Summer Research Experiences

Well hello everyone and welcome back to the Resilience in STEM podcast! I hope everyone had a good and successful finals season. I know when I finished my finals, I was thrilled they were over so I could finally relax and just take some time to rest. The day after I finished my last final, I slept around 12-13 hours. When I woke up the next day I felt so disoriented. For the past few weeks, I have been getting stuff done, but I sometimes don’t even know what day of the week it is sometimes. I feel productive, but it’s a nice feeling to not be on a schedule so I can do my own thing and relax. 

 

I thought we would start with a graduate school update. Right now I finalized a list of all of the schools I am going to be applying to. I’ve also been looking at some pre-Ph.D. programs. These are mainly the orientation of campuses and how programs operate. Not many schools offer this paid experience. In the field I am interested in (neuroscience), I have only found these programs at Princeton and UPenn. These programs are for students from underrepresented backgrounds and who are interested in Ph.D. programs in STEM fields. They also let the students explore the campus, potential laboratories, and resources to help them succeed. There are also a lot of mentorship opportunities with current grad students who are in the Ph.D. program you want to be part of and faculty to talk about their experiences. I’ve been finishing the applications this month and I can also attach the link to the program I applied to. You can probably find these opportunities at other campuses for different fields of study. They typically last a weekend to just 3 days. 

 

In addition, I have been starting my process in the Ph.D. application cycle to begin in Fall 2024. I feel right now is a great time to get started with that. So what I have been doing is making an Excel spreadsheet on important information for each program. This allows me to have a rough outline of my essays and have a good first draft. 

 

Also, some good advice I’ve gathered is to look at fee waivers. I know application fee costs can add up very quickly, especially if you apply to a lot of schools. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Master's or a Ph.D. in whichever field it may be. The applications can be quite expensive. Applications can start from around $50 and they can even go up to $100. This price can be even higher for international students. So definitely thinking about the amount of money to pay for all of these applications is important. If you feel you cannot afford to apply to these programs or it’s a lot of money, you can email the admissions office or coordinators early, which is why I say it’s good to start the application cycle in June. You can reach out to them with any concern about getting a fee waiver, whether it be explaining your financial situation or filling out a form. This will allow you to get that fee waiver and pay a reduced fee or a free application. Definitely starting the application process or just opening your applications in June can be very beneficial. You can see the total cost of application fees and determine if you need a fee waiver. In addition, a lot of people who coordinate the Ph.D. programs admissions prefer that you reach out to them earlier in the application process so they have enough fee waivers to give out. Typically if you reach out to them closer to the end of the submission period, they are less likely to give it to you because they ran out of waivers. Sometimes there are a limited number of waivers. 

 

I feel we can talk about something important, and as we are getting into the summer, this is about summer research experiences! These are beneficial experiences for anyone wanting to go into a research career. It’s mainly for STEM research, but they are still amazing for undergraduates. I started looking at these programs in my sophomore year. I was doing research at my Texas A&M lab, but I began thinking about being part of these summer research experiences. They are opportunities where you can go to other universities for the summer and be an intern at a research lab. This a great way to learn new skills in a field you may be interested in. For me, I had a good incentive to apply for these internships. Although I do neuroscience research and I want to do a Ph.D. in the neuroscience field, I realized I wanted to learn more about neurodegenerative disorders in the brain. This is a topic I am interested in pursuing in a Ph.D.. I wanted to get that experience under my belt so this is what led to my decision to apply. 

 

So far, in Summer 2022 I had the opportunity to do at Harvard University, specifically in their stem cell institute. I was accepted into their program. This summer I will be going to the University of California, Berkeley. These experiences have been life-changing for me. In addition, they have solidified my interest in pursuing a research career. This experience also gave me the confidence to feel I can be successful in this path. Just because I am underrepresented in the STEM field does not mean I cannot be successful at these top institutions. Overall, they’ve put me in the experience of being like a graduate student, allowed me to expand my network, and learn a lot of new skills. 

