The MIT Summer Reasearch Program (MSRP) was the premiere Summer REU program in the country. Not only did we do world class and meaningful research, but we get paid, housing, travel stipend, and grad school prep to name a few extra perks!
What I wish was different
I wish it was longer!
Advice
Be prepared to “drink water from a firehose”. It is intense, it is rigorous, but it is so worth it. Don’t overlook this opportunity
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Assistant Researcher
June - August 2020 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
I enjoyed how hands on my experience was, and how the Professor I worked with gave me room to learn while additionally allowing me to help on his research project.
What I wish was different
I wish I would have had a more structured work schedule. Ideally, I would have also liked to be compensated for my work, but I was more than happy to do it unpaid.
Advice
Go above and beyond when helping with independent research; the person you are working for will never complain when receiving too much information, as long as all of the required work is done.
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Remote Sensing Teaching Assistant
July - August 2020 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
I helped teach passionate students about impact-heavy applications of computer science. During the program, I helped students use data analysis, machine learning, and other computer science and math skills to create natural disaster response and relief efforts. This is a meaningful field and the experience was very valuable.
What I wish was different
I wish it weren't essentially an 8-hour zoom call (with a lunch break) each day. Hopefully this won't have to be the case when it's in person, but it was a big adjustment given that the quarantine had started only a few months before.
Advice
Even if you're a teaching assistant and not a student, there is so much to learn from the guest speakers during the course, since they have lots of diverse experience from being first responders to working with LiDAR data. Try to learn what you can regardless of what position you have during the summer program and you'll get a lot out of it.
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Summer Crew
July - August 2020 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
I liked the location, I had never worked in Cambridge before. I really enjoyed working on a college campus and getting to explore MIT!
What I wish was different
I liked that it was only 4 hours a day but I wish there was an opportunity to pick up extra shifts.
Advice
Be prepared to work with all kinds of people. Talk a lot and form friendships. Download audibooks to listen to while you work.
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Undergraduate Researcher
June - September 2021 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
This internship opened several other opportunities for me. More than anything, I made the best connections with world-class faculty at MIT. We had "Faculty-Grad Chats" every week during the internship where each intern talked one-to-one with one of the MIT professors and discussed their research interests.
What I wish was different
To be frank, I do not think I would wish there had been anything different.
Advice
Make connections and keep asking questions!
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Biology Research Intern
June - September 2021 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
The lab environment was good. Also, the access to machines was very helpful
What I wish was different
Advice
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
May - August 2022 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
I really enjoyed my time here-- I've worked in the same lab for several summers and I feel that I consistently learn a lot, have great coworkers, and get experience that will be valuable in the future (and get paid pretty well too!)
What I wish was different
Advice
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Research Intern
June - August 2021 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
I loved the research in the labs, academic environment, conversations with the faculty and peers.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more than 2 months to work on my project. 2 months is very little time for research.
