<p>There haven't been a lot of discussions about REU (research xp for undergrads) in this forum. Apparently, the competitiveness varies a lot based on the university's prestige. Is anyone familiar with REU and how exactly it differs from mere summer research with a professor, a co-op, or an internship?</p>
<p>In fact, I don't really see the difference between any of these things:
Any input on the cost/pay, intensity, competition, etc. is helpful.</p>
<p>P.S. Am I right to think that as a freshmen, I will get rejected by every REU, co-op, and internship I apply to? And that I will have a Much better chance as a sophomore?</p>
<p>I am a mechanical engineer and I did an REU. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great experience. I also did a research internship at NASA. In terms of REU vs. Internship I would say that it really depends on what kind of internship you are talking about. If it is a research internship like the one I did, I dont think there was a very big difference in terms of the engineering experience. There was a big difference in the social experience. I had a lot more fun at my REU because all of the students lived together and it was a lot of fun. The pay was about the same. The internship paid me more directly but at the REU I didnt pay for housing or food so it was about even. </p>
<p>There are a couple of things to consider in terms of an REU vs Research with a professor at your home institution. The REU is good because it will introduce you to something new and you will meet new people, such as the professor you work with so you have another potential letter of recommendation writer for grad school apps. But you will only be working on a project for about 10 weeks or so and then you will most likely be done. So working with a professor at your own school is good because you can work on it for a much longer period of time and could potentially lead to publications. </p>
<p>As for being a freshmen do NOT let that deter you in anyway!!! If there is a program out there you think is interesting apply to it. Maybe you will get rejected but maybe you wont. You really have nothing to lose, and even if you do not get anything at least you will be familiar with the application process and you can prepare better next year.</p>
<p>You can’t really be sure how they will receive your application, so I always find it helpful to call the program and ask. I was going to apply for a summer internship (in biology) as a freshman but first asked the program if they even accepted any. They did not so it saved me a lot of hassle. Most of the internships/research positions were more geared towards sophomores at my school but it is better you ask them specifically.</p>
<p>I applied for two REU positions as a frosh and was accepted to both of them. They were two programs at Illinois and Northwestern in chemical engineering (nanoscience and materials). So it DEFINITELY is not impossible. You might as well try as most of the applications only take about 30 minutes to get done.</p>
<p>Well… every student speaks based on their own experience, so here goes mine… Personally I had 1.5 yrs of research exp throughout my undergrad, I feel like they don’t have much expectations from undergraduate researchers. One --we do not have a whole lot of time to spend in lab, two-- our scientific background is not as solid compare to phd/post-docs. Low expectations means low results, so to me, doing research is mainly for the experience, not that much for results.</p>
<p>However REU is very different. You devote whole summer to a research project. IMO 10hr/week for 1 year is not as good as 40hr/week for 3 months. For REU you will have a well defined project (which is a fortune) and able to concentrate fully, it’s very important to be able to concentrate and not having to worry about other classes.</p>
<p>Some other pluses: 1. for REU obviously you get paid 2. most of the institutes are good research schools, which can give you a good idea how doing research in those schools are like, it broadens your life experience. 3. in my previous lab, there was a student did REU for one summer, and just ended up transferring to my school (rank 20-25), which is a much better school than his previous school… 4. if you are lucky enough to get REU position in schools like MIT/Harvard, just sell your soul and work 60 hrs/week, maybe you can get a rec letter from the PI there :D</p>
<p>Of course there are always up and down to everything, just take the one fits you the most</p>
<p>Doing research at your home institution over the summer is essentially the same as an REU. Except you don’t get the experience of new meeting new people and working on something new but you can continue your work doing the school year.</p>
<p>REU’s are good experience, in that it lets you try out the role of full-time researcher. You have your own project, you are meeting people at different universities, and it can provide a lot of new opportunities. Plus, it is a known program - it will be known that you were not just washing bottles. If you are comparing it to a summer research project at your own school, I would vote for the REU.</p>
<p>At the same time, it is ALSO valuable to get involved in a long-running project, as it shows that you can stick with it, that you can work it around classes, and it gives you the opportunity to go in more depth. An REU program is not going to advance your knowledge greatly - there just is not enough time - and stickign with something for a year or two gives you a chance to actually make a real contribution.</p>
<p>I did an REU after my freshman summer, and I did really enjoy it. I started doing unrelated research at my home school (a large research university) and have one publication now. I’ve decided that I want to try out a new topic so I’m deciding whether it would be right to do another REU or do more on campus research so that it can be continued</p>