<p>Thank you, M2CK. Summer internships sound like a good option. We had talked about not wanting to string out undergrad too much (by doing a co-op), while still needing to get experience. I continue to learn so much!</p>
<p>I just forwarded the link to the REU page on the NSF website to my daughter. Sounds like something she’d be interested in doing. </p>
<p>She now wants to go to Columbia for a doctorate in genetics, so she needs to take advantage of all the opportunities she can.</p>
<p>Here is the link to various REUs across the country. Students can apply to any that they qualify for. </p>
<p>If interested, your student needs to be thinking about which profs to get LORs from. If an REU asks for 2, try to get 3 profs…in case one is late in sending.</p>
<p>[US</a> NSF - REU - List Result](<a href=“Search Results for REU Sites | NSF - National Science Foundation”>REU Sites | NSF - National Science Foundation)</p>
<p>These REU and VIGRE opps are awesome…your child gets to experience another univ…make new friends…and network in their chosen field.</p>
<p>Both of my kids keep in touch with profs and students they’ve met thru these opportunities.</p>
<p>When we went to the Family Luncheon at younger son’s REU this summer, we met students and families from all over the US…from ivies to LACs to little known schools.</p>
<p>M2ck: After what year did your kids do the REU and VIGRE internships…honestly, I haven’t searched the sites to answer this myself/if they have to have completed a certain year etc.,…you make me lazy 'cause you always know so much;easier to come to you first! From your kids experience is there a better time/year if it doesn’t have to be after completion of a certain year?</p>
<p>Bruinsmom: Tried to PM you but you aren’t set up to receive PM’s…about all the opportunities being daunting…D is UHP, IHP, UFE and D1 Athlete (two practices daily total 4 hours on avg.) and has the mandatory 10 hour athletic study hall at Bryant as a freshman in fall semester…It is a really full plate but she has been able to juggle it all, granted she is a very routine, focused, organized kid (way more so than I was at that age!) And she has still found time to enjoy friends, has been to concerts, goes to the f’ball, BB games, is looking forward to seeing some baseball/softball, enjoys going out to eat in T’town, shopping at Midtown, and has hosted or helped w/new recruit visits, not into the party scene. Loves all she is involved in and all the different and interesting people she interacts with in the various programs. As many parents say there is so much for these kids to do at UA most of them wish they had more time in the day. Maybe M2ck or other CBHP parents can speak to the time commitments on that end. My thought is Fellows may be less of a time commitment in terms of actual hours during the school day vs. CBHP.??? but again, others can hopefully chime in on that. Fellows meet one night a week for class which is usually for a couple hours although I think they ask the kids to block out that full evening. There are times on that same night or possibly a different one when the time frame can run from say 6-9:30/10pm when they go to cultural events, lectures or dinners on/off campus. In the spring they will meet two times a week/evenings, for I think an hour and 1/2 each in preparation for their Black Belt experience which follows their freshman year…I believe they stay after the semester for 3wk of involvement in that program. She is having to give up going to reglion classes which she was enjoying come spring semester due to the extra night for the UFE commitment/conflict of being at the same time, but she learned at an early age (middle school) that she can’t always do everything she wants and will stay involved at the church through mass. Hope this helps. Also is your son planning to do Outdoor Action or Alabama Action? D did OA and loved it. I highly suggest it, esp. for OOS kids…assuming you may be from Boston/Bruins?</p>
<p>Thank you for the detailed info about UFE and time commitment. Of course, we don’t even know if he’ll be a UFE Fellow, but your input was great as far as what it looks like. Sounds like your daughter is one disciplined young lady!
Could you expound on Alabama Action and the Outdoor Action?
So funny - no we’re not from Boston, but you made me laugh! Keeping a low profile in that regard, as DS may start reading this thread and figure out that I’m talking about him! So keeping the rest of the info under wraps 
This thread has taken a very interesting turn, for which I have no complaints!</p>
<p>LOL Bruinsmom… we were totally the same last year going thru this process and protecting D identity w/worrying about her getting angry/why I was trying to PM you first…but honestly now she is too busy to ever check the site and we feel like the site helped us so much to learn/navigate the UA system as you are finding that at this point we just want to give back if we can.
Here is the link in the honors college that tells about OA/AA…look under the Civic Engagement area for description of each program.
[Honors</a> College - Outdoor Action](<a href=“http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/index.php?page=outdoor-action]Honors”>http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/index.php?page=outdoor-action)</p>
<p>Oh those both look cool!! Especially Alabama Action…</p>
<p>As for qualifying for REUs and such…</p>
<p>each school sets their own req’ts as to what year a student has to be. Some require that a student have junior standing by the end of the school year, but will count AP credits. </p>
<p>Also, some schools offer more than one REU that you might want to participate in, and it’s ok to apply to each one. </p>
<p>And, schools are often flexible about your “start date” because they know that some regions end their spring semester/quarter late.</p>