What Are the Best REU Opportunities to Explore This Summer?

[ridingonlove]

Email anyone you're unsure about. I did and apparently I now have to think about Iowa State too. <- silly complaints

I don't get it. Are some places withholding offers from applicants, then?

 

[aesshen]

I don't get it. Are some places withholding offers from applicants, then?

I have no idea, though "withholding" sounds a bit much. I just emailed them and got a favorable reply.

 

[honumana]

Hey so who else got into UCLA RIPS! I think that's where I will be going this summer.

 

[belle]

Sometimes they are still in the process of making decisions, but if they get emailed by a strong applicant they are considering, they will make them an offer, rather than risk that they would just go with another program. Also, if you email a program, you are showing that you are interested specifically in that REU, rather than you just sent them an app along with 15 others.

 

[azrail911]

Hey so who else got into UCLA RIPS! I think that's where I will be going this summer.

Hey when did you get the offer?

 

[honumana]

Hey when did you get the offer?

Hmmm. A few weeks ago I believe. But, I'm under the impression that they aren't done accepting people yet. One of my friends hasn't heard back from them either way yet.

 

[math.py]

I'm being offered a position at an REU this summer. I have to accept or decline in about a week. I want to ask my first choice for REU about my status or if they're still considering me. Is it impolite to either program, to let my first choice know what REU program is offering me a position or is it necessary that I be specific?

 

[honumana]

I'm being offered a position at an REU this summer. I have to accept or decline in about a week. I want to ask my first choice for REU about my status or if they're still considering me. Is it impolite to either program, to let my first choice know what REU program is offering me a position or is it necessary that I be specific?

When I was in a similar situation, I called/e-mailed a few schools that I was still interested in. I would highly recommend doing this. It does a few things. First, it let's that program know that other schools want you! Second, it let's the program know that even though you've been accepted somewhere else, you are more interested in their program. Third, instead of being a name on a list you will be brought to the attention of the people in charge. :) Also, congratulations on the acceptance :).

 

[honumana]

Also, in regards to letting your first choice know about which program you were accepted into. If they ask, you might as well tell them :).

 

[sutupidmath]

has anyone heard back form georgia tech?

 

[zpconn]

I'm being offered a position at an REU this summer. I have to accept or decline in about a week. I want to ask my first choice for REU about my status or if they're still considering me. Is it impolite to either program, to let my first choice know what REU program is offering me a position or is it necessary that I be specific?

You should email your first choice program and just politely explain that you have to reply to another program in a week, but your first choice program is, well, your first choice, so you are wondering if it is at all possible to get an accelerated decision; maybe emphasize that you understand if it's not and don't want to push them, but you just thought you'd ask.

I did that this semester and ended up getting an offer from my first choice program before the deadline had even passed. I didn't specify in my email the names of the programs I had already been accepted to.

 

[math.py]

You should email your first choice program and just politely explain that you have to reply to another program in a week, but your first choice program is, well, your first choice, so you are wondering if it is at all possible to get an accelerated decision; maybe emphasize that you understand if it's not and don't want to push them, but you just thought you'd ask.

I did that this semester and ended up getting an offer from my first choice program before the deadline had even passed. I didn't specify in my email the names of the programs I had already been accepted to.

Yeah, I went ahead and did that. I also emailed other programs that had not responded and told them my situation... I've never had so many rejections in such a short time! My first choice is going to let me know by tomorrow, though. So tomorrow I will finally know what I'm doing this summer.

 

[PhDorBust]

Hey so who else got into UCLA RIPS! I think that's where I will be going this summer.

I'll be at UCLA RIPS too. I only hope that I get a decent project, some of them strike me as entirely mundane.

 

[tcbh]

I'm in the process of filling out an application and it asks for a statement of purpose, but there's no details about what they want (other than picking projects I'm most interested in). So what type of information do they usually want? And is a couple of paragraphs usually sufficient?

 

[QWXR]

a statement of purpose is just that; stating what your purpose in applying to their program is.

i generally wrote mine with 3 paragraphs:
1) how i got started in math
2) why I'm interested in doing research
3) why i would be a good pick for their program or specifically their projects

 

[tcbh]

What do you mean by a start in math? I thought they weren't interested in childhood stories and stuff like that.

And I'm not really sure what could make me a good pick other than being a bright and interested student, lol, but I guess I can work that out.

 

[honumana]

I'll be at UCLA RIPS too. I only hope that I get a decent project, some of them strike me as entirely mundane.

I am curious also. Who knows, we might even end up working on the same project. :)

 

[azrail911]

I am curious also. Who knows, we might even end up working on the same project. :)

hey just wondering, what is your math background? :)

 

[ebola1717]

I haven't heard back from anyone (except Cornell, who rejected me), so I suppose I'm not on any first-wave acceptances. To be sure, has anyone heard from OSU, Fairfield, Claremont, or CSUCI?

Also, I'm not really sure what to do if I don't get into a math REU this summer. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[CharmedQuark]

I haven't heard back from anyone (except Cornell, who rejected me), so I suppose I'm not on any first-wave acceptances. To be sure, has anyone heard from OSU, Fairfield, Claremont, or CSUCI?

