pyroknife

I am currently a junior and will be entering my senior year next fall.
I want to pursue graduate school, so I would like to get into a summer research program like Reus or any others for the summer of 2013.

However, I hear summer research programs are very hard to get into if you're a white male and that many accepted applicants are not top students. So I'm not sure what my chances are for these programs even if my GPA and experience is pretty good.
If anyone have any words of wisdom for applying for summer research programs, I'm all ears.


Regarding internships, I will probably resort to internships if I don't get accepted into an REU program. When do you guys typically apply for internships? I see career fairs going on at my school and know a few students who have already interviewed for summer internships as early as September. Would it be too late to find an internship after I find out whether I will be accepted or not at the summer research programs I apply for (Probably in late spring)?

My concern is I don't want to screw myself over and end up doing nothing the summer before my senior year.

NeoDymium

Research jobs are easy enough to find for anybody. Perhaps not some form of high-paying research work, but certainly a research lab. Just ask professors who express interest in having a new RA if they want you.
Internships are harder to get and it's better to apply as soon as you can. They may or may not be up to capacity by December.

pyroknife

I thought REUs are really hard to get into and internships were easier?

NeoDymium

Depends on the type of research. A summer position at NASA would be rather difficult, but a simple job at your school would be not too hard to find.

pyroknife

Well, by summer research programs, I'm referring to summer research at other universities.

pyroknife

We had a career fair in early september. I couldn't make it. I'm not sure if there's another one hosted in the spring at my university, hopefully there is. I'm hoping there's a backup if I don't get accepted to any research programs.

pyroknife

Anyone else?

LakeWashington

Your attitude/ approach is problematic. Have you taken a look at many Enginnering college web sites where they post news and accomplishments concerning their students? Plenty of motivated and successful white and male individuals are being appointed to great internships and REUs.

pyroknife

Well, idk what your on about with the internships, i never mentioned anything of the sort about internships, but if you take a look at REU sites, most of them puts emphasis on "underrepresented races."