 so far. I'm thinking I should talk to one of my professors about their research, but I don't know them that well, and I really think I would benefit more from the structure of an REU, rather than just a random research project with a prof. And besides, it's not like there's any menial labwork to do for a math professor, what could I even help him with?!

But worst of all is the total lack of self-confidence I'm starting to feel...

 

[Ai52487963]

But worst of all is the total lack of self-confidence I'm starting to feel...

I've got it real bad. I appreciate sciboink's sentiments, but to get rejections from 11/13 REUs thus far (or at least, not immediate notifications), it's like dying of thirst. I feel bad for having three of my faculty write so many letters of rec, and feel even worse living in the shadow of a friend of mine in the dept who's doing research under my adviser and got accepted to 3/5 of his REUs, which included SAO and Kitt Peak.

I feel pretty outclassed and virtually useless as I physically could be. I wonder if the faculty I had write those letters feel like they wasted their time on me :\

 

[Sheneron]

I've got it real bad. I appreciate sciboink's sentiments, but to get rejections from 11/13 REUs thus far (or at least, not immediate notifications), it's like dying of thirst. I feel bad for having three of my faculty write so many letters of rec, and feel even worse living in the shadow of a friend of mine in the dept who's doing research under my adviser and got accepted to 3/5 of his REUs, which included SAO and Kitt Peak.

I feel pretty outclassed and virtually useless as I physically could be. I wonder if the faculty I had write those letters feel like they wasted their time on me :\

You and me both. I was a little embarrassed going to them and asking for 12 recommendations but I knew it was something I really wanted and for some reason, apparently unjustified, I was feeling confident that I would get into one of them and it would make it all worth it. I told them I would let them know which one I got into/chose, haha.

I am considering talking to the faculty at my school about doing research with them during the summer since I already have an apartment up there, but I don't know anyone hardly at all and I really was hoping to do something where I made money.

 

[tannenbaum]

You and me both. I was a little embarrassed going to them and asking for 12 recommendations but I knew it was something I really wanted and for some reason, apparently unjustified, I was feeling confident that I would get into one of them and it would make it all worth it. I told them I would let them know which one I got into/chose, haha.

I am considering talking to the faculty at my school about doing research with them during the summer since I already have an apartment up there, but I don't know anyone hardly at all and I really was hoping to do something where I made money.

I don't want to be mean, but that's probably exactly why you have not gotten into an REU yet. If you don't know any of your professors, how are they supposed to write a letter saying anything worthwhile about you? REUs get 10-20 qualified applications for every single spot. A one paragraph letter saying that you were in the top 1/4 of their class does not tell them any more than an A on your transcript. They are much more interested in hearing how motivated and independent you are, your level of interest in physics (?), your potential as a future physicist, your ability to work with others, how conscientious you are in the lab, how fast you pick up on new material, how pleasant you are to work with, etc. Distant letters of recommendations tell programs that you don't take advantage of all of the resources you have or that you have a bad relationship with your professors. A detailed letter of a TA who supervised one of your labs is better than a generic letter from a full professor.

In any event, you should work on getting to know a few professors in the department before you write another batch of applications in the future. Working with one of them during the summer would be a great start! Good luck!

 

[Ai52487963]

In any event, you should work on getting to know a few professors in the department before you write another batch of applications in the future. Working with one of them during the summer would be a great start! Good luck!

I agree, but I've done both and it hasn't worked much for me.

My adviser said there's a lot of factors of randomness that play into REU positions (he would know, since he used to be on an REU committee for the SAO positions), so maybe those are another area to factor in with the whole application business?

 

[Sheneron]

I agree, but I've done both and it hasn't worked much for me.

My adviser said there's a lot of factors of randomness that play into REU positions (he would know, since he used to be on an REU committee for the SAO positions), so maybe those are another area to factor in with the whole application business?

What kind of factors do mean exactly?

 

[Ai52487963]

What kind of factors do mean exactly?

