<p>To make it short, the summer in between my sophomore&junior year, I could not find an internship/research opportunity. It's a long story. I basically spent the summer taking a class for my major and studying for the GRE. </p>
<p>When I think about it now, i feel frustrated and mad.</p>
<p>Will this look bad when applying for grad school?</p>
<p>This varies depending on the degree and discipline. What discipline are you interested in and what type of degree do you want?</p>
<p>Engineering and looking into a PHD at a top institute. I do have research experience tho.</p>
<p>Can’t speak for a Ph.D. program, but I didn’t have any research experience when applying to a grad school masters program, and I still got in and even got a research assistantship. The school I’m going to now is not considered a “top” school, but once you land your first job, people are not going to care where you went to school anyway.</p>
<p>You might want to apply to a broad range of schools – a couple of “sure bet” schools, a couple of mid-level schools, and a couple of reach schools. That will maximize your chances of getting in with a research assistantship.</p>
<p>I spent my first two summers in college working as a camp counselor for a summer camp, which has nothing to do with my field (public health). I didn’t do an REU until the summer between my third and fourth years.</p>
<p>If you have sufficient research experience otherwise (during the academic years) and make good use of this summer, you should be fine.</p>