<p>I accepted my place in UROP, but I'm a bit scared now. I was first going to apply to MRC, but I just decided to join UROP. (Still not sure whether it was a good idea or not...kinda regretting right now)</p>
<p>Can you tell me about your experience in UROP?</p>
<p>Don’t rergret it. UROP is great. I was in the MRC which is basically the same thing minus the residence portion. I had work-study as part of my financial aid package so my project allowed me to make some money (which is always nice). I also got to know many distiguished faculty members on a personal level. As a freshman at UM, this is EXTREMELY rare. I was able to get letters of recommendations for internships for the following summer through these faculty members. It always looks nice to see the seal of UM and the title senior faculty researcher on a letter of recommendation! My suggestion: DO IT! If you find that you don’t have time, then don’t.</p>
<p>It’s great that there are such positive experiences from UROP, but remember, you don’t need to be in a formal program to gain research experience. My freshman, year, I just contacted professors whose research I was interested in and they let me work in their labs for academic credit, and eventually $$$ during summers. Especially at such a large research institution like michigan, it is not difficult to find research opportunities.</p>