r/summerprogramresults

Hello my juniors. I wanted to make a post because I was feeling a bit nostalgic as I got my college decisions back and was reminded of the time I did all this on a smaller scale a year prior. I wasn't a full-blown prestige chaser, as I didn't apply to RSI and some of the other programs that are incredibly prestigious. However, I did apply to MITES and I got in for semester.

I was incredibly happy at first and that happiness turned into disappointment as I realized that what I really wanted all along was MITES Summer. However, I got into a smaller, less well-known, less prestigious, and local internship, which I chose because it was in-person. I chose it over MITES because I wasn't ready or willing to try and balance and do both, and I valued an in-person experience more. I was happy, but the happiness turned into regret as I lamented my abandonment of the prestige chase. I wished everyday that I would've chosen MITES over my smaller internship instead, or tried desperately to do both, even if it meant trying to balance an 80 hour work week.

When I sent my applications to 23 colleges, I thought I knew for sure I would be rejected from every single one, all because I didn't choose prestige, because I didn't choose MITES. But I wasn't. I was accepted to two ivies, waitlisted at one, accepted to UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC. Now, I don't know what would have happened if I went to MITES. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten waitlisted from my dream school. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten the stellar letter of rec from my mentor at my in-person internship. But what I do know is that I worked hard. And that is what got me into all those schools even if I didn't have the name MITES on my application.

After reflecting on all this, I realize why I applied to MITES, and why I regretted not choosing it, and why I lost sleep over wondering whether I would get in or not. I wanted a guarantee that I was good enough, that I could get into something prestigious, and then slap that prestige on my college application in hopes of guaranteeing an acceptance. But summer programs aren't what makes those acceptance letters come in the mail. So if you grasp and chase after prestige and it slips through your fingers, it's not over.

Hi this is my review for Think Neuro as a spring intensive intern in bibliometrics. My group just finished our poster so I think i have everything I need to write a review. My main motivation for this review is because I do think the program gives good results but there are some criticisms I have and want prospective applicants to hear about them before applying.

So first, the structure of the program is r programming, bibibliometric analysis, and then a poster/abstract. I think it's fairly straightforward and makes sense. Ok let's start with R - this was probably the most I learned from the internship program as before I did not know how to code at all. The modules were made by Caltech CS Careers so definitely credible and they also had live classes on the weekend which were super helpful just to learn and ask questions. That being said, the second week felt very rushed - the modules were difficult to comprehend and were not as good as the first week. ThinkNeuro did host extra live classes to answer questions and give more lecture content, as some interns complained on the slack. Tbh it wasn't that bad but the first instructor was A LOT better than the second one like in general a lot more helpful.

Second I want to talk about the lectures from the harvard/stanford faculty. For the first lecturer from Harvard Medicine, he had to reschedule two lectures the same day of which I found to be unprofessional. However, i guess it just goes to show these are real doctors and professionals, as he was in the operating room and went overtime if I remember correctly. His lecture was recorded and shared after the lecture time was over since some interns had to miss it since it was rescheduled last minute. However, by far, he was the best lecturer of them all in terms of engagement, answering questions, and content. So I can't complain too much about this part.

For the bibliometric analysis and poster, I was given the co-associate leadership role but I heard if you don't get it (it's like a 10-20% acceptance) you're kinda screwed. So yeah you have to apply for leadership after you are accepted to the program. Me and my associate and maybe 3 other interns did all the work and we had 2 inactive interns who just leeched off our work which wasn't really fun. We are trying to see if we can get them removed from the authorship but yeah just know there will be inactive people.

I think overall, I would give this program a 7/10. It teaches you the fundamental skills to be successful in future research opportunities and also allows you to show that you did produce something original from the experience - a poster, abstract, and presentation. Unlike what a lot of the previous discussions on reddit, a bibliometric analysis is ORIGINAL research. You are synthesizing data and info from previous research papers but the overall analysis you do on R and excel and the results you find are original. My associate is currently submitting our poster to the national undergrad conferences at Princeton/Brown/UPenn/Harvard, so I will update if we are accepted. This is a good opportunity if you are starting out in research and if you want to learn the foundations, but I don't think you need to do it more than once unless you choose a different subtopic. For me, I was able to talk about my spring experience in an interview with a uni professor (T50 state school) and I got a summer position this summer in his lab in person so I will not be doing ThinkNeuro again. I think it's not perfect and has lots of inefficiencies but overall I did get a good foundation out of it and it helped me secure a lab position which I am grateful for. I can answer questions for anyone thinking about applying.

