REU for International Students: Need Info?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges faced by an international student seeking to apply for a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, specifically focusing on finding programs that accept international students and provide financial aid. The inquiry includes considerations about acceptance chances into competitive programs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in finding REU programs that accept international students and provide financial aid.
  • Another participant references a previous thread that may contain helpful information regarding REU programs.
  • A participant identifies the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) at Caltech as a program that accepts international students and offers financial support for living expenses.
  • The same participant questions their chances of acceptance into the SURF program, comparing it to the difficulty of gaining admission to Caltech as an undergraduate, while providing details about their academic background and GPA.
  • The participant notes their lack of research experience and inquires whether an independent study would be critical for acceptance into REUs.
  • Another participant asks for clarification about the school the original poster attends.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the availability of REU programs for international students or the specific chances of acceptance into competitive programs like SURF at Caltech. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the criteria for acceptance and the importance of research experience.

Contextual Notes

The discussion lacks specific details about the criteria for acceptance into REU programs and the implications of the participant's academic background on their chances of success.

sutupidmath
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Hi all,

I am planning to apply for some REU during the summer of 2009, but since i am an international student, i am facing difficulties finding a programm that accepts international students, and most importantly that offers financial aid to international students, since i cannot afford it from my own pocket.

So, i was wondering if someone of you out there knows a program that accepts international students?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Hi again!

I found that there is actually a program that accepts international students, and that actually pays them, so they can cover housing, meal expences etc.

THis is SURF( Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) at CALTECH.

But, my question now is that, what would my chances for getting accepted in such a program be. Since Caltech is a top university, is it about the same difficulty to get in such a summer program as it would be to get in Caltech as an undergraduate?

My background so far is:

1. I have no past research experience
2. The courses that i will have taken( that would be by the end of my 3rd semester) by the beginning of the summer research program are:
Elementary Functions;Elementary Statistics 1; Calculus 1, 2,3; Elementary Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Ordinary Differential Equations; and i am also planning to do an independent study the upcoming semester but only if that would be critical for being accepted in any of REU's.
SO far i have a GPA of 4.0 and i expect to have a gpa on a range 3.85-4.0 by that time also.

I also think that i can study on my own almost anything in math, as long as i have the necessary background for that, no matter the level of difficulty.

So, do i have any chances? I am not keeping my expectatons high, indeed i am keeping them very low, so i just wanted som more input from you, to get a better understanding of the situation.

Thanks a lot!
 
what school do you go to?
 

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