It is essential to participate in research summer programs throughout the undergraduate years to present a competitive application to graduate schools. In addition to learning how to conduct research, a sustained period of full-time research allows you to see the ups and downs of research, and teaches you how to cope with the failures and to celebrate the successes of your experiments and projects. When you participate in a summer program in an institution away from home you are exposed to new topics, new techniques and new equipment. You will gain confidence that comes from success in a new and unfamiliar setting. In other words, summer programs can give you the confidence to become a graduate student and subsequently a scientist.

1. UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
C. Gita Bosch, PhD, MBA
Academic & Educational Consulting
theacademicconsultant.com
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to
be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. William Jennings Bryan

2. Topics to be discussed
 Why participate in a summer program
 What to look for in a summer program
 Applying to summer programs
 Making the most of your summer program
B
theacademicconsultant.com

3. Should you participate in a
summer program?
 What are your career plans
 What do you need to get there
 How will a summer program help
you get there
B
theacademicconsultant.com

4. What are your goals?
 What  How
 Academia  PhD
 K-12
 MD/PhD
 Undergraduate/graduate
 Research Institute
 MD
 PSM
 Government
 NIH
 MSc
 NASA  Post-Bac
 White House  BA/BS
 Business
 Biotech
 Law  Summer
 Journals (e.g., editors) Program
 Industry
 Pharmaceutical companies (big
pharma)
Let me tell you the secret that has led
B  Clinical Practice me to my goal. My strength lies solely
theacademicconsultant.com in my tenacity. Louis Pasteur

5. The Undergraduate Years
Post-
Year 1 Sum Year 2 Sum Year 3 Sum Year 4 Bac
Fall Fall Fall Aug
I I I Sep F
N N N Oct E
T T T Nov L
E E Early E Dec L
Spring R Spring R Spring R Jan O
N N N Feb W
S S S Mar S
H H Late H Apr H
I I Spring I May I
P P P Jun P
B
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6. Preparing for Graduate School
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior PostBac
Research Experiences
Introductory Science Courses Advanced Science Courses
Explore Programs: Advisors, Grad School Fairs, ABRCMS, etc.
Take the GRE Apply Interview
Opportunity is missed by most people
B because it is dressed in overalls and
www.aamc.org/phd
theacademicconsultant.com looks like work. Thomas A. Edison

7. Why participate in a summer
program
 Develop your scientific knowledge
 Gain insight into the research process
 Mature your scientific communication skills
 Expand your network
 Professional colleagues
 Personal colleagues
Keep away from people who try to belittle
your ambitions. Small people always do
B that, but the really great make you feel that
theacademicconsultant.com you, too, can become great. Mark Twain

8. Why participate in a summer
program
 Learn to conduct research
 Sustained research experience
 Learn to cope with failures
 Learn to celebrate successes
 Exposure to new topics, techniques,
equipment
 Bring back knowledge
B Small opportunities are often the
theacademicconsultant.com beginning of great enterprises. Demosthenes

9. Why participate in a summer
program
 Gain confidence from success in a new
and unfamiliar setting
 Letters of recommendation
 Integrate classroom learning with practical
experience
 Learn to think critically and analytically
B A discovery is said to be an accident
theacademicconsultant.com meeting a prepared mind. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

10. Topics to be discussed
 Why participate in a summer program
 What to look for in a summer program
 Applying to summer programs
 Making the most of your summer program
B
theacademicconsultant.com

11. What are your goals?
 What is the goal of the summer program?
 What is the structure and organization of
the program?
 What opportunities will it provide?
 Will you be able to excel in this program?
Perhaps the most valuable result of all
education is the ability to make yourself do the
B thing you have to do, when it ought to be done,
theacademicconsultant.com whether you like it or not. Thomas H. Huxley

12. How/Where to find information
 Internet
 Talk to faculty advisors
 Talk with peers
 Network contacts
 Conferences
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of
B choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a
theacademicconsultant.com thing to be achieved. William Jennings Bryan

13. Opportunities
 Hands-on research
 Cutting-edge projects
 Become intellectually immersed
 Gain problem-solving and critical
analysis skills
 Foster scientific confidence and maturity
 A look into the life of a graduate student
You have to recognize when the right place and
the right time fuse and take advantage of that
B opportunity. There are plenty of opportunities out
theacademicconsultant.com there. You can't sit back and wait. Ellen Metcalf

14. Opportunities
 Knowledge and skills on how to be a
scientist
 Experimental design and techniques
 Data analysis, record-keeping, etc
 Networking opportunities
 Interactions with graduate and
undergraduate students
 Interactions with faculty who are scientific
leaders in their fields
B Seize opportunity by the beard, for
theacademicconsultant.com it is bald behind. Bulgarian Proverb

15. Opportunities
 Letters of recommendation for graduate
schools and fellowships applications
 Learn about the institution, other nearby
institutions and the city
 Present your research (poster and talks)
 GRE workshop
 Professional competencies workshops
We are continually faced with a series of
B great opportunities brilliantly disguised
theacademicconsultant.com as insoluble problems. John W. Gardner