Things like what languages professors prefer (computer or otherwise) how many spots there are, and just general random kind of features the professors are looking for in their interns.

For example, if you tried applying for the UM-CERN partnership, they were looking for people prolific with specific lab equipment, fluent in at least French, but German would also be nice and good with some fairly obtuse computer programming skills. I wouldn't consider Labview that obscure, but most people by their junior year wouldn't be that great using it. Same kind of thing with Fortran to some extent.

 

[owlpride]

Ai52487963 brings up a very good point.

One piece of information that is really useful to know, if you can find it, is what sort of students the program targets. Some programs want to be motivational and target students without any prior research experience. Others want the best students they can get. Many programs say that they give preference to juniors. Most programs mean that that they are looking for students who are mathematically as mature as juniors; however, a few flat out refuse to accept sophomores because they feel like it's not the best use of their NSF money. (But they may not explicitly say that on their website; take for example Oregon State.) A few programs want to produce actual results, while many others will spend much of the summer teaching you cool new stuff. If a project description says "a background in... is useful but not expected," chances are that applicants with that background will be accepted first and everyone else will have to wait in line.

If you are lucky a program hints at these points on its website. If not, you might have to get the info from your professors, the program director or a web search. I tried to tailor my personal statement to each program's mission and I ended up writing each personal statement from scratch. I also tried to explicitly address any weaknesses in my application. For example, I applied to an REU that explicitly asked for a working knowledge of complex analysis. Well, I didn't have that but I spent some time in my application elaborating why I could still be a productive member of the group, and I got accepted anyway :)

 

[mathhhh]

Anyone hear from BYU or Oregon State math REU's?

 

[sutupidmath]

Anyone hear from BYU or Oregon State math REU's?

BYU said that they are going to let us know by the end of this week! Are you an international student, as well, or probbably not?

 

[owlpride]

Oregon State's website says that they started notifying applicants, but I have no idea how far along in the process they are.

 

[mathhhh]

No, I am not an international student. I am just anxious to hear from BYU and Oregon State, because I think they are my best chance for getting into an REU.

 

[Clockward]

I applied to six programs and I will hopefully have finished three more applications by Friday.

I know that I wasn't selected as a first pick for the NNIN program, but they keep telling me that it takes about four weeks to sift through all the applications. At least I applied to five sites with that application, so there is a lot of potential!

I am really worried that my background will keep me out of the programs I want. I am totally focused on moving into Physics / Electrical Engineering from Applied Math, but I will only have Freshman Mechanics, Freshman E&M/Thermo, and Junior level Analytical Mechanics done by this Summer. If only I was applying next year! I would have had another 8-10 physics courses.

 

[mathhhh]

Got an offer from San Diego State University today.

 

[owlpride]

Congratulations!

 

[RCA_0]

To those of you that applied to BYU they have already sent out their acceptance offers. If you haven't heard from them yet you probably either been rejected or placed in their second round pick.

 

[anaximanderma]

Well, it looks like my hopes for doing an REU this summer are nearly gone. 5 out of 7 programs have rejected me, and I feel like crap :(

I don't know if I want to put myself through this again next year - it's really demoralizing. The REUs are so competitive that only one or two students from a given school end up going to one, if that, and what makes me think it'll ever be me? Somebody mentioned that Williams had around 300 applications for 20 spots. Statistically, unless you're Superman, why even bother trying?

I guess I'm still holding out some hope for the final two programs, but barely...

 

[Ai52487963]

Anyone hear from CUNY or the AMNH yet?

 

[owlpride]

anaximanderma:
Williams is one of the most prestigious REUs, along with Duluth, Wisconsin, etc. You are right that unless you are Superman, you are setting yourself up for rejection when applying to these places. There are many other REUs though that are easier to get into than the aforementioned programs. If you don't get into a program this year, definitely try again next year! Most programs are specifically looking for juniors because they want to have a positive impact on students right at the time when they decide whether or not to go to graduate school. That, plus juniors have had more math and can work on a wider range of topics.