 

A lot of these research experiences are mainly for current undergraduate students. Here are the main things they have. Usually, you are matched into a lab in this process. This allows you to stick with that lab for the entire program, which ranges from 8-10 weeks. Some programs are only 5 weeks. I recommend looking at the details of the program before applying. Being in a lab allows you to expand your knowledge in a certain field and learn new skills/techniques you can use for years to come. Last year at Harvard, I learned about this neurodegenerative disorder called Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy, which is a type of epilepsy in infants. I was able to model that disease using cell culture to grow neurons. In addition, getting matched into a lab allows you to talk to current graduates, postdoctoral fellows, and the principal investigator in the lab. While you get to hear their story and connect with them, it’s also a good opportunity to get another letter of recommendation. These programs also have weekly seminars. The topics consist of professional development opportunities, such as how to get into graduate school, mental health in academia, or how to stay connected with your peers. These seminars are designed to help promote success or learn about a certain subject. Last year, I sat through a seminar about the introduction and history of stem cell research. While we didn’t have to memorize anything or take a test, it was just nice to hear and learn about these topics. The professional development aspect has taught me how to write a research paper and what it takes to compose a strong graduate application. 

 

In addition, the connections you receive from these programs are so important. You’re going to meet a lot of new people and faculty. In terms of your cohort or the other undergraduates, they’re going to come from all over the country, or sometimes all over the world. You’re going to listen and learn from a bunch of different perspectives in science or in the field you’re interested in. This will challenge you to think a little differently or find ways to communicate who aren’t in the same scientific field. These people become your closest friends and you can continue to keep in touch with them. In addition, the faculty and people in the lab are great connections to have. Also, you get to explore the surrounding area. For me, I got to experience the Boston/Cambridge area and see what a typical day living there would be like. I would often dine out, hang out with friends, go shopping, or tour historical/important places. Since I will be in Berkeley this summer, it allows me to explore Berkeley and San Francisco on the weekends. I feel this is pretty important. When going into graduate school, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in that area. For a Master’s degree, it may not be as important to consider. But for a Ph.D., you’re going to be spending around ~5-6 years of your life in this location. So it’s important to know that I will enjoy and thrive in this location. 

 

Oh! There is one very important thing about these summer research experiences. THEY ARE FREE. There is no application cost. The only cost is your time. I didn’t have to pay a fee for applying or attending these programs. So it’s completely free to apply and there is no limit on the number of programs you can apply to. The first time I applied (my sophomore year) I applied to 7 schools ranging from my home institution to UT Southwestern, Michigan, Rutgers, and even Harvard. Fortunately, I was accepted to all but one program. I think a good number of applications to apply to can be ~7 applications. That way you apply to a good range, but you aren't stretching yourself too thin and decreasing the quality of your application. 

 

Overall these programs have made me feel that I have the skills and mentality that I can complete a Ph.D. wherever I end up, and I will be successful in any institution and research career. While you do gain a lot of connections and skills, I felt very reassured that I have all of the tools to succeed. Being a part of these research experiences make your graduate application stand out, and it’s honestly a good test to see if you want to do a research career. Last year, some of the interns who joined were initially considering pursuing an MD/Ph.D. or just an MD. Once the internship finished, some of them changed their paths or created new plans. Overall, these experiences have been one of the best experiences I’ve had during my undergraduate career. 

 

So you might be wondering why I have told you about these programs, and what you’ve gotten is that they’re great and they look good on graduate applications. The reason for this is the applicants show their interest, were already selected at a top institution for the summer, and executed their projects for the summer. So I’ve told you about the perks of these programs, including that they are free, but the next question is how do I look for these programs and how do I apply to these programs? Just to preface, here are some of the requirements. You have to be a current undergraduate, doesn’t matter if you’re from a community college. So if you’re a postbaccalaureate student or if you are a current Master's student wanting to do a Ph.D., these programs are not available for those groups. In addition, you may need a little bit of research experience, which is at least a semester to a year. This is so you have general lab experience and some expectations. That is why when you are paired in a lab, you kind of know what you’re signing up for and what a lab environment looks like. These summer experiences can be for any research interest. You just have to make sure you communicate why you want to do research in that specific area. This is also meant for people who want a research career. So, for people who want to go to professional schools, such as dental school, or medical school, or pursue an MBA, these programs aren’t meant for that career path. So people who want to do a Ph.D., MD/Ph.D., or even a research-centered Master’s program. That’s something that you should look into on the application website. Those tend to be the most general requirements for these programs. 

 

Some of these programs don’t require previous research experience, such as in a research lab. But that is something for you all to look at. If you are wondering how to get involved in a research lab to get experience, I recommend that you listen to episode 2 of my podcast. This episode talks about how to get into a research lab and why research is so important. 

