<p>I had a few questions about these summer undergraduate research programs and was hoping that someone, with previous experience or not, would be able to answer them.</p>
<p>Question 1 - First of all, I understand that these programs are aimed at URMs. So I was wondering, around how many programs do you all think a non-URM should apply to, in order to get accepted into at least one.</p>
<p>Question 2 - Most of these programs require two letters of recommendation. The applications I've seen so far only ask for your reccomender's e-mail. Does anyone know what they actually ask the recommenders to do? Are they asked to: fill out a form, type a letter online, write an actual letter and mail it to the program, etc, etc.. ?</p>
<p>I would really appreciate any answers. If anyone else has any other questions about summer undergraduate research programs, feel free to post in this thread as well!</p>
<p>^They are very very hard to get into. If you get into one, grab it, consider yourself very lucky.<br>
On the other hand, Med. Research internship at your college should be easy to obtain. It might last for several years and will result in awesome LORs for Med. School and other great recogntions at graduation (like nomination to Phi Beta Kappa).
Above is based on my D’s experience. I do not have any other experience to share.</p>
<p>1) Your assumption is incorrect. SOME of the programs are aimed at URMs, but the majority are not. Acceptance rates vary widely by program. Some have <3% acceptance; some have ~30% acceptance rate. Apply to a variety of programs, including some that have higher acceptance rates.</p>
<p>2) Recommenders are asked to write an actual LOR and upload it to the program’s site. Some of the programs ask the recommender to fill out a evaluation form in addition to the letter.</p>
<p>D2 was accepted into a couple of these summer programs. She enjoyed her experiences very much. Based on her observations, students who get accepted by the more prestigious/competitive programs tended to have significant lab experience and specialized skills.</p>
<p>Oh, and most programs ask for a transcript in addition to the LORs. Your GPA will either help or hurt you.</p>
<p>Addendum: If a summer program is designated for a special group (like under-represented in medicine, or individuals from disadvantaged soci-economic groups), please don’t waste everyone’s time applying if you don’t meet the program’s guidelines. There are plenty of other programs open to anyone who wishes to apply.</p>
<p>Thank you both for your responses! Most of the ones I have looked to say that they “encourage underrepresented minorities to apply.” However, I don’t think this means that non-URM applicants are not considered. A quick look through their previous participants show that they accept non-URM and ORM applicants in addition to URM applicants.</p>