If you don't mind sharing, what math classes have you taken so far?

 

[mathhhh]

Does anyone know much about the San Diego State Math REU program? All I know is that the focus is on biomathematics.

 

[jtb07]

I know this thread is for math, but I thought I would give this a shot. I applied for a bunch of Physics REUs, but still haven't heard back from: Purdue, University of Washington, and University of Colorado (Boulder). Has anyone?

After reading the replies here it seems I should of heard back from them within a few days, and especially for Colorado (the deadline was in early feb.) I feel like I should have gotten some notice. I know my applications were complete because they confirmed it...

 

[Ai52487963]

but still haven't heard back from: University of Washington

I got rejected upon my e-mailing a request about what my status was.

 

[Jacobpm64]

I know this thread is for math, but I thought I would give this a shot.

If I could go back and change the Title of the thread to Summer 2009 REUs, I would. However, I don't think I can. But if someone comes along that can do that, everyone would probably appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jtb07]

I got rejected upon my e-mailing a request about what my status was.

ah, thanks. I'm going to go ahead and email the rest of the REU contacts. I was just going to wait around until they emailed me because I've been rejected the rest I applied to. better luck next year I guess.

 

[Clockward]

I got rejected upon my e-mailing a request about what my status was.

What exactly are you saying here?

Is it that you received confirmation about your status after emailing them?

Or is it that they may or may not have selected you, but your were disqualified because you asked early?

I emailed UW as well and received a rejection notice, but if my email had anything to do with not being accepted, then I'm screwed because I did the same thing with the other programs.

 

[jtb07]

10. Purdue

Did you hear back yet?

 

[Vid]

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but when I applied last year most places that I got rejected by never e-mailed me to tell me.

 

[owlpride]

What exactly are you saying here?

Is it that you received confirmation about your status after emailing them?

Or is it that they may or may not have selected you, but your were disqualified because you asked early?

I emailed UW as well and received a rejection notice, but if my email had anything to do with not being accepted, then I'm screwed because I did the same thing with the other programs.

I e-mailed two programs and received two acceptances shortly thereafter. A friend of mine e-mailed a program and they told her that she may or may not get a position, but they won't know for sure for a few weeks because she is at a position on the waitlist that they get to in some years and not in others.

I don't think whether or not you contact them will affect your outcome. Some programs just don't have the resources to contact all unsuccessful candidates (e.g. University of Tennessee says that explicitly on their website). Others may not reject any applications until all positions have been filled, even though some applications may not be considered for the open positions anymore. But they will probably be very explicit about your status when you ask them.

 

[Clockward]

I don't think whether or not you contact them will affect your outcome.

Well, that's a relief. I'm really worried that the other six of my eight applications will be rejected, leaving me with a gaping hole of depression in my Summer. I will be entering my fifth undergrad year where I will be finishing my Applied Math and Physics degrees, but I don't have any relevant research experience to date. I wan to work in materials science or consumer electronics, and nobody is going to hire me if I don't get a materials science or electrical engineering PhD.

For anyone who may be rejected from all of their REU sites:

What are you going to be doing this Summer to improve your chances with getting into grad programs? I would think that studying for the subject GREs is a given, but there has to be something else besides internships. Do graduate programs give much weight to self-study or personal research?

 

[anaximanderma]

Do graduate programs give much weight to self-study or personal research?

I asked one of my professors this question, and he basically laughed in my face. Apparently, unless you manage to publish an interesting result, self-study is about as impressive as staring at the wall all summer.

Having been rejected from every single REU I applied to, my options look very bleak. I'm considering spending my summer in a rocking chair on the porch, yelling at passersby.

 

[Sheneron]

Did you hear back yet?

No, I haven't. In fact I haven't heard back from anywhere but one place which told me I had to wait longer to hear back.

This is from their site: "The target date for applications is March 1, applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. We begin reviewing applications in early February."

