At this point, this blog has become something where I appear yearly to talk about anything and everything under the sky. Today, it involves discussing something that is long due, applying to summer programs in the biomedical/biological sciences in the US. While I am not the most successful applicant (I applied to >20 programs combined over two years, and was selected for 1 ;), having spoken to other students and reflecting on my own applications almost two years later, I thought I'd share the insights I have gained.
Firstly, Indian students are eligible for very few summer programs in the biomedical sciences in the US. These include (but might not be limited to) Rockefeller SURF, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories SURP, CalTech SURF, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Internship Program and Khorana Scholars Program. While American undergrads solely apply to summer programs (or Research Experiences for Undergraduates: REUs) and are foreign to the idea of cold emailing professors for research opportunities, this is not and should not be the case for Indian undergrads. Apply to programs and additionally also send out cold emails to maximize your success rate. 2/3 summers I secured opportunities through cold emailing PIs.
Secondly, take enough time to apply to programs. Summer program applications are actually mini graduate school applications - they take time and share many similar application components. So if not any other outcome, you get a flavor for how graduate applications might work. The most important components of such applications are a statement of purpose (SoP), CV/resume, letters of recommendation and the transcript. I'll spend some time discussing the SoP later, but ensure that they answer the given prompt. Letters of recommendation are normally expected from 2-3 people. Most impactful letters come from a professor who (ideally) knows your capabilities as a researcher and can speak about your academic achievements as well. While it is difficult to have all your letters from such people, the second and third letter can be from a course instructor who you interacted with frequently and performed well in their course. Finally, it is possible to ask a graduate student/post-doc who mentored you closely or who served as a TA for a course you took, however these might not work the best. While it is not necessary to have a very high GPA, it does not hurt and can definitely benefit an application. Some programs have an 8/10 or equivalent requirement for applicants, 9+ is considered very good.
Let's now discuss the SoP in detail. This component has a heavy weight in the application and is probably the only component of the application that is entirely in your hands when you submit the application. Before writing the statement, read the prompt carefully and jot down what all points you can discuss. It is very important that you write down anything that comes to your mind, small or big, rather than keeping it in your mind, because there are times when the small things could make a big difference. Once you have all your ideas put down, start writing a draft.
After having been selected for the Rockefeller SURF program, I spent some time discussing SoPs with my other cohort members and also had my application re-reviewed by the Director of the program who also happened to be a part of the graduate admissions committee. These conversations were insightful since they helped identify the strengths and weaknesses in my applications and I'm summarizing them below.
The SoP linked here was what got me selected for Rockefeller SURF. I was told that my enthusiasm for science was very evident and reassured their intent of selecting me. While in hindsight I find this statement to be in a more casual tone, I think it displays hardwork, persistence and general excitement for conducting research. And it is important to display these qualities in a 'show' rather than 'tell' manner, something that I was unaware of as I wrote this SoP. Having skimmed through some graduate applications in my third year, I followed the concept of listing potential supervisors, connecting their research questions with my own interests. I was told that this showed that I had researched the program and reaffirmed my interest specifically to this program. I also learned that I should have avoided explicitly listing techniques that I am familiar with in the statement, I could have used this space better. I also was told that I could have fleshed out my projects better and was given this tip for my grad school applications - What was the research question? Why is this question important? What did you do to answer this question? How are your results important for the broader scientific community? (The ability to answer these questions clearly and precisely is a deal breaker, because your paragraph then becomes four sentences that are power packed!) Finally, make sure that you explicitly state why program X is of interest to you, what you can get out of the program and how you will contribute to the growth of the program/university/institution.
Coming back to the entire application process, here is the third point - all these application materials are reusable upon some amount of customization per application. Most SoP prompts end up asking very similar questions, thereby allowing you to use similar content. Similarly, most programs ask for a 2 page CV which can be used without any change. Ensure to give your letter writers an excel sheet with the list of programs and any specific information that a program might want from a recommender.
Fourthly, get your application materials reviewed. During undergrad, I made it a point to get my CV checked periodically by different people across different years. I also regularly updated my CV so that I didn't fret when I needed to submit an application. Ask professors, older students and your peers to review your materials. Take criticism with a grain of salt and implement corrections if you think they are constructive. At the end of the day, it is your application and it needs to display your interest/enthusiasm/passion for science and YOUR STORY.
Finally, spend some time on formatting and customizing your SoP for each program. Many times when people send me their applications to review, the file name is not appropriate or the formatting is not at all ok. While these are small things, people notice these and fixing them can go a long way. Additionally, when you copy paste your SoP between applications, its natural to forget to change program-specific information. Proof read them many times before submitting and get help if needed so that you submit a successful application!
If you came this far, good luck with your applications and I hope this was useful. Feel free to reach out if you'd like me to review your application.
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