What Are Your 2015 Summer Internship Plans?

[Dishsoap]

I posted one of these threads for the 2014 summer internships. Please post what you apply for and don't forget to update it when you've heard back!

• REU at CERN (I figure my chances of getting in are even lower if I don't apply!)
• University of Michigan REU
• University of Colorado - Boulder REU
• Purdue University REU
• SULI at Pacific Northwest and Lawrence Berkeley
• Argonne Nat'l Lab

 

[Goodver]

Does anyone know any summer programs related semiconductor or laser physics? Preferably in European Union or Russia

 

[Charles Stark]

I will be applying for the REU at Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Tyler.

Hopefully I won't have to go because my own University will have one but they haven't announced anything yet.

 

[QuantumCurt]

I applied for the Department of Energy CCI (Community College Internship) program. My first and second choice labs were Fermilab and SLAC. I'm hoping I get selected.

 

[ModestyKing]

I've applied to REUs at:
University of Nebraska
University of Alabama
Georgetown University
Brigham Young University

And it may be possible that my own institution announces programs.

I have possible internships at/have applied for:
Cast Products (in IL)
FLEx Lighting (in Chicago, IL)

And I have a back-up plan that's almost guaranteed employment for 4 weeks in the summer. I'm mainly interested in thin films science/materials/technology. ^_^

 

[noman.rasheed]

I am international student, and a freshman in a two years community college. Can I apply for an internship too?

 

[Dishsoap]

I am international student, and a freshman in a two years community college. Can I apply for an internship too?

Of course! Getting in as a freshman would be difficult but you never know unless you try. I think a lot of REUs allow for funding for permanent residents, and there is a program at most national labs called CCI which is for community college students.

 

[numbersloth]

Are there opportunities accessible to a first year physics student? I have elementary coding experience, if that makes a difference (mostly Python)

 

[QuantumCurt]

It really all depends. Most of the internships that I've seen require applicants to have taken x number of credit hours of college level science and math courses. Freshman often don't meet that requirement because a lot of the freshman year classes are GenEd type classes. Even when they do meet the requirement, the positions are often given to the sophomores, juniors, and seniors that have more experience. Having some coding experience is definitely a plus.

 

[QuantumCurt]

Just checked my application status...the CCI application closes in 6 minutes! I think the SULI program application closes at the same time.

 

[radium]

It's harder to get an REU as a rising sophomore or junior but it's definitely possible. In my first REU we had one or two rising sophomores, and a few rising juniors. In my second (actually in of the ones mentioned here) pretty much all of us except one or two were rising seniors.

I know for a fact that CERN has accepted people who were rising juniors in the past. I actually know a few people who did that REU.

 

[Dishsoap]

That makes me feel better, I've never actually met someone who got accepted to the CERN REU (at least the summer one), so I figured my chances are pretty much slim to none. I mean, they still are, but at least it doesn't seem like it now.

 

[radium]

I think because it's so competitive, having the REU on your CV looks great for grad school apps. The several people I know who did this REU are now grad students at Harvard or MIT. Even if you don't get the REU doesn't mean you won't get into top schools, but I think it really helps, especially if you obtain a great letter of recommendation from it.

 

[QuantumCurt]

Having internships and research experience is one of the most important factors in grad school admissions. They want to see that you've been able to take the knowledge from your courses and actually apply it.

 

[Dishsoap]

Quick question, on the CERN application, it said to submit letters of recommendation by January 7th, but that applications would begin to be considered on December 20th. I submitted my application on the 19th but my second letter of recommendation wasn't submitted until Jan. 5th; is this an issue? Just wondering if this might have hurt me. Also, does anyone know when CERN sends out acceptances/rejections?

 

[numbersloth]

Would taking a programming course next semester help my application? I'm deciding whether to take intro to programming in python or chemistry... or take a really heavy workload and take both... or just take astronomy since I'm applying for astrophysics REUs

 

[showzen]

Anyone else applying to JPL?