If they began their review in early February than either we should hear back soon, or, more than likely, we are rejected and they failed to email us, which seems to be quite common.

 

[qedcutie]

I didn't know Wisconsin was one of the more prestigious REUs...
I accidentally applied there without noticing that the program started before the end of spring quarter at my university. oops. So when they accepted me I had to reject their offer.
In any case, I applied to 9 programs and got into 4 so far, but based on the postings here I don't expect I'll hear from anyone else.
And regarding someone's question about Oregon State, I just got a second round pre-offer from them two days ago, but let them know I'd already accepted another offer.
Best of luck to everyone!

 

[RCA_0]

qedcutie what math courses did you have as a background when you applied to the REU sites this year?

 

[qedcutie]

qedcutie what math courses did you have as a background when you applied to the REU sites this year?

I've taken one quarter of Real Analysis, (And I grade the homework for that class this quarter),
Group Theory
Complex Analysis
Graph Theory
Topology
Ring and Field Theory (as a reading course).
Also, the standard lower division classes.
I will also take Advanced Linear Algebra and the second quarter of Real Analysis during spring quarter.

The project I will be working on this summer is in Algebraic Geometry, and the projects from the other programs I was accepted to were in Algebra, Analysis and Topology

I haven't had any prior research experience, and in my application I also emphasized my background as someone who struggled in math at a younger age and worked hard to make up for a lack of knowledge to end up excelling in math at the university level. I think this part of my background might not have been as appealing to some of the programs, but thankfully there were some programs that aim to give research opportunities to undergraduates like me who might not have those opportunities at their home institutions.
Throughout my college career, I've also cultivated relationships with my professors so that they've gotten to know me as a student, a tutor, a grader, a student in a reading course, etc. and this has (presumably) influenced the quality of my letters of recommendation.

 

[owlpride]

Congratulations, qedcutie. Enjoy the summer in South Hadley!

I am curious what the topology REU was that you got accepted to. I wanted to do topology this summer, but there don't seem to be too many topology programs...

 

[qedcutie]

Congratulations, qedcutie. Enjoy the summer in South Hadley!

I am curious what the topology REU was that you got accepted to. I wanted to do topology this summer, but there don't seem to be too many topology programs...

Thanks, owlpride!

Well, I wanted to do topology this summer, too, and the some of the projects at Indiana University were topological problems, but when they accepted me, they didn't specify the project I'd be working on. (And some of them were not exciting to me at all.) I tried contacting them by email, but received no response, and well, I'm not really a phone person, so since Mount Holyoke specified the project and since they seemed really organized, and excited to work with me it made my decision a lot easier. But you're right, there really don't seem to be many topology programs. I wonder if it's because topology may be a rare undergraduate class. In the topology class I took, we didn't even have time to get to the fundamental group, and they haven't offered a separate class on algebraic topology for years, which is really a shame. I hope to take a reading course in the fall in Algebraic Topology or p-adic analysis.

Anyway, though, I'm really excited about the Algebraic geometry project at Mount Holyoke. Have you decided where you're going and do you know what project you'll be working on? (I'll look back in the thread to see if you've already answered this.)

 

[qedcutie]

Oh, wow, Cornell? That's fantastic. Congratulations, owlpride!
I applied there, but that was one of the programs I'm not sure wanted someone with my background. That's so amazing that you'll get to meet Robert Strichartz! And who knows? Allen Hatcher might be around for the summer... Do you know which project you're going to work on?

 

[owlpride]

Thanks! I am in Collin Bleak's group, "groups via actions." I am hoping that it will be very topological because all the groups we are working with have topological definitions or interpretations. I would have loved to join the algebraic geometry group at Mount Holyoke (it might be the only REU with a male/female ratio < 1), but my professors didn't let me go anywhere else once I told them I got into Cornell. *sigh*

Allen Hatcher... Somehow I still haven't quite realized that the people whose textbooks I am reading actually exist.