Courtesy of Anakin Dey
Advice for REUs
What are REUs?
REUs are Research Experiences for Undergraduates that are funded by the National Science Foundation. Their whole purpose is to get people their first experience with research in their field of choice. These are funded programs if you are a US citizen, typically meaning that you will be reimbursed for housing, meals, and travel. If you are not a US citizen then you may only be partially funded (or may have to pay for these out of pocket). REUs are a great way to try out research for a shorter time span and see if you do like it or not. Nowhere else as an undergrad will you get to do research and research alone with no worries of exams and homework. Also, these are a great way to get a letter of recommendation for graduate school. These programs run over the summer, meaning you cannot, and are explicitly not allowed to, do an internship alongside. These are for first experiences in research, meaning they do not expect prior research experience! So do not be shy when applying! Also if you are reading this, you probably have some programming background. This is a huge advantage for you! In the past, people have been selected for projects because they knew how to program! Many REU projects are very computational in nature, so take advantage of this. Apply to many REUs! It really is not that much harder to apply to many REU sites as it is to apply for a few, especially since there are no OAs or interviews. These are really competitive programs, often more competitive than even graduate school admissions (at least according to UChicago).
Personal Statements
There are no OAs or interviews. The most important material you will submit is your Personal Statement talking about why you want to do research in your field of choice, why that particular program of choice is a good fit for you, and how being a part of an REU will further your goals (pursuing research, graduate school, whatever). Start drafting your personal statement early and revise and revise. Have someone read it over, preferably someone who has done an REU and even one or two of your letter writers. These should be 1 page long.
Example Personal Statements
Below are the personal statements of UIUC students who have gotten into REUs before!
Letters of Recommendation
You will need two letters of rec, preferably from professors in the field you are working in. Ideally these professors will be able to say more than “they did well in my class.” I recommend asking for letters before finals hit if you can, and ask in office hours rather than email. I’m not sure how important that is but it feels nicer to me than an email. You should ask for a strong letter of recommendation. It is rare, but not unheard of, for people to agree to write a letter and then write a not-so-good letter. There are right and wrong ways to do this but asking for a “strong letter of recommendation” should be enough, as compared to just asking for a letter of recommendation.
One thing you can do is that when they do say yes, reply to them with your statement of purpose and resume. Say that they can use those in their letter if they want but they don’t have to. If you have a common theme of the programs you are applying to (algebra, analysis, combo, etc) then you can mention that you are focused on that area. They may not need that information but it can be nice to have.
Timeline
Most REUs have due dates in late Jan / early Feb. Plan accordingly for this! Ask your letter writers before winter break starts. Get a few drafts of your personal statement done over winter break. Writing sucks, so do it while you aren’t swamped with homework.