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm not sure how to edit my original post, but rejections for CERN went out today.

 

[numbersloth]

Anyone heard from anywhere yet?

 

[QuantumCurt]

I was accepted into the Department of Energy CCI program at Fermilab. I'm really excited about it.

 

[Bishop556]

I was accepted to the Harvard SAO REU and the University of Madison-Wisconsin REU for astrophysics. The first wave of acceptance has gone out.

 

[Dishsoap]

Oh, I had an interview for the UMich REU and I was also accepted into the U of Colorado - Boulder's REU.

 

[numbersloth]

Has anyone heard from AMNH, UChicago, or Columbia NEVIS?

 

[pattycakes01]

I haven't heard back from any sites yet. Which I guess is good that I haven't been rejected yet. As a sophomore, I didn't expect to get in during the first round of acceptances. I'm super impatient, and I just want to hear back! Has anyone received any news lately?

 

[playoff]

I was accepted into the Department of Energy CCI program at Fermilab. I'm really excited about it.

Congrats! It must be exciting to spend your summer at a national lab.

Has anyone heard back for REU's? No news for me so far. I applied to three very competitive programs as a rising sophomore, and honestly don't think have a chance this year. Good luck to the rest!

 

[pattycakes01]

I just heard back from Vanderbilt, and I got in! I'm pretty shocked that I got in, as a sophomore from a no-name university. I haven't heard at all from any other programs, but Vanderbilt was my top choice, and I just accepted.

 

[QuantumCurt]

Congrats on your acceptance!

 

[Dishsoap]

Should I be concerned that I haven't heard anything back from the REU that I accepted? I responded to the "respond to accept" e-mail and also e-mailed the professor I will be working with. The professor responded but whoever organized the REU has not. And this was about a month ago...

 

[QuantumCurt]

It's probably nothing to be worried about. I still haven't gotten any of the details for my internship. There's still a good amount of time before they begin.

 

[95Tesla]

Has anyone heard anything more? I still haven't heard back from UCLA, MSU, and Minnesota. Should I contact/call these places to inquire?

 

[Petda]

has anyone heard back from SULI at los alamos? or nc state, uc merced, or uw bothell?

 

[playoff]

I have been rejected from Northwestern's MSRC REU. Has anyone heard back from Harvard's SEAS REU?

 

[kontejnjer]

I've been put as a reserve candidate for CERN, which I'm guessing means rejected for all intents and purposes. Still haven't heard from Helmholtz though, hoping for the best.

 

[Formula]

I applied to MSU but haven't heard back. Got rejected from UC Davis and UC Merced.
Accepted to UNC's MIRT REU for a project about nanoscale optics. Taking it.

I didn't apply to very many since I was working on transfer applications all semester. I somehow missed a lot of deadlines. Was also going to apply to Vanderbilt, Howard, Lehigh, but never managed to complete the apps... (Got accepted into Vanderbilt for transfer, though.)

I also missed all the REU deadlines that were due before March. Oops. I think I'm very lucky that I got one!

Rising junior, by the way.

 

[ModestyKing]

Got accepted to University of Nebraska Lincoln on April 1st, got rejected from University of Alabama, Georgetown University, and Brigham Young University.

Rising sophomore O.O Very surprised I got accepted to UNL! They have a huge program.

 

[QuantumCurt]

Congrats on your acceptance! Do you know what kind of project you'll be working on yet?

I've finally gotten some more information about my internship at Fermilab. I'm going to be monitoring the stability of the neutrino beam with NuMI and MiniBooNE. My mentor sent me a couple hundred pages of suggested reading that I've been working my way through between my course work and final exam prep.

 

[ModestyKing]

Thanks QuantumCurt!
I'll be making nanostructured thin films, for substrate-mediated gene delivery! From what I looked up I'll be putting altered DNA on these nanostructured columnar thin films and injecting those into cell populations. My field isn't biophysics or anything (I applied for a different project), but it's the project that was offered to me. I'll learn a bunch!