Also, I'm not really sure what to do if I don't get into a math REU this summer. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I received an e-mail from Fairfield stating that they had filled all their positions already.

If you don't get into any of them you should talk to some of the professors at your school and see if they have anything available over the summer. It probably won't be paid research but its better than nothing.

 

[shelovesmath]

Has anyone heard back from any of the REU's you've applied yet?

I've heard back from 4. I've been rejected by 4. I have 7 more to go.

Carleton
Cornell
Princeton
William & Mary

 

[shelovesmath]

Has anyone heard from Indiana, Mount Holyoke or UC San Bernardino recently?

No, I'm still waiting.

 

[ridingonlove]

I've heard back from 4. I've been rejected by 4. I have 7 more to go.

Carleton
Cornell
Princeton
William & Mary

William & Mary sent decisions? I guess I wasn't even good enough for a proper rejection.

 

[ShadeFaliam]

Has anybody received an acceptance from WPI? Moreover, I wonder why there has been no discussion about the MSRI-UP program. If anybody has applied please tell me the status of your application.

 

[Newtime]

No, I'm still waiting.

Indiana is done or very nearly done. San Bernardino will send out first round offers early this week. Mount Holyoke has already sent out offers, but I'm not sure how many.

 

[shelovesmath]

William & Mary sent decisions? I guess I wasn't even good enough for a proper rejection.

Well, I feel that way too. I'm not actually expecting to get accepted anywhere. I just e-mailed the remaining programs, and heard back pretty quickly from UNC Asheville that it's a no go. Rejection number 5.

I'm starting to wonder who I need to **** to learn some math.

 

[PhDorBust]

Well, I feel that way too. I'm not actually expecting to get accepted anywhere. I just e-mailed the remaining programs, and heard back pretty quickly from UNC Asheville that it's a no go. Rejection number 5.

I'm starting to wonder who I need to **** to learn some math.

It would be very interesting if any of the programs would publish the number of applications they've received each year. It seems this ultra-competitive aspect has only become pronounced in the last 5 years.

 

[shelovesmath]

It would be very interesting if any of the programs would publish the number of applications they've received each year. It seems this ultra-competitive aspect has only become pronounced in the last 5 years.

The only one I know was Carlton which had 136 applicants. I'm sure we can just ask them.

 

[Monocles]

I just received an acceptance for the Georgia Tech math REU.

 

[sutupidmath]

I just received an acceptance for the Georgia Tech math REU.

Congrats! Were you accepted for a specific research project/Mentor?

 

[Monocles]

Yeah - I'm a Georgia Tech student and they explicitly require a GT professor's letter of recommendation to even apply so its a pretty easy program for GT students to get into and pretty difficult for everyone else. I pulled off something crazy and got them to agree to let me work with a mathematical physicist at another university (with GT's funding), and that school has several professors I'd be interested in working with as a grad student (including the one I'll be working for), so I'm pretty stoked about this :D

 

[kate1729]

Has anybody received an acceptance from WPI? Moreover, I wonder why there has been no discussion about the MSRI-UP program. If anybody has applied please tell me the status of your application.

I got an offer from WPI on Friday.

 

[bksmith3]

I got offers from NC State and Georgia Tech today

 

[Cider]

Indiana sent out all of its rejections just now.

 

[Galois1]

Anybody heard from Kent State yet?

 

[dhornbeck]

they are sending out their first offers at the beginning of next week, and then things will go from there

 

[shravas]

Does anyone know of any summer school-type things like the one at Princeton (http://www.math.princeton.edu/rtg/summer/)? I'm not really sure where to look for them.

 

[Galois1]

they are sending out their first offers at the beginning of next week, and then things will go from there

Was that in response to the question regarding Kent State?

 

[dhornbeck]

yeah, they e-mailed me about it last week

 

[riemannia]

I've been rejected by eight of the nine REU's I've applied to, with little hope for an acceptance by the remaining one; so I'm sort of a scrambling to get something set up to do over the summer. ebola1717's question was ignored a page or so back, so I'll ask it again: in the absence of an REU to attend, what should a math undergrad student do with his or her summer?

Obviously, study more math (I've already got a hefty reading list and a stack of Putnam problems to play with) but I'm looking for something more.

 

[Cider]

I'd say try to talk to some of the professors you know about possibly getting something to do over the summer or if they know anyone that you would be able to do research under, at your University or elsewhere. That's what I'm planning to do should I have the same situation, though I've only been rejected at 3 of 10 so far (most were later deadlines).

 

[zpconn]

Some ideas for stuff to do over the summer:

* Travel! Seriously--it may not leave a lot of time to dedicate to mathematics, but studying abroad can be really fun and educational and worthwhile. At my school at least, right now I'm pretty sure if you personally went to the study abroad people you could get permission still to go somewhere this summer. One problem could be financing. It basically works differently at every school, and sometimes financial aid covers studying abroad and sometimes it doesn't.

* Learn about something cool and exotic in math, write an expository paper on it, and try to get that published (in, say, the Harvard College Mathematics Review, which only wants expository articles).

* Take classes, either math classes (probably advanced ones won't be offered) or other degree requirements.