 

Applications typically open in October/November and close in February-March. What I did is when these applications opened, I worked on them during the winter break. I would start setting up the application, such as putting profile information, around Thanksgiving break and decide which programs I will be applying to. During the winter break, I would work on the essays to make sure I have enough time to make my responses strong and something I feel confident to turn in. I usually turned my applications in at the end of the winter break, which is from the middle to the end of January. 

 

Most summer research experience programs will admit students from outside their home institution. So this is an opportunity to explore other places and get out of your home university. If you want to go to California or near the DC area, apply for programs located there. Usually, those programs have a requirement that they can’t admit that many students from their home institution because the goal of these research experiences is to (at least from the administrative side), bring prospective students so they learn about the graduate programs offered at their institution. This allows students to expand their opportunities. Remember even though I knew this information, I applied to summer programs at Texas A&M, but I kept my options open. I ended up applying to just one program at Texas A&M and applied to many others all over the country. Looking at the end of your fall semester or quarter at these applications. 

 

So where can you look for these programs? One really good place is the National Science Foundation (NSF) website. The NSF it’s a government foundation that funds projects in sciences and summer research programs. Because of their funding, they have a very large database. When going to the website, they have a bunch of categories you can look into. Let’s say I’m interested in Plant Biology. I would click on the Plant Biology section, which would lead me to a large list of institutions that have a summer research program related to plant biology. From there you can find where these institutions are located, the program website, and the application materials. In addition to that, you can also research a topic you are interested in. So for example, I am interested in Neuroscience research. So I can Google: “summer research experience in neuroscience”. Now I can find a bunch of lists and websites of summer research experiences I can apply to. That’s actually how I found the University of Michigan’s summer research experience. Other things you can Google include the location or a faculty member you want to work with. You can look up “summer research experiences in Los Angeles” and find a bunch if you want to be in that area over the summer. Another way to find these programs is by asking your advisor from your department or the PI from your research lab. They have a lot of experience in this area, and you may not be the first one to ask about these summer research experiences. So also look into what they suggest for you. 

 

When looking at how to apply these experiences. I talked about the timeline that applications typically open around October/November and close in February/March. You may hear your results around March/early April. They are pretty fast at giving out those decisions. Some advice I would give is just to make sure you keep track of your applications. When looking at the application requirements, there is no application fee. The only cost is your time. In your application portal, some typical things they’ll ask for are a resume, unofficial transcripts, around 2 letters of recommendation, and a couple of short answer or essay questions. These essay questions typically range from a personal statement, your research experiences, and a diversity and inclusion statement. These prompts will be similar for all the applications. What I did was I wrote the general essay response and then added a specific paragraph in that essay that was tailored to the program I am applying to. In all of the essays I also include why I wanted to be part of their program, and that answer was slightly different per application. So having that general essay talking about my experience and adding a personalized paragraph helped me be more efficient. Some other advice on these essays is to get editing suggestions from your principal investigator, your graduate advisor, or your friends. They have a lot of different perspectives on how to make your writing stronger. Another piece of advice I have is since I applied to a few different programs, I strongly recommend creating a spreadsheet or a Google Calendar containing all of the deadlines and necessary information on these applications. You don’t want to be caught off guard in the middle of the winter break realizing one of your applications is due in January and not February. I know one of the applications I applied for was due in January. I kept asking myself why the deadline was so early, but it made me plan accordingly. Look at the deadlines for these applications and make sure you are submitting the correct responses to the right application portal. 

 

Just some final notes on these experiences. When you hear your decisions, they differ a little bit from school acceptance letters where you have a set national deadline to make your decision. Typically these programs will not release their decisions around the same time. For example, I had results given to me starting from February through the end of March. The reason why this is important to know is that these programs will give you a week to two weeks to accept/decline your offer. It also looks bad if you back out of the program after accepting the position. Keep in mind that you may hear from some programs earlier than you anticipated, you may have to decide if you want to commit to that program or if you want to take your chances and wait to hear from other programs. 

 

Overall, these summer research experiences are great opportunities and are life-changing. Any undergraduate interested in a research career and/or a Ph.D. should look into these programs and even apply to them. These programs typically look good on graduate school applications. I suggest you apply for them. They have been great experiences for me and even one of the best experiences of my undergraduate career. I’m looking forward to doing another program in San Francisco.