This is lowkey a vent post but I genuienly don't understand what these summer programs look for. Maybe this is just me spiraling after getting rejected/waitlisted from all summer programs(still waiting on some, but it's not looking good), but I literally don't understand where I'm going wrong. I'm a junior, I have a 4.0 uw, taking Dual Enrollment & multiple APs, 1560 SAT (first try btw), A bunch of (imo) very good and niche ecs, and my essay skills aren't bad at all.

I've looked at others peoples applications for several programs, and maybe this is toxic but idc bc objectively, I have better stats, better writing skills, and yet I got rejected from all summer programs? I don't know what to do and it feels like all the work ive put these three years into everything is all for nothing.

Genuinely not trying to say I'm better than anyone, but literally holistically I've read other peoples essays for these programs, reviewed their stats and I have so much more appeal(like just from an Admission Officers standpoint)???? I'm gonna get bashed for this but I've literally seen sm blatantly AI essays, & just weak ec's make it into these programs, like, what is the standard?

Also what’s throwing me off is that sophomore year I got into everything I applied to, so it’s not like I suddenly became a worse applicant.

Only thing I think it could be is the fact I'm a higher income, and not a POC. Which is completely out of my control btw.

And whats worse about it is that these programs don't tell you what you did wrong, or why you we're chosen over someone else, they just send you a short rejection letter and thats the end.

Not trying to sound entitled, just genuinely confused how this process works because from where I’m standing it doesn’t really add up.

Hi all,

If anyone is premed or interested in a clinical public speaking experience, applications for Clinical Scholars Grand Rounds Symposium closes on April 18.

It is run by a group of docs to give students a way to learn how to organize and present information the way clinical presentations are given in medicine.

It’s hosted by an orthopedic surgeon, a head and neck surgeon, an anesthesiologist and a PharmD/MD psychiatry residency.

The purpose is to guide students to creating their presentations and then give them a platform to showcase their presentation skills through patient cases in front of a panel of physicians and surgeons live. They get clinical hours for the time they spent building their Grand Rounds presentations and presenting it and the opportunity to ask for a letter of recommendation based on their performance.

The grand prize is an individualized research mentorship with one of the panelists.

The program runs from May 18 for 5 weeks. Completely virtual. The modules to help students build the presentations are sent out once a week starting May 18 and the live Grand Rounds session will be announced to the students but is expected to be in week 5.

Here’s the link for anyone interested:

https://grandrounds.fasttracktomd.com/

And if anyone has any questions about the program, feel free to DM me.

Hi guys if we all combine our brains we can drop some anything is so super helpful. I’m looking more into Humanities/writing paid (preferable) or unpaid opportunities that are hybrid/virtual.

STEM +CS programs and internships are also of interest. If anybody has any programs that would be a major help lol I’m starting to lake hope :(((

I know two people from my BWSI cohort who are going into UT CS with me, and the rest of my cohort also got into T10s for their major like UMich, Carnegie, Berkeley, and one from my course even got Stanford. The people you meet at these programs you will be running in the same circles with them for your foreseeable future. I see so many people from my other summer program applying to the same summer senior internships as me right now the grind never stops and these are your peers. Good luck yall, get into ur program and make connections!

Programs:

MITES

SIMR

SSP (in lottery)

FSU Young Scholars Program

CNI-X Stanford Neuroscience

Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy

Harvard SRI 

Harris Stanford Semester Program

First Generation, upper class, Hispanic and arabic female.

GPA: 3.97 UW, 4.5 W

8 Total AP Classes: AP Bio 4, AP World 5, AP Precalculus 5, APUSH, AP Calc, AP Chem, AP Spanish Lit, AP lang

ECs:

NeuroDiversity Alliance: Founded school’s first alliance supporting students with neurological differences, organized initiatives like the Purple Pumpkin Project to raise awareness and advocate for epilepsy.
Varsity soccer player: 2x State Champion
AP Biology Tutor: 2 hrs a week
You're Not Alone Student Ambassador: Student Mental Health certified ambassador and leader.

