Internship opportunities for summer between undergrad and grad school

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around potential research opportunities for students transitioning from undergraduate to graduate studies, specifically focusing on summer internships. Participants explore various options, including national labs, industry positions, and academic opportunities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about research opportunities available during the summer between undergraduate and graduate studies, noting the limitation of REUs for those who have graduated.
  • Another participant suggests looking for internships in industry, sharing personal experience of obtaining a research position without prior lab experience.
  • A suggestion is made to consult with the graduate school for potential research opportunities, emphasizing the benefit of starting early and working with professors.
  • There is a question raised about the relevance of doing an REU in a different STEM field and its impact on graduate school applications.
  • Information is provided about internships offered by the US Department of Energy for recent graduates, with a link to their webpage.
  • One participant expresses concern about waiting to ask graduate schools for opportunities, as they are applying and may not know their acceptance status until later.
  • Another participant shares their experience of successfully applying for an internship after multiple attempts and encourages broad research into available opportunities, particularly in tech hubs.
  • Clarification is made that the SULI program is specifically for undergraduates currently enrolled in an institution.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of views on the best approaches to finding research opportunities, with no consensus on a single best option. Some advocate for industry positions, while others suggest academic avenues or specific programs.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the competitive nature of certain internships and the importance of proactive searching. There are also concerns about the timing of applications and the implications of research experience in different fields.

Who May Find This Useful

Students transitioning from undergraduate to graduate studies, particularly those seeking summer research internships in STEM fields.

d3nat
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What research opportunities are there out there for the summer between undergrad and grad school?

For undergrads, there are the REUs that most people do.
But REUs require that you have not graduated yet.

This upcoming summer I'll be between graduate and undergraduate studies. So no REU this summer.

I'm thinking of applying to the national labs, but I know those are really competitive and I don't want to be left without anything.

Any other research options out there that people know of? I don't mind traveling to whatever part of the country or world if necessary. I, in fact, love traveling, so that's not a prohibitory at all.

Thanks for the suggestions
 
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There are large companies that have labs where you can get research experience. I'm working at a company right now that manufactures tools for scientific measurement and observation - my internship is in the R&D department, and I'm doing research. I got the internship with no prior lab experience. There are also smaller companies that need lab technicians to run experiments and you'll certainly end up getting research experience in those sorts of positions.

My recommendation is to look for opportunities in industry. My personal experience was that it was more feasible. I perceived a sort of a void of academic research opportunities for graduated students.
 
Have you asked your grad school if they have any ideas? You can always show up a few months early, find a place to live, get settled in, and many a professor there has something you can work on. It helps if you don't need to get paid for it.
 
Does anyone know if doing an REU in a different STEM field from the one you will pursue in grad school will have any bearing on your application? Basically, are graduate departments impressed by REU's because they teach you in general how to research, or are they impressed by REU's because you researched in the department's field?
 
Lavabug said:
The US dept. of energy has internships for recent graduates in a number of fields:

http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/

Check national labs' webpages too.



Thank you, I'll check that out!
 
eri said:
Have you asked your grad school if they have any ideas? You can always show up a few months early, find a place to live, get settled in, and many a professor there has something you can work on. It helps if you don't need to get paid for it.

I'm applying to grad schools this fall, so I won't know if/which I'm accepted into until early 2013. I don't want to chance not having something for the summer by waiting to ask whatever grad school I get accepted into.
 
ThereIam said:
My recommendation is to look for opportunities in industry. My personal experience was that it was more feasible. I perceived a sort of a void of academic research opportunities for graduated students.


How did you go about looking for internships in industry?
 
d3nat said:
How did you go about looking for internships in industry?

The company is a good company that employs a lot of interns. They recruited at my school, and I applied twice and got it the second time (as a graduated student).

There are certainly other companies that do this, and others that you just haven't heard about. If you're willing to travel, it's worth doing some broad initial research into what's available out there.

Tech hot spots are a good first place to look (and there's a lot more out there than Silicon Valley), as they often have start-ups that need basic lab help and larger companies that have the resources to bring in interns. Just be creative about where you look, aggressive about your application, and apply a lot a lot a lot.

G'luck.
 
  • #10
d3nat said:
Thank you, I'll check that out!

SULI is a research internship for undergraduates. That being said, you have to be currently enrolled in an institution.
 

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