Physics REUs 2011: Applying & Chances

[Spriteling]

So, is anyone else applying for Physics REUs for this coming summer? Where are you all applying, and when are you aiming to have your applications in by?

I've heard that they're really competitive, so now I'm quite nervous about my chances.

 

[flyfishing]

I'm going to be applying (I'm a junior..first time going through this process). My plan is to have applications going out by like the 25th of January.
I'm kinda applying everywhere..I don't know exactly what I'm looking for in a program (never having done it before) so my plan is to make a list of university programs that seem interesting and once I get back to university I'm going to talk to my advisor and see what he says. I'm guessing in the end I'll be applying to like 10 places?

Heard it's competitive as well but (not to sound cocky) I'm fairly confident about my chances. I don't know why - just seems plausible I guess that I'll get in somewhere. lol

 

[mxbob468]

I'm going to be applying (I'm a junior..first time going through this process). My plan is to have applications going out by like the 25th of January.
I'm kinda applying everywhere..I don't know exactly what I'm looking for in a program (never having done it before) so my plan is to make a list of university programs that seem interesting and once I get back to university I'm going to talk to my advisor and see what he says. I'm guessing in the end I'll be applying to like 10 places?

Heard it's competitive as well but (not to sound cocky) I'm fairly confident about my chances. I don't know why - just seems plausible I guess that I'll get in somewhere. lol

my friend applied 2 years ago in his junior year (after having taken many 3000 level classes) with a sparkling gpa (3.98) and had research experience and got in nowhere. just btw.

 

[flyfishing]

my friend applied 2 years ago in his junior year (after having taken many 3000 level classes) with a sparkling gpa (3.98) and had research experience and got in nowhere. just btw.

Uh oh time to worry. lol

 

[Jack21222]

I've applied to 2 so far, I plan to apply to 2 more.

For a good listing, check out http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/Summerresearch.asp

 

[flemmyd]

REUs are super competitive. I remember seeing that some statistics for various REUs being more selective then the graduate schools.

Also, various REUs have other motives for their selection, stuff that isn't immediately obvious. for example, I did an international REU last summer. I was told a major criteria for selection was the ability to survive in a foreign country and not freak out. (we were not in a foreign dorm or anything... just kind of plopped in). once you screen for that trait, they actually had trouble filling spots. so a freshmen got into the program haha.

anyway, some universities view REUs as a way to do outreach and go for students who normally wouldn't be doing reserach/considering phds. some view REUs as a bit of a advertisement for their graduate school to recruit kids. its hard to know exactly what their criteria is exactly. all you can do is hope for the best.

 

[Spriteling]

So, I'm reviving this thread. Have people finalised their lists and sent off applications? Where is everyone applying?

I've sent applications to ten schools: Indiana, Chicago, Rochester, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA, UCDavis, and U.Washington.

 

[mathandsci]

So, I'm reviving this thread. Have people finalised their lists and sent off applications? Where is everyone applying?

I've sent applications to ten schools: Indiana, Chicago, Rochester, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA, UCDavis, and U.Washington.

There is a thread for this year here: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=464027

 

[DarkEvilEmu]

There is a thread for this year here: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=464027

I don't think it's a problem if there are separate threads for physics and math REUs.

So, I'm reviving this thread. Have people finalised their lists and sent off applications? Where is everyone applying?

I've sent applications to ten schools: Indiana, Chicago, Rochester, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA, UCDavis, and U.Washington.

I sent out 22 applications to REUs (the professor who wrote my letter of rec called this the "shotgun" approach). I actually still have 9 more that I was going to apply to, but just this morning I got accepted into Notre Dame's program. I haven't accepted it yet, but I definitely will unless I get a better offer in the next few days.

This was the first time I heard from anyone, but I'm sure many of the ones I applied to filled up their spots and just didn't let me know.

For anyone who's curious about my "stats" in order to try and judge their own odds:

• I put 18 REUs in so far (the other 4 have not reached their due date yet)
• I'm a Junior
• My GPA is 3.96
• I have no research experience
• I got one letter of reference from a professor who knows me fairly well, and one who barely knows me at all
• I wrote a decent letter, telling the reader briefly about myself (my work ethic, skills and activities) even if they only asked about career goals and why I thought the REU would be helpful.

Another important thing to note is that judging by the photographs from previous years, the Notre Dame REU program accommodates 20+ students, which no doubt helped my odds.

 

[sutupidmath]

for example, I did an international REU last summer.

Can you post the link to this REU you did?

 

[mathandsci]

I don't think it's a problem if there are separate threads for physics and math REUs.

Oh, Sorry. I didn't notice the difference.

 

[Lindylove]

Got into UWash, which was in my top 2. For the curious: 3.5 GPA at an R1 university (my GPA has improved significantly over the years), lots of outreach and leadership in physics and non physics, 1.5 yrs of research experience and 2 pretty good recs. Still waiting on SULI, Oregon, UC Davis and Chicago.

Last year I applied to 15 (in a totally different field) and got nothing and I'm sure there are a ton of variables that factor into the decisions. I definitely agree that a lot of these programs like to give experience to those who don't already have the chance. At my school I met some students doing a program last summer that was very similar to an REU and they were from small colleges with little to no research. On the other hand, for the same program my PI specifically chose the most qualified physics hot-shot ever. I think everyone has a pretty good chance.

 

[Spriteling]

I just got an offer from URochester. I'd be working at Fermilab on the MINERvA neutrino experiments. It wasn't one of my top projects before, but the whole Fermilab thing made it shoot right up.

