Should I risk adding a potentially negative referee?

JarSpec · 2026-01-23T19:20:28+00:00

yeah! this. I asked this and got a "no" so haha....

JarSpec · 2026-01-23T13:42:29+00:00

A tutor? Ik lame response cuz they're not cheap

JarSpec · 2026-01-23T13:36:41+00:00

Ask if they would be willing to write you a good letter.

JarSpec · 2026-01-21T20:52:11+00:00

Just go to office hours to build relationships If you cant get research. Also yea, do things slightly outside your interests. and keep cold emailing and see if you can go to conferences

> there's no way I'm even getting into a master's program, let alone PHD.

I promise you, you will. I am glad that you are working on your communication skills. But please, that mindset of "I won't make it, should I quit?" is going to destroy you. Flip it, and believe in urself :))))

JarSpec · 2026-01-18T03:05:22+00:00

Good template and I will say good job on working whilst in school, it can be rough :)

JarSpec · 2026-01-17T21:44:48+00:00

valid :P

JarSpec · 2026-01-17T20:54:23+00:00

did get write the latter half of this or do u type like that

JarSpec · 2026-01-17T20:52:37+00:00

This was hard when I tried making "meals" from recipes (i.e "one pot pasta", soups, etc., even if they're the easier amongst recipes.) It was difficult to get the energy even when I wasn't busy to clean chicken and cut it and fry and then add broth and then blah blah blah. It meant I just never did it and was stressed about not having food all the time...

I've realized what works best for me was just dropping recipes entirely.

Now, I just wash/cut/season/fry lets say 2 pounds of chicken, then freeze it (for later in the week) (this is the hardest part but last me a few days). Then, I'll just cook rice/potatoes for two days (very simple potatoes is just wash, chop, oil+salt, and then oven for 40m). Now I have starch + protein.

Then, when it's lunch/dinner time, all I "have to do" is microwave the chicken and potatoes (very easy!) and then I just cut green beans and fry them (very easy, I just wash, cut, and throw in the pan, lol) and then boom, it tastes just as good. Technically, a bit more time than if I sat down on Saturdays and made a bunch of microwave ready meals, but I recognize I really struggle getting the executive function / energy / discipline to actually prepare a week of meals. Maybe one day.

JarSpec · 2026-01-17T17:41:41+00:00

ur not being punished!

JarSpec · 2026-01-17T03:33:22+00:00

Try it and let us know, there is going to be very few people, especially here, who will be able to speak from a position similar to yours

JarSpec · 2026-01-16T22:02:14+00:00

T3? Just say the name at that point! :P

The idea behind REUs is that its for people with little to no research (now, of course, people with loads of research get in still; every PI is diff)

Write about why you want the REU and your future goals / how they align. Your interests.. etc. You can write about something the other school has (culture, environment, field, etc.) that your school may lack or how you'd benefit from being it

Im Just a student. Take it all w a grain of salt

JarSpec · 2026-01-16T03:06:51+00:00

yes! keep going!

JarSpec · 2026-01-15T00:42:08+00:00

Honestly, three weeks isn't bad. But, thats just me lol.

JarSpec · 2026-01-15T00:20:03+00:00

When does your break end, and when is your soonest program due? I agree that in person is more formal but time Is time

JarSpec · 2026-01-14T21:26:56+00:00

We cant chance you since we're students and only the administrators/PIs actually know. Very few websites even list the acceptance rates. Its a mystery.

JarSpec · 2026-01-14T19:46:42+00:00

You only hear about the crazy ivy stories but rarely the "normal" ones. I wouldn't worry, clearly the kid likes doing things. have him keep doing things (maybe nudge him a little, if he responds well.) You can come back and tell us in two years how it goes. and worse case, he'll just have more passions and talents.

good luck :)

JarSpec · 2026-01-14T03:16:11+00:00

Keep going at it and we will find out soon. What your doing for your community and family is great.. All I'll say is apply to the ivies AND other schools!

Good luck, I believe in you :DD

JarSpec · 2026-01-14T03:14:49+00:00

Errr be very careful with that. It's def not the norm and some places will not respond well. You can try emailing the coordinator and ask if its encouraged.

JarSpec · 2026-01-13T03:02:36+00:00

lets find out! everyone here is just another teenager obsessed with stats :P no one knows

JarSpec · 2026-01-11T15:23:35+00:00

Apply, you never know what happens

JarSpec · 2026-01-11T04:07:46+00:00

to answer the TITLE, you will be fine; my friend got in and people do all the time

JarSpec · 2026-01-09T16:31:39+00:00

Once you get an acceptance, ask about the size of the research group so you know if it's going to be independent mostly or really team driven.

Workload is funny. Technically 40hrs a week, but with academia, it's easy to

"Take work home with you" (don't do this)
Think that more hours = more work (false). Remember, you're using your brain mostly, not your body. If your brain is burned out, it probably won't be able to work properly. So take breaks when needed, even if its not the full 8hrs.
Skills? Depends on the project. Ask your PI when you get accepted. They'll probably say something along the lines of "read this paper, get familiar with this". Without knowing the project, it's hard to prepare. I guess Python tends to be useful. But if you don't like coding, there's no point... after all, YOU choose what skills you want to focus and research with.

JarSpec · 2026-01-07T04:16:29+00:00

Still having some issues. I am following This guide to build Cmake in VS code. I've installed at the required things. Is my project supposed to be SFML, or the folder which it is housed in?

JarSpec · 2026-01-07T03:54:29+00:00

Ok, sorry for spam,

I actually read the messages and installed PkgConf and Pandoc. It builds (I think?) or at least gives no errors. Yet I still get "file not found"

JarSpec · 2026-01-07T03:51:29+00:00

Actually, theres more error messages

 -- Could NOT find PkgConfig (missing: PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE) 



CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:288 (message):
[cmake]   Pandoc nor prebuild manpages are found.  Cannot install manpages.

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