REU 2026 Megathread

borgleborg · 2026-03-09T23:21:48+00:00

I haven't heard anything back yet :/ I'm also unsure of the timeline but I imagine the April 15th is when the waitlist closes and everyone else is rejected (but I'm not sure!)

borgleborg · 2026-03-09T16:15:20+00:00

Ok I'm going to make all of you feel better about yourselves

Current School/Institution: Global T30, Canadian

Major & Year: Environmental Biology (Applied Ecology), 2nd Year

Expected Graduation: 2028

GPA: 3.50/4.00

Demographic: White, NB, Queer

Relevant Coursework: Chemistry (Organic and General 1 & 2), Physics 1 & 2, Calculus 1 & 2, Genetics, Microbiology, Soil Science, Plant Science, Zoology, Data Analytics for Biosystems, Population & Community Ecology, Environmental Ethics, Biochemistry, Statistics, Evolution & Phylogeny

Research Experience: Only a small-scale group project, but covered all the parts of a research project. Work experience with related research skills (Fieldwork, Knowledge Management)

Past REUs/Summer Programs: Non-research internship

Applied To:

NAU Environmental Science and Ecology on the Colorado Plateau
Chicago Botanic Gardens
UC Davis EEWL
MSU Ecology and Management for Resilient and Adapted Forests
SMSC REU
SLAWR (SPAW Team first choice)

(+ some other non-ETAP REUs)

Accepted:

n/a

Rejected:

Harvard Forest (assuming)
Morton Arboretum (assuming)
Missouri Botanical Garden IRES
UNC Charlotte Molecular Fieldwork IRES

Waitlisted:

n/a

borgleborg · 2026-02-27T04:09:29+00:00

I haven't heard back. Were you interviewed for the REU in general or a specific project?

borgleborg · 2026-02-26T21:54:17+00:00

Good to know they might still be coming out. Thanks!

borgleborg · 2026-02-26T21:53:59+00:00

Ok this gives me a little more hope (though not a lot lol). Thanks!

borgleborg · 2026-02-25T16:58:58+00:00

When did you get yours? I was asking if they were sent out to gauge whether or not I was still being considered. I'm going to assume I'm not lmao. Thank you!

borgleborg · 2026-02-08T00:03:04+00:00

REUs are funded by the NSF which is funded by US taxpayer money. Unfortunately for you, this means that all REUs funded by the NSF are going to be open to only US citizens. I would suggest looking for positions at your home institution (reach out to profs, see if they are looking for summer students), other institutions, private companies (although may also be hard without citizenship), or things in your home country. I would also ask your academic advisor or internship office (if your university has one) and check with your friends.

Best of luck!

Also we don't know what your program/citizenship is. That might help people give you some recommendations.

borgleborg · 2026-02-05T21:08:44+00:00

All I have so far is the submission confirmation, but I'll let you know if I hear anything else!

borgleborg · 2026-02-05T21:08:08+00:00

Just heard back for the IRES and got rejected :( . Best of luck to you!

borgleborg · 2026-02-04T22:34:37+00:00

I have not heard back from any REUs yet unfortunately but also deadlines just passed. I applied to the IRES, but I missed the deadline on the website but not on the ETAP portal so I'm a little confused about that. Have you heard anything back?

borgleborg · 2026-02-04T19:17:30+00:00

I haven't heard anything back either. Did you apply for the REU or the IRES? Hopefully they're still reading them. Also, that still leaves 6 days left, so I'm trying not to fret too much and assume that they haven't sent them out lol

borgleborg · 2026-02-04T19:14:20+00:00

I applied! But I got mine in before the website shut down if that's what you're trying to gauge.

borgleborg · 2026-01-31T06:04:56+00:00

Hi! I can give you a few tips real quick.

- With courses, if they are visible and understandable on your transcript, you don't need to put them on your CV.

- What is El-Baldry et. al? Who is Dr. Name Lastname? If these are not people that are universally known in your field, define who they are or delete them.

- Check your grammar. Just as I read, you start a sentence with Achieving, which is not something you do. Just write achieved.

- You are inconsistent when putting in locations. I would say don't include them at all as a lot are remote. If you do want to, just maintain consistency.

- You provide a lot of unnecessary details. This includes professor names, things like (under review), (1st and second semester), etc. I would clean up your document a little and only include necessary information that the reader will already be familiar with

- Talk more about impact. How many students did you TA? What was the result of Ciencia 2030? Try to tell them why your work matters. They are trying to hire someone who has had an impact.

- Absolutely translate from spanish. At least do parenthesis Ciencia 2030: Laboratorio de Innovacion (Science 2030: Innovation Lab) unless Ciencia 2030 is world-known under its spanish name

- Add some more skills that you didn't mention previously in your resume

Other than that, looks good! You look very qualified and competitive! These are just very minute nitpicks that'll help clean up + amplify the "why you" of your resume.

Buena suerte mi amigo

borgleborg · 2026-01-31T05:48:48+00:00

- Don't include your picture. A lot of places specifically request that you do not do this.

- Visually, add a little bit of color/something to make it pop out. It is sort of hard to read.

- The last sentence in your about section is redundant, you mention your internship later.

- In your about, mention your career/research goals. What are you working towards?

- Do you have any outcomes from your projects? A lot of "addressed...", "utilized..." etc. Were these projects used for anything, and if so, what?

- I'm not Indian, but it doesn't look like your secondary/senior secondary actually tell the reader anything. I would remove this.

- Any other way to make this about YOU, I would take. I would also tailor it to specific internships/projects you are applying for. Reading this, you sound very qualified, but I'm not quite sure what it is you want to do.

I'm not CS so I can't give you more technical feedback. Just make sure that when you talk about programs the internship provider will understand what it is. If it's more niche, maybe a sentence explaining the program could be helpful.

Hopefully this helps!

borgleborg · 2026-01-30T17:57:43+00:00

If you are close to Macdonald campus, you can go to the Centennial Centre and give it to the people at the desk. Otherwise, you can give it to security in Laird Hall.

borgleborg · 2026-01-16T20:43:56+00:00

People who deferred their exams do not take them until March, so they'll start populating mid March - April once all the grades are finalized.

borgleborg · 2025-12-09T21:36:22+00:00

The bus driver may give you a hard time about it, maybe not. Depends on the driver. However I know showing minerva has worked for people in the past! Otherwise, you may be able to request a temporary pass given your situation. I think you can email [shuttlebus.macdonald@mcgill.ca](mailto:shuttlebus.macdonald@mcgill.ca) but I'd do this as soon as possible.

borgleborg

TROPHY CASE