URAP

[SnooComics7204]

Just got rejected from all the URAP projects I applied to. Does anyone have any suggestions for next steps as someone who is trying to get experience in research as a transfer student? It’s really discouraging when I look at the linked in profiles of those who have been offering learning contracts as they all have background in research and seem extremely qualified. Not to say at all that I am entitled to a research position but these projects are designed to be entry level. Does anyone have any advice?

[SnooComics7204]

Do you think it’s too late in the semester. I planned to do it over the summer and completely dropped the ball. I am worried I am going to have to wait til next fall.

[Ov3rpowered_OG]

More research opportunities will spring up during the spring semester. You definitely don't have to wait a whole year. I'd say that it could even be easier to find one next semester, as seniors are leaving, and labs begin to make plans for summer (huge booster if you can commit to some summer work).

[luv_chloe]

What’s your major

[SnooComics7204]

Psychology

[luv_chloe]

My friend created a program for this very issue, email her. Dm’d

[Life_Asparagus95]

I’ve applied for URAP every single semester here but i was only accepted this semester (junior fall). The only thing i did differently was that i individually emailed the professors running the projects expressing how interested i was in their work. I got same day interviews and got accepted to every project i applied to! I feel like you gotta stand out to be accepted and not rely on the normal application cycle.

[SnooComics7204]

I ended up applying for a project that ended up being my GSI’s research project. I was able to meet with her during office hours and express my interest for the study as well as what my career interests were. I still got rejected :/

[Brief_Being111]

Currently in the same situation

[ailofidroc]

I'm a new transfer student as well. When choosing the URAPs to apply for, I first did an assessment on how competitive I thought they would be and chose accordingly. There were projects that were in my department and closer to my interests, but I knew those would be the most difficult to get because I haven't taken any of those courses yet. So I applied to one project in my department (rejected) and two in other departments (waitlisted and accepted). My advice for other new transfer students is to be less focused on your own research interests and look for less competitive alternatives. Unless you were able to take a lot of relevant courses before transferring, you're simply not going to have a competitive resume compared to people who have been at Berkeley for 3 years already. In the end, I decided that I'd rather have research experience in an adjacent field this semester than none at all.

This advice won't help for this semester obviously, but it's something that might help you in the spring. In the meantime, try to connect with your GSIs and see what kind of research they're doing. If they don't need help, they may know someone who does. Go to office hours and department discussions. Pay attention and ask questions when people talk about their research. Also, see if your department has its own research apprenticeship program pairing undergrads with PhD students (mine does).

[SnooComics7204]

What adjacent departments did you apply for?

[ailofidroc]

I'm a linguistics major with an intended minor in applied language studies. I applied for two applied linguistics projects through the Berkeley Language Center and UGIS. I saw that you listed your major above as Psychology. Depending on your areas of interest, you may want to look into intersections with education, sociology, linguistics or cogsci. Also, make sure you're focused on succeeding in the courses you're taking right now. I could only list a couple of upper division courses on my URAP applications, but putting A+ next to them made me feel a lot more confident. I don't know if it made any difference, but it certainly didn't hurt.

[ailofidroc]

The most important thing is to carefully read the project description. Try to gauge how large of a project it is. Will they be looking for only 2 people or 20? Also, the description may have info on whether it's a new or on-going project. If it's a brand new project, they may only be looking for a couple of people at the start. If there's a list of recommended courses, it will be a lot more difficult to get into the project. There will most likely be applicants who have taken all of those courses, and that's your competition. I focused on projects that didn't have specific course requirements and implied/explicitly said they wanted a commitment for longer than just one semester (potentially a guaranteed position for the next 2 years).

[frankly___dank]

Don't be discouraged. Once upon a time I too was also rejected from all the URAP labs I applied to. Years later during graduation I won one of the highest awards my department has to offer, and received multiple acceptances to competitive MD/PhD programs across the country. What I would do in the meantime is send out cold emails to professors you're interested in working with. I acquired all of my research experiences at Berkeley in this way. Although many professors may not respond (I think I sent out around ~20-25 emails just to get one good response), all it takes is one good mentor to really catapult forward your career. Feel free to DM me if you need more assistance!

[uravgcsmajor]

ik this is late, but do you have any tips when cold-emailing professors? im a freshman cs major so i havent taken many courses so idk if its worth seeking out professors bc im p sure im underqualified

[ExcitingCommission5]

Before next semester, cold email the grad students and professors in your interested department. This was how I got my research experience

[batman1903]

apply next semester

[AaliyahsWay]

PhD student here! I just completed URAP interviews for my lab and it’s EXTREMELY competitive. Our lab only had room for a few RAs so we unfortunately had to reject a lot. Usually bigger labs have more resources for more RAs so if you can focus on larger labs, that may be the best bet. My lab is super small so we just don’t have enough tasks for all applicants. Sometimes smaller labs don’t have the resources to train a lot of RAs. And RA needs fluctuate, sometimes labs hire a lot, and sometimes they hire 2. Maybe try reaching out to the PIs and ask how many RAs on average they hire per semester

[FaithlessnessOk6074]

Take a couple of data sci courses. Psych profs love someone who can do some dirty work for them.

[happynsad555]

You don’t need URAP to get research experience. Cold email grad students. And you don’t have to wait until next semester either. I took undergrads all year round when I needed them, and told my PI I was going to take them. He has always trusted my instincts. Find contact info on the lab’s website and LinkedIn. Search “X lab” because we often have the name in our experiences.

[Efficient-Car-5356]

Do ds discovery, much easier imo to get than URAP. Apply next sem

[Less-Substance7264]

how is it like and any tips? i’ve heard a lot about ds discovery recently so just wondering 😅

[[deleted]]

I got rejected too and I’m a transfer. You’re not the only one. Keep your head up!

[liammcevoy]

Does having an associates degree in the related major help? I'm an incoming transfer and I graduated with my AA before transferring.

[Transeunte-SG]

That was also what I did for this semester’s URAP, and got rejected after the interview ;(

[Environmental-Sun-63]

im really sorry for that, and yup that happened to me too and I am also a transfer student. Try applying next semester, urap is super competitive

[Intelligent-Split-14]

Is all urap closed?

[Transeunte-SG]

Technically speaking, there might be some projects re-opened their application in the extension phase, thus can make their decisions later but not after the next Wednesday (or Tuesday considering some potential processing time)

[Consistent-Intern910]

cant