16. Facilities Services
 Facilities &
Equipment  Housing
 Campus location  Social activities
 Career Guidance
 What is there to do
 Is it easy to get
from place to place
Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only
the scenery you miss by going too fast
B - you also miss the sense of where
theacademicconsultant.com you are going and why. Eddie Cantor

17. Topics to be discussed
 Why participate in a summer program
 What to look for in a summer program
 Applying to summer programs
 Making the most of your summer program
B
theacademicconsultant.com

18. Which programs to apply to
 Potential graduate school
 Your areas of interest
 Location
 Offerings
 Stipend
 Housing
 Academic activities
 Non-academic activities
I think that somehow, we learn
B who we really are and then live
theacademicconsultant.com with that decision. Eleanor Roosevelt

19. Programs for application
Requirements
Appl Outcome
Schools Strengths Weaknesses Courses Other Deadline Appl Sent Contacts of Contact Notes
school
Research; Location; contacted transcript
One teaching opp culture Biochem Research 12/30/2012 12/15/2012 me missing great school
not many
faculty in my I contacted needs rec
Two Location area Biology Research 1/15/2013 1/14/2012 school letter
they were
Research; Sciences No I contacted rude and not
Three location small program and Math research 1/30/2013 11/30/2012 school helpful not right fit
Four
Five
Six
Seven
B
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20. Admissions criteria
 Freshman, Sophomore or Junior
 GPA
 General undergraduate science courses
 Motivation towards research
 Inclination towards graduate education in
the sciences
 Commitment to a summer program
If you have a talent, use it in every which way
possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like
B a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire
theacademicconsultant.com intent on going broke. Brendan Francis

21. The Admissions File
 Application Form
 complete the entire application form, i.e., answer all questions
 Transcript
 a strong academic record is essential
 verify and have transcripts sent early
 Letters of Recommendation
 Essay
We are always more anxious to be
distinguished for a talent which we do
B not possess, than to be praised for the
theacademicconsultant.com fifteen which we do possess. Mark Twain

22. Letters of Recommendation
 How many should there be?
 Who should write your letters?
 To waive your right to access or not to
waive your right to access?
 Ask recommenders if they can write a
strong letter of recommendation
 Give them plenty of time to write a
thoughtful substantive letter
B In giving advice, seek to help,
theacademicconsultant.com not please, your friend. Solon

23. Essay
 Introduction of you
 Writing skills
 Use of slang
 Informal
 Commitment and motivation
Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't
say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise
B you'll have no word left when you want to talk
theacademicconsultant.com about something really infinite. C. S. Lewis

24. The application process
 Time and effort = commitment
 Follow-up
 Your application represents you
 All contacts are noted
 Do not burn any bridges
 Make your decision in a timely manner
Measure not the work until
B the day's out and the labor
theacademicconsultant.com done. Elizabeth Barrett Browning

25. Topics to be discussed
 Why participate in a summer program
 What to look for in a summer program
 Applying to summer programs
 Making the most of your summer program
B
theacademicconsultant.com

26. Excel in your summer program
 Become intellectually and technically
immersed in the project
 Be prepared for the project
 Self-learning is a great competency to
master
 Background reading
 Research and techniques may be new territory
 What are the key questions of the project?
 Why is the lab moving in a particular direction
and not another?
B
theacademicconsultant.com

27. Excel in the summer program
 Ask questions
 Work towards independence
 Develop a strong mentoring relationship
 Attend and participate in lab meetings
 Show commitment to the project
 Show your intellectual growth
The ancient Greek definition of happiness
B was the full use of your powers along
theacademicconsultant.com lines of excellence. John F. Kennedy

28. Message to the mentor
 Dedicated to science
 Love of science and discovery in research
 Get along well with others in the laboratory
 Hard worker
I am among those who think that science has great
beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a
B technician: he is also a child placed before natural
theacademicconsultant.com phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale. Marie Curie

29. Make the most of your summer
 Resist the temptation to plan too many
social activities
 You are there to participate in the summer
program, not vacation!
 Manage your activities
 Do not neglect your obligations to the
laboratory/program
Indolence is a delightful but
B distressing state; we must be doing
theacademicconsultant.com something to be happy. Mahatma Gandhi

30. Make the most of the summer
 Meet and talk with faculty
 Meet and talk with program leaders
 Visit nearby schools to talk with faculty
and program leaders
 Take advantage of all the offerings of the
program and institution
 Seminars
 Professional development skills
 Organized social activities
B
theacademicconsultant.com

31. Before you leave
 Discuss future plans with mentor and
others in the lab
 Discuss letter of recommendation
 Stay in touch with the mentor about the
project and your progress
B There is no security on this earth, there
theacademicconsultant.com is only opportunity. General Douglas MacArthur

32. “Greatness is not in where we
stand, but in what direction we are
moving. We must sail sometimes
with the wind and sometimes
against it - but sail we must, and not
drift, nor lie at anchor.”
(Oliver Wendell Holmes)
B
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