Is coming from a research school a handicap for REU admissions?

[mockturtle]

I'm a junior at Brandeis University, and am applying to some bio/neuro REUs this summer. Looking through the archives of past participants at most sites, however, they nearly all seem to come from less-prestigious, large public schools, or relatively obscure, small liberal arts schools.

I respect the REU program's goal of extending research opportunities to students who wouldn't otherwise have access to them, so I'm not here to criticize that practice. But I am wondering whether I should worry about the effect the name "Brandeis University" will have on my application? I'm sure every site must place different value on different application elements, so I naturally don't expect any hard-set universal answer. But I'd still like to hear your input!

Thanks a bunch!

[GeoDUDE!]

A few things.

 

Why would you worry about something that you cannot change? Can you say you went to a different school? Will the possibility that your background can be seen as a negative stop you from applying at all? Why did you really ask this question?

 

 

REUs are more competitive than graduate school, in general. I went to a high ranked SLAC, had 2 years of research, and got into an REU at a top 5 dept in my field (and ivy league). Its certainly possible. My friend came from a top 5 dept (and ivy league) and got an REU at MIT.  You probably need to apply to 10-20 of them to actually get one unless you come from an under represented group in sciences.

 

We had ~30 people in my REU, most of them came from a high ranking research school or high ranking liberal arts school.

 

Another thing to consider is that there are more people from large state schools, obscure liberal arts schools than there are at high ranking institutions. Also, at research institutions, a lot of students don't apply to REUs because they are already in a lab and want to push a publication at home instead of doing a short term project that will probably end up in nothing special. 

Edited January 21, 2015 by GeoDUDE!

[mockturtle]

Hey now, questions don't kill, do they?

 

The issue is how heavily I should attempt to address this in my personal statement, and whether I should try hard to "validate" my reasons for seeking an REU or if that would be unnecessary (no research school is all-encompassing and the specific projects I can take part in at these sites aren't ones I could take part in on my home turf).

 

I hope that's fair enough

[NSG-mdx]

I did my undergraduate in a big state research university and participated one REU in my university. I remembered three students were from ivy league and they still got the offer. Therefore, I don't think doing undergraduate in Brandeis will have any negative impact on your application. For your statement of purpose, you can introduce your previous research background and elaborate why this summer research program fits your research interest. You can also indicate this program may also have great impact on your future career.

[bsharpe269]

I actually think that someone at a large state school would have a lot more research opportunities than someone at a small school like Brandeis University. I don't think you need to justify anything... I would just write an honest statement about why you are interested in the REU. Write about why are you interested in the specific research that the REU would offer. I wouldn't put down your school in the statement or say that you cant do the research you want there. I would just focus on why the REU is a great fit for you.

[mockturtle]

Thanks, that's good to hear! To be honest, bsharpe, that's exactly what I'm concerned about: how to prove that an REU isn't a waste (given my opportunities for home institution research), without coming off whiny or putting down my school.

The shortish version of my situation is that I'm currently working in a very psych-oriented neuro lab (and am pretty locked in with them as my senior-thesis lab, which is the longer story) but would rather follow a more bio-oriented neuro route. So I don't know how much I can say that my EEG and psych-software background, and experience with human subjects in a dry lab, is going to prepare me for these REU sites

It's also the issue of how to discuss all this without making the application committee say "Wait, so what in the world is she doing in this neuropsych lab, exactly?".

Not to try and make you all write my statements for me, it's just the question of whether this is even as important as I'm making it out to be, or if coming in with a moderately different research background (and the "wrong" technique skillset) is normal.

Edited January 22, 2015 by mockturtle

[GeoDUDE!]

I worked in high energy physics and ended up doing an REU in physical volcanology. Doesn't get more different than that.

[mockturtle]

Ooh, no kidding! Okay, that's also really good to know.

 

I just feel like I occupy an awkward middling zone, where I've got more experience than the people they want to recruit for their first research/lab opportunity, but less experience than the people they may want to recruit who can jump right in w/o much training.

 

But hopefully in a month or two this will all just be a fond memory of unfounded worry... fingers crossed

[velli]

Ooh, no kidding! Okay, that's also really good to know.

 

I just feel like I occupy an awkward middling zone, where I've got more experience than the people they want to recruit for their first research/lab opportunity, but less experience than the people they may want to recruit who can jump right in w/o much training.

 

But hopefully in a month or two this will all just be a fond memory of unfounded worry... fingers crossed

 

It's also not always about how much research experience you've had. If you have an interest in the research that is not accessible at your home institution, an REU might be a good fit for you. If you have a compelling reason for applying for the REU, such as a strong interest in some of the research going on as part of the program, you shouldn't have to worry about the school you'll be coming from. 

 

You should also understand that selecting students for REUs involves much more than "extending research opportunities to students who wouldn't otherwise have access to them." If you can make a compelling case as to how an REU will help you grow as a scientist, other than providing another prestigious bullet point on your CV, you will have a good shot. Your past experiences in research will not hurt you. Having some experience provides evidence that you will be a strong candidate and likely to succeed in the program. You will have better letters of recommendation and more reasonable expectations that will make your essays much stronger. If anything, it's much harder to express your interest in research and clearly convey a good sense of what you hope gain from the REU as a student coming from a small college at which you have little to no access to research. 

 

As GeoDUDE! mentioned above, if you take a closer look at most REUs, students from strong research institutions are actually disproportionately represented in REU programs for many of the reasons mentioned above. The exceptions are programs specifically targeting underrepresented groups. However, you should be able to count those on one hand and they are often exceedingly clear about their interests in students from community college or non-research institutions. A student in your position is perfect for an REU, given a good fit with the programs to which you are applying. You are not at a disadvantage.