Maximizing Your REU Experience: Balancing Research and Coursework

[Hercuflea]

Hey all,

I was accepted to an REU (actually not REU, but a similar program sponsored by the school) at a top 5 school for this summer and I was wondering if anyone has done one. I was considering taking an online Abstract Algebra class in order to knock 3 credits out. Does anyone know if this is possible, or will I basically be swamped with research for the entire time? How much free time does one generally have during an REU?

Thanks

 

[Takuza]

Depends on your project. I had a tremendous amount of free time due to the nature of my project last summer, but I knew others who practically lived in their labs. I'm not sure how you would know which camp you are going to fall into until you start, though. *Most* of the people in REU programs that I was around seemed to have a good bit of time to themselves, but take that with a grain of salt.

 

[G01]

Takuza is right, it depends on the project. I wouldn't make any commitments until you figure out what you will be doing and how much will be expected of you.

Either way you want to be careful not to overload yourself. In my opinion it's probably best to spend most of your effort getting as much out of the REU as possible. You should spend the majority of your time doing research, especially if you have grad school aspirations. Grad school is mostly research, so figuring out if you enjoy research is very important. In the end, that is what REU programs are really about.