I have recently been accepted to a summer biology REU! I am a freshman from a small private school with one semester of research experience and a 3.99 GPA. Honestly, I applied to 4 REUs mostly as a practice run for next summer because I wanted to know what the application process was like. I was very surprised to find out that, even though only 5% of applicants were accepted, I got in!
That being said, should I accept the offer? Also, what should I expect?
Why would you not accept it?
I intend to do so; they have given me some time to respond. I don’t see any reason not to accept, but I like to double check with others who have more experience and knowledge to confirm. 
Fair enough, but again: why would you not? Given that we are all strangers (many of whom are no more experienced than you), who don’t know anything about you, your goals, your circumstances, the subject or even the specific REU etc., all we can say is what you already know: as paid research opportunites, REUs give you the chance to do primary research as an undergrad.
This experience will give you some taste of what the research life is like, which can help you assess whether it suits you or not; will give you exposure to current research being done in an area you are interested in; and will give you the opportunity to get to know other researchers, including some who may be able to write recommendations for you down the road.
Most likely your advisor and older students in your college have first hand experience with REUs, so you can get some experiential context from them. Same as any summer internship, specific experiences vary widely, as how the program is run and (especially) your supervisor will materially affect how much you learn, do, experience, etc.
Be prepared to be more independent: depending on the program you may have to feed yourself.
@minnesotabiogirl congrats!! As someone in nearly the same position as you (freshman at small private college, 3.9 GPA, Biology major), I’d say go for it! Obviously I don’t know all the specifics of your situation (your career goals, what research opportunities you have at your home institution, etc) but an REU acceptance as a freshman is a great opportunity! Unless you have some paid opportunity at your home institution over the summer that is better aligned with your interests than the REU, I don’t see any reason to pass up this chance.
I applied to six REUs myself, and I should be hearing back from most of them by the end of the week. Fingers crossed!!
@smalltownsenior thank you! Good luck with yours!
@minnesotabiogirl would you mind sharing the programs you applied to? or maybe direct me to a site where I could look into these? I’m going to be a freshman in the fall and really want a head start on what I could potentially do next year!
REU info is [url=<a href=“https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/%5Dhere%5B/url”>https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/]here[/url]. Getting an REU as a first year is an achievement. Be sure to look at your home college/uni for summer research opportunities- many (most?) will have a home program that is similar to the REU system. Application deadlines tend to be in mid-winter, so watch for that.
The other programs I applied to were Iowa State Microbiology, Mayo Clinic, Gundersen Clinic-La Crosse, and Stowers Institute. Most guidelines recommend applying to 8-12 as it greatly boosts your chances of admission. Also keep in mind that some REUs are geared toward certain students - women, underrepresented ethnicities in science, students with a lot of experience, students with no experience. I think being intentional really helped me out!
Thanks so much! I’m an URM, first gen, low income girl so I bet there’s a bunch of programs out there geared towards me. Definitely will start looking into them right now but let me know if you know of anymore. Thanks again! @collegemom3717 @minnesotabiogirl
Yes if you have a good application you are definitely a shoe-in! I know that University of Wisconsin-Madison has a program which sounds like it would be a good fit for you. Good luck!