HI everyone
I keep getting rejections from research internships and I don't know why. I applied to many positions and it's always the same. I thought it might be something to do with my resume
So I received advice from over thirty different professors across multiple fields about how to write a cold email for a research position inquiry. I used the advice and sent 5 emails to different professors in different universities, and what I got back in less than 48 hours was a reply from Princeton and a reply from ASU. The Princeton professor said I was really ahead, but sadly no position for a high schooler (I’m 15). The ASU professor offered for me to visit, meet the team, and talk about it further (But I had to decline cause it turns out that I was too far).
The reason I did all this, looking for advice and sending the emails was because I’m gonna go to college soon myself. I’ve been searching on what helps college admissions/later life stuff, and this is pretty popular. Trying to get that headstart I guess.
So here it is, my ultimate list. Keep in mind that every professor is different, so it’s not guaranteed to be the same for all professors. But it is for a large majority of them.
1: Make sure its direct, and not trying to persuade them in like any fashion, because at the end of the day, it’s your skills and passion that determine if they say yes or no. Don’t write stuff like “Your paper really caught my attention, and I would love to talk about it”. Instead, write something like “Would you have an open position in your lab for someone like me?”
2: AI. This is probably obvious, but if you use AI to write emails, then it’s probably going in the trash. They’ve most likely read enough AI generated emails/assignments from students, so they’ll know. Then your chances shoot down to zerooooo.
3: Mentioning their papers. If you decide to mention their papers, make sure they are recent (1-2 years), and SHOW that you actually read through most of it. If you just drop a name with little to no context, they will know that you’re trying to “game the system”. At least thats what the professors I talked to said. Ask detailed questions that only people who read it would know, and show true curiosity.
4: Talk about yourself, not them. From the people I’ve talked to, they would very much like to hear YOUR story (like how you came to follow this major, why you chose that professor particularly, etc). Also make sure your intro is clear, like state your name and basic info so they know who you are roughly.
5: The next two sentences could possibly be the very thing that determines whether you land a position or not. Include something like “If you’re not taking students, is there someone else you would recommend?” This opens up a whole new door; because professors talk a lot together, they definetly could know someone who needs a research worker. And finally, ask to be a volunteer, not a hiring position. It lowers the commitment way more for them, so better chances for you. Even if you don’t get paid, it should be worth it, because the whole point of working in research is to gain experience.
I tried keeping them short, but alas, some are still quite lengthy. I really hope this helps someone write a better email. If yall have any questions/comments/concerns, more than happy to answer!
For context this is my first time in an REU admission cycle, I am a sophomore. I have moderate research experience already.
The situation is I accepted the first REU I got, the timeline only had 3 days to accept so I took what I got since I am aware how rare it is to get accepted. I accepted the offer; I would enjoy this opportunity, but I recently got a much better offer. Furthermore, I have been in contact with this site and I have yet to be assigned a project or a mentor.
Recently, I got accepted to in my opinion a much better REU that more aligns with my interest and is more relevant to my field of study. I have had multiple lengthy zoom calls with the mentor and the project sounds amazing and my role would be much more important than the prior REU, which a higher chance to publish and participate in conferences than the REU that I have already accepted. In addition, the pay is more both in terms of the stipend, but also in terms of the food allowance and travel allowance (the REU I have accepted would not be able to cover my full travel but this one could). Overall, I have had much better communication and overall better feeling about this REU, but the timeline was much slower.
My question is: Is it worth it to go back on my acceptance and take this opportunity, or stick with what I already committed to.
I recently reached out to my top mentor for an REU, expressing my interest in her lab and asking if decisions were out yet. I mentioned I would be interested in meeting with her either way since her research would align with what I am looking to do in grad school, and she got back to me pretty quickly saying she didn’t know if decisions were out yet since it’s in the director’s hands but would love to meet with me.
The part I’m confused about is that I emailed the director a week prior and she said decisions were in the mentor’s hands, which is why I reached out to the mentor after. Is her wanting to meet with me a good sign? She asked for my CV (not submitted with the application) and a brief outline of my research interests, but I’m not sure if that indicates she might be considering me or just wants to talk about grad school. Either way I’m happy! Just a bit confused about the back and forth on who makes decisions, especially since I know from others on here that other mentors interviewed and selected their own students.
Hey guys! I was blessed by being accepted into a REU for this summer with it being 40 hours a week. So the program runs for 10 weeks and I also had to chance to get a scholarship to go to a International science for a week out of the country. So how should I approach it? Should i tell the REU director if she can allow me to leave for a week? Or should I tell my International Science fair mentor to talk with the Reu director so she can convince herself.
I recently got into UMass SURP 2026! I was wondering if anyone would be able to share anything about their experience with the program? And also, how the living experience was, if you were able to bond with your suite mates, and if the timeline allowed for going out on weekends to explore the city and other stuff you may want to do?
Has anyone heard back from either of the above programs? I was just accepted to another REU and have till sunday to decide, but the uva one is my top choice
At this point im losing hope.
Has anyone heard anything back about when we will be notified of decisions? I already accepted an offer for another REU, but if I got HHMI, I would have to change all of my plans and notify my other program.
they said they were aiming to get back to students by the end of march? just wondering if anyone knows anything about it
Can any previous interns for VERSA @ UCSD describe their experience? Is it worthwhile? What was your final project based on? I'm a biology major at a CC and didn't secure a relevant internship over the summer, but VERSA sounds kinda promising. Thank you!
Anyone apply or hear back from UCSD MRSEC? I reached out but still no response :/
Hello everyone, I applied to the UCB NSF REU program on March 1st - I'm checking my email everyday hoping for some sort of update and on the 26th I sent an email to the program asking for an update as well (I got no response). However, a couple days ago I noticed that the UCB ASUC linkedin account viewed my profile despite me not linking my account down on the application - is this a good sign or should I just take it as a loss and move on?
\[HZDR summer student program\]
Hi guys, I was qualified for the 2nd round but i didnt get an opportunity for an interview and got a rejection email.
So i just wanna know how can i increase my chances to be accepted into the program next year.
I would like to note that I'm a MBBS Candidate with no lab experience nor publication yet, one publication is in progress.
Has anyone heard back yet? Just curious and I’m trying to engage whether or not I’m likely to get accepted.
Hi guys I am participating in the SABR program at Texas Tech El Paso this summer. Is anyone else in this program or another program in el paso looking for a roommate?
I am a 21yo man, rising senior
Title; has anyone applied and heard back from them? i have no idea whats going on
To those who had an interview at Pepperdine SURB, did any of you get an acceptance?
I wanted to know how many of you actually received rejections for UPenn, because it seems they are keeping a large portion of people pending while some received rejections. So might as well understand why they are keeping us pending and not reject us at this point with being this late into the cycle.