<p>Rising sophomore, chemical engineering, 3.83 cum GPA, 4.0 chemistry GPA, I start chemE classes this year.</p>
<p>I really, really want to get a chemistry or chem E REU next summer. Thing is, I haven't done any research yet, and probably won't be able to in the fall (18 credits, part-time job). I am open to any location in the US, but the east coast is preferable. </p>
<p>What should I do this semester to improve my chances of getting an REU? I hope to use it to gauge whether I want to go to grad school or go into industry.</p>
<p>Keep your grades up. Get to know a couple of your professors very well so that you may consider asking them to write recs.</p>
<p>You might consider some of the REU sites that might not be as popular…there are likely to be many more people trying to snag REUs from some of the top schools in the country. The competition will be much more intense due to application numbers. Some of the smaller programs might not have as many applications and therefore less intense competition.</p>
<p>Good luck…as it can certainly offer you some insight into research/industry.</p>
<p>I hope to get to know my organic and chemE professors well. Sadly I sat in the back of all my classes last year and didn’t go to office hours, which I’ll definitely change in those two classes.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that acceptance rate is ~10% for REUs. Would that be for top-tier? How can you tell if one is “not popular,” aside from it being not MIT, CalTech, etc. Honestly, I would be happy with nearly anything next summer, then I may try for a more prestigious one the summer after. </p>
<p>One more question: my university is probably a “semi-popular” one. I have heard that most people go other places, but would I have a better chance at getting accepted at my university?</p>
<p>REU’s are for getting research experience to people who haven’t had the chance or exposure. The best thing you could do is get to know your ChemE professors. Go to office hours, ask questions, talk to them about their research, maybe do some research yourself this year (not as important as you may think it is).</p>
<p>I got into the Georgia Tech ChE REU with a half semester of research experience and a 3.55 GPA from Penn State. This things are not terribly difficult to get accepted into. Good letters of recommendation are always helpful.</p>
<p>Do not go to your own university, I think that would be a waste of an opportunity to go out and explore new places and schools. REU’s are great because you get a feel for different ChE departments and how they do things. Plus, they pay for you to go travel somewhere new and live there for a summer? Why would you want to stay in the same place your gonna be stuck in for the next 3 years?</p>
<p>Awesome! Thanks for the quick replies. I’m really excited. I’d love to live in Colorado or somewhere way different for the summer. I didn’t really put myself out in applying to colleges, which I sort of regret. I’m going to apply to at least 10 REUs just for the heck of it (maybe even MIT-a dream.)</p>
<p>Enginearsrfun, that makes me feel a lot better! :)</p>
<p>Check out [nsf.gov</a> - National Science Foundation - US National Science Foundation (NSF)](<a href=“http://www.nsf.gov%5Dnsf.gov”>http://www.nsf.gov) under Programs for Students.</p>
<p>Thanks for the link, leftwing.</p>
<p>Should I even try to get a research position this fall? I haven’t taken any chemE classes yet, so I don’t really see myself being able to offer much…</p>
<p>^ I got a chemE research position in my second semester of freshman year and I don’t take my first chemE class until this coming fall (sophomore year). You’ll find that a lot of chemical engineering research is just chemistry (there’s a lot of spectroscopy - Raman, IR, NMR, EPR, UV-vis, etc.). I assume you’ve taken general chemistry, so you could actually offer quite a lot if you find the right professor.</p>