Awards:

- Florida Society of Neurology 1st Place Abstract - l was awarded 1st place for my clinical research abstract presentation in my division of high school and undergraduate students from all over the country.

- Society of Academic Emergency Medicine 2nd Place Abstract - Was awarded 2nd place for my clinical research abstract presentation among 35 selected, high-achieving high school students from all over the country.

- Lumiere Scholar Essay Honorable Mention - Selected 1 of 52 students from over 2,000+ applicants across 111 countries; awarded $1,000 scholarship for research essay.

Society of Academic Emergency Medicine "Outstanding Researcher Award" - Recognized for my depth of analysis and creativity in my research abstract presentation among 35 selected, high-achieving high school students from all over the country.

summer programs:

Future Physicians of America (FPA) Summer Program & Winter Medical Publishing Program	June – July 2025; Jan 2026 (Winter, online)	20-40	Completed intensive clinical courses in neurology, trauma, cardiology, psychiatry, dermatology, and women’s health, gaining hands-on experience and medical simulation practice. Participated in Clinical Research and Medical Writing & Publishing courses, resulting in four first-author PubMed-indexed publications (including a systematic review, bibliometric analysis, NSQIP study, and case report).
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth	July 2024	20	Attended advanced coursework and enrichment in STEM, enhancing research and analytical skills.

volunteer/internships:

U.S. Clinical Internship at DocJ's Advanced Neurology	November 2025 - Present	8 (During school week), 40 (during holiday breaks)	Assisted in patient care, performed EEGs, reviewed MRI/CT scans, completed documentation, and attended lectures. Also, observed complex clinical procedures and patient interactions to gain insight into neurology practice.
Epilepsy Freedom Center Volunteer	November 2025 - Present	8 (once per month)	One Saturday per month, I assist with community outreach and patient care at a clinic serving individuals without medical insurance, educating the public about epilepsy and supporting the mission to improve care and outcomes for people with neurological disorders.

Essay Summary:

Growing up with my sister’s epilepsy and experiencing my own anxiety sparked my interest in neuroscience and mental health. These experiences pushed me to explore the brain through research, volunteering at an epilepsy center, and co-leading the Neurodiversity Alliance while serving as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador. I’m also developing a mental health app to help people track moods and access support. Overall, I’m interested in combining neuroscience, technology, and empathy to better understand and support people facing neurological and mental health challenges.

Rec Letters: AP Precalc teacher and AP world (letters should be good since I was very close with both teachers and grew a lot under them.)

Hey everyone, so I submitted my UCSB RMP application on 3/4/26, and haven’t received an interview email request at all. Wondering if anybody else is in this same boat?

I applied to the summer session regular and was wondering if anyone knew approximately when the results would come out. I know Early came out on the 24th. Did anyone get into the Neubauer Phoenix STEM scholars?

do I have chance if I applied last day :(

If you are interested in applying for Stanford Neuro J club, please consider joining our student led server. We mainly give reminders on meetings, and you can ask other students about their experience!

https://discord.gg/XvT6dSQGu

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When is the official rejection announcment coming? Or are mentors still reviewing, prob not though?

hey guys! does anyone know when sywc results come out? thank u sm

Good Afternoon I am a freshman with experience in OOP and basic ML in python, how do I find proffesors to email and how do I find what reserach proejcts they are working on and does anyone have any templates I am very confused.

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I got into both UChicago summer session and SRA. i can only attend one. UChicago gives me ed0 access which is a pretty big advantage but only for the one school. SRA will probably strengthen my application overall since I assume AOs see it as a more prestigious program that Uchicago. i'm a junior btw. edit: the SRA research track is INCREDIBLY related to my major while the uchicago one is a bit more generic, which is why i think SRA will have better face value overall but of course I give up ed0. i heard uchicago was quite competitive this year but idk if AOs will adapt that quickly so perhaps SRA will be the more credible program ig

what should i do? thanks

hiiii !!!! sooo if you need help getting funding for your independent research as in money to publish or even operate it dm me !!!

Is anyone doing Algoverse this summer??

Hi everyone, I was wondering if there was a good time to start emailing proff for a research project or smthing, or can you just email whenever???

Does anybody know when NYU GSTEM acceptance results are going to be out for 2026?

Has anybody gotten an update yet?