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Advice about summer activities
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Posted by Michael Gage, 4/26/01 at 10:50:32 AM.
Prof. Gage,
I won't be doing an REU this summer, but, I've been accepted into the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Over 700 kids applied for 70 positions in 5 major fields; the one to which I applied wad biomedical engineering. I will be working on motion correction of magnetic resonance images (MRI) this summer (which involves a combination of math, physics, and computer programming).
General advice for people applying to programs:
- go to the career center and open a recommendation file. The career center has a service that holds and mails recommendations for you. It's very handy. Also, ask people well in advance (a few months if possible) for recommendations. You can start asking for recommendations even before you've decided which programs to apply to. Generally, getting the recommendations is the hardest part of the apps.
- Get a copy or two of your student transcripts early; almost every program needs a copy of student transcripts, and very few care if they're a copy marked "released to student." In general, there is a lot of the application process that can be done before one decides to apply for a program. Note, it is best to have a recommendation tailored to the program you're applying for.
- Of course, it is best to get started early, but, not impossible if you are starting late.
- Apply to more than one program. The first program requires the most work as far as appyling goes; applying for a second or third isn't too much harder.
- At the end of the summer, if you feel like you've done an outstanding job, ask the person you worked for for a recommendation. These recommendations mean a lot; fewer people have recommendations written for them by people they've done research for as an undergrad.
- Delve fully into your summer research. The experience will help you later determine what you do and don't want to do in the future.
- Get to know people where you are at. If you decide to apply there for grad school, those contacts may come in handy.
If you would like any more info, I'd be happy to give more.
Brian Goss.
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