 

[Spriteling]

Just got an offer from Minnesota. Argh!

 

[guphysics]

Where else have people been applying to?

Have a lot of institutions been announcing first round acceptances yet?

 

[Jack21222]

I've applied to Michigan, Drexel and SETI REU programs. I applied to the DoE's SULI program for SLAC and Brookhaven. Additionally, I applied to 12 internship opportunities at NASA.

Haven't heard back from any yet, though for NASA and Drexel, applications haven't even closed yet.

 

[fhqwgads2005]

Got into UWash, which was in my top 2. For the curious: 3.5 GPA at an R1 university (my GPA has improved significantly over the years), lots of outreach and leadership in physics and non physics, 1.5 yrs of research experience and 2 pretty good recs. Still waiting on SULI, Oregon, UC Davis and Chicago.

Last year I applied to 15 (in a totally different field) and got nothing and I'm sure there are a ton of variables that factor into the decisions. I definitely agree that a lot of these programs like to give experience to those who don't already have the chance. At my school I met some students doing a program last summer that was very similar to an REU and they were from small colleges with little to no research. On the other hand, for the same program my PI specifically chose the most qualified physics hot-shot ever. I think everyone has a pretty good chance.

Hey! I got into the UW program was well. I'm super excited about it, along with UCLA it was basically my top choice. Sounds like I'll see you in Seattle!

 

[ThatTallGirl]

I applied to Michigan State, UIUC, and Coe. I got offered and accepted a position at MSU, and still haven't heard back from the other two.

I've got a 3.79 GPA, and I'm a sophomore, but I got my letter of recommendation for a professor that both knows me well and did his graduate work at MSU.

 

[Spriteling]

Have been more or less rejected from UWash, but got an offer from Colombia today to work on ATLAS. A bit regretful I already had to accept the position at Fermilab.

 

[guphysics]

Has anyone heard from Fermilab internships yet, or from LIGO's REU?

 

[Nabeshin]

LIGO's REU?

Yes, just accepted an offer from there today (was offered ~1wk ago).

 

[guphysics]

well done!- I guess that means I wasn't successful. I have other offers though, including my second choice, so now I know I should probably accept them.

Just to be sure, are you talking about the one you apply to through http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/LIGO_web/students/undergrads.html as I know there other reu's that work on LIGO but aren't based at Caltech or one of the interferometer sites. Also, if you don't mind me asking, have you had previous grav waves research before?

 

[Nabeshin]

Just to be sure, are you talking about the one you apply to through http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/LIGO_web/students/undergrads.html as I know there other reu's that work on LIGO but aren't based at Caltech or one of the interferometer sites. Also, if you don't mind me asking, have you had previous grav waves research before?

Yes, that's the one. The work I do right now (here at Cornell) is in numerical relativity. So part of what I do is extract gravitational waveforms from binary black holes inspiral and mergers that I run -- but this is very much more on the theoretical side than working with LIGO will be, I imagine. I'm sure it helped my admission prospects that one of the letters of recommendations was written by a professor in close collaboration with caltech and the LIGO project

 

[barrybrass]

Applied to U of M, UW, UIUC, and MSU REUs, NASA USRP and PPPL NUF.

Was offered and accepted a position at U of M, my top choice. Haven't heard back from the other ones.

 

[101physics]

Has anyone been to LASP/HAO Reu in Boulder CO before?

 

[Cider]

Could more people list where they've been accepted to so others can get a better idea of which places have responded so far?

 

[aesshen]

One of my friends got into UMich and Georgetown and I think Kansas? She got into some more after that, but she'd already accepted Georgetown. This was a week or two ago.

 

[ramanan]

Just got an email from LIGO saying that I was placed on a wait list. I understand that this is not an outright rejection, but does anyone have any experience of being accepted from the waiting list ?

 

[betelguese05]

Two applications, PPPL NUF (top choice) and SULI (PPPL and Los Alamos). Really want to do plasma, and my research group has some collaborators at PPPL, so I could start a project there and continue it during the school year (if necessary). Crossing my fingers! (Haven't heard anything yet >.>)

 

[barrybrass]

Accepted by PPPL NUF also

 

[betelguese05]

Also got into the NUF, I'll be spending the summer doing a theory project at Princeton.

 

[dtl42]

I also got into PPPL NUF, but I haven't been matched with a site yet.

 

[chickenwing71]

Accepted:
Princeton (MIRTHE)
Georgetown

Rejected:
LSU
UWash
TCU

Still waiting to hear back from a few others. I already said no to Georgetown, so unless I get a spectacular offer somewhere else before the deadline, I'll be at Princeton.

 

[Jack21222]

Is it normal to get rejection letters from the places you've applied?

So far, the only response I've gotten back is a rejection email from SETI. Drexel comes out on April 1st, I haven't heard a thing from Michigan, SULI is still in the second round (I didn't get accepted in the first round), and I haven't heard anything from any of the 12 NASA positions I applied for through their OSSI:SOLAR system. However, for NASA the applications only closed on March 15th, so I expect they'll be after April 1st as well.

 

[hadsed]

Jack, that is peculiar. I was under the impression that NASA principal investigators would have already made their decisions before the deadline. I got an email from one at JPL wondering if I was interested in his project, and he told me that the way it works is that they request that the PI's send a list of 5 students ranked from best choice to ...less best choice... and then they would be picking that way (plus remembering after 5 days an offer expires and goes to the next person).

Since I wasn't offered the day after March 15th, I assumed I wasn't going to get an offer.

Also to note, I wasn't accepted to Rochester or RPI. I'm a first year student, if anyone was wondering.