My mentor said to wait until mid-May before she'd send any suggested reading.

 

[QuantumCurt]

That sounds like it's going to be really cool. I was lucky enough to get assigned to a neutrino project, which is my current main area of interest, so I'm very happy about that. It sounds like you're going to have an awesome experience there though even if it isn't necessarily your main area of interest.

 

[ModestyKing]

Yeah! I'm going to learn a lot! My school featured me in their paper because I'm a freshman that got into this REU. (I only applied to places that expressly stated they'd accept freshman). I'll learn a bunch, including what it's like to do research for 40 hours a week (hopefully it'll be a good experience).

 

[neosoul]

I applied for about 5 programs (UAB, MIRTHE, MagLab, Norfolk State U, Jet Propulsion Lab) and was accepted to the Mag Lab and offered an internship at NOAA (Shreveport) via my department chair. I accepted the offer at the MagLab [:

 

[Dishsoap]

That sounds like it's going to be really cool. I was lucky enough to get assigned to a neutrino project, which is my current main area of interest, so I'm very happy about that. It sounds like you're going to have an awesome experience there though even if it isn't necessarily your main area of interest.

Which program are you in at Fermilab? Is it SULI?

 

[QuantumCurt]

I'm in CCI, which is Community College Internships. I thought about applying for SULI instead, but the SULI applicant pool is much larger, and thus more competitive. The CCI applicant pool tends to be a bit smaller. Next year I'll be at UIUC, so I'll apply for SULI, assuming that I apply again.

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm in CCI, which is Community College Internships. I thought about applying for SULI instead, but the SULI applicant pool is much larger, and thus more competitive. The CCI applicant pool tends to be a bit smaller. Next year I'll be at UIUC, so I'll apply for SULI, assuming that I apply again.

Ah, excellent! Best of luck, I think you'll really enjoy it there.

 

[QuantumCurt]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it. I arrive there on the 30th, so it's not that far off. I've got two more finals this week, then I get two weeks off before starting.

I'm going to be monitoring the stability of the neutrino beam at NuMI and used by MiniBooNE, or something along those lines. My mentor wasn't too explicit about the actual project. He gave me some suggested reading though. The NuMI rookie book and the MiniBooNE rookie book. I've started poking through them a bit. I plan to sit down and really spend some time with them during my couple weeks off.

 

[szimmy]

A little late to the thread but I applied to Rutgers, Lehigh, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Princeton Center for Complex Materials.
Accepted into Penn State and PCCM, took the Princeton position.

Rising junior from a no name school, pretty excited! I'm sure my material based Reu from my home university as a rising sophomore helped me out. Gonna reach for national labs next year!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Congrats to all who got their internships!

 

[gfd43tg]

I've applied to I estimate around 150 internships, only have gotten one interview and I didn't get the job. Feeling down that I can't find work

 

[QuantumCurt]

1 week from today I'll be arriving at Fermilab to start my internship! I can't wait!

I've applied to I estimate around 150 internships, only have gotten one interview and I didn't get the job. Feeling down that I can't find work

150 internships? When I was searching for them, I don't think I even found that many internships in the physical sciences. In situations like this one is often better off narrowing their scope a bit and spending time making sure that one really has a good application. Essays for these applications say a lot, and when one is writing 150 of them, it's hard to give each one a lot of attention. Good luck finding something for the summer, and better luck on the internships next year.

 

[gfd43tg]

Not science, and not REU. I'm talking about internships in industry for engineering, specifically chemical engineering.

 

[Dishsoap]

1 week from today I'll be arriving at Fermilab to start my internship! I can't wait!

I am seriously quite jealous of you. I LOVED my time at Fermilab, and I'm sure you will, too.

If you hear a story of an intern who had to have the Coast Guard come and save her... that was me =)