I’m a junior at Brandeis University looking to apply to some bio/neuro REUs this summer. Looking through the archives of past participants at some of the sites I’m considering, however, they very nearly all seem to come from relatively obscure, large public or small liberal arts schools.
I understand & respect the REU program’s goal of extending research opportunities to students who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to access them, so I’m not here to criticize or argue against the validity of that practice. But I am wondering whether I should worry about the effect the name “Brandeis University” will have on my application?
The project options available at many these sites are still not projects I could undertake at my own institution (no research school is all-encompassing), so I don’t think my application is out of place. And I’m sure every site must place different value on different application strengths or aspects of diversity. But I’d still like to hear the input of some people with experience working at & applying to REUs, to gauge the relative importance/danger of this factor.
Thanks a bunch! 