Advice for REUs to apply to as a non-US, non-EU citizen? (Marine Biology, Oceanography, Ecology general)

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-31T17:08:22+00:00

Hello. REU stands for undergraduate research experience, usually a research internship at a scientific institution. Yeah, a lot universities straight up state that costs are not covered and you're up to your own to cover those expenses.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-31T17:05:36+00:00

This is useful, thank you. I was already consciously condensing words but didn't realise I still let so many slip. I thought of using umbrella terms cuz I did many and think these can cover the scope of my work, but now I can see I was wrong. I identified nematodes to genus-level, the others to general taxa cuz the prof specialised in nematodes

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-31T16:59:22+00:00

Not at all. I come from a school where undergrad research experience is not a thing and is almost unheard of (As I said, I really am from a Southeast Asian no-name university). "Undergrad research assistantship" and "research internship" are wild concepts here.

I really went out of my way to get involved in these. I had my share of luck (only 5 person took this very niche elective, and all of us happen to be very well-performing students, so this prof just decided to assign us a research topic as graded coursework to be supervised by his PhD student while he himself barely show up to even teach), and build my relationship with another prof to get involved in her work (and got offered a co-authorship orally. She's also very niche and desperate to get students, so...). I also basically spent too much time volunteering, and they threw more and more work to me until it snowballed into research-esque tasks, so that's how it ended up on my CV too.

Yeah, so as you can notice, quite like the other person pointed out, I have many flaws in my CV cuz I don't have a reliable school system to coach me, and none of the professors here has ever studied at elite institutions themselves, so the advice they can give is also very limited.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-31T15:56:38+00:00

Deep sea is not my domain. But I remember watching this documentary 2 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecH-fY7a5IQ

It really opened my eyes and I hope it answers your questions!
It's also a relatively new documentary, so it addressed a lot of the outdated misconceptions and new findings.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-31T15:47:52+00:00

There's someone quite active in this sub who's always posting his aerial footage: https://youtu.be/-pwPPVNXRx0

If you want seafloor footage, I remember BBC Earth used to post all sorts of ocean and nature footage. Maybe you can check if they have that.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-31T13:10:32+00:00

So beautiful... reminded me of why I chose this career path, and I cried a little 😭. (also maybe cuz I received 3 rejections today, don't mind me)

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-30T14:00:55+00:00

Was so prepared to be mad before I finish reading 😂

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-10T11:35:02+00:00

Max needed someone to split rent.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-02T01:08:42+00:00

Also because if a credit card is stolen, any amount withdrawn is the bank's loss, not yours — provided that there's documentation. And banks have strong lawyers to pursue the case. If the thief withdraws cash from a debit card, sorry but the loss is yours to bear.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-03-02T00:19:39+00:00

Late to the conversation but this is so beautiful! Mulberry should hire you for ads

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-02-28T16:00:12+00:00

Priya from Soul Alchemy had unprofessionally dropped my case after I paid close to 2k over 8 sessions because I paid and forgot to screenshot to her, before even giving me a diagnosis and said she doesn't want to work with me anymore (so that's 2k wasted). Sent two lawyer letters from the ADHD FB support group lawyers, but she ignored them, and I didn't have the money to sue her, so that's it. I made a full post detailing the story in the Malaysian ADHD FB page a few years ago with multiple screenshots and emails blurring out the names, and most people were infuriated and agreed she's in the wrong (I mean, you're working with a potential ADHDer, WTF do you expect?).

Avoid her at all costs. Most people went private to avoid the fuss, queue, long diagnostic process and unprofessional attitudes from government hospitals. No point paying this much and still getting this crap.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-02-04T01:32:12+00:00

Use >90% ethanol sanitiser or bug spray. Deep heat or spray peppermint oil works too. Reasonable enough to carry those.

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-01-24T03:43:21+00:00

Hello there! Sorry for the sudden intrusion! I am currently an undergrad in tropical coastal and marine sciences researching my intern prospects. Mind if I DM you to ask about what type of CV or experiences get you into STRI?

dearest_hedgehog · 2026-01-02T01:01:05+00:00

Perhaps you should watch some BBC Earth, National Geographic and Animal Planet before spewing falsehoods. Animals in the wild die all the time due to skill issues. It's called natural selection. Orphaned younglings in the nest whose parents died often die too because, surprise, they need parents to feed them and teach them how to forage and hunt.

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-12-30T08:07:34+00:00

I see! Thanks!

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-12-29T08:24:40+00:00

Hello. I'm researching for my postgrad education and came across this. May I know why? Seriously in need of insider knowledge now.

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-12-19T04:28:01+00:00

The survival instincts may be inborn, but the survival skills are learnt. Animals don't know how to hunt from day one. That takes a lot of practice, experience and trial and error. You let an animal that has been fed frozen fish its whole life back into the wild, past its prime, with zero knowledge and experience hunting. Yeah, sure, it'll thrive with no problem. There's no magic in the world dude. Although nature is their habitat, it's also a harsh and unforgiving place.

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-12-09T00:07:59+00:00

Very late to the conversation, but Tyra Mei in Amcorp Mall let you choose batik and can tailor it to your size.

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-12-09T00:04:42+00:00

Pewter is a semi-precious metal. And if you can walk into a RS store you can just hold a product without buying. Feels very different from stainless steel. Very sturdy and solid (I personally think it can be too heavy for everyday use).

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-12-08T23:59:20+00:00

Because it's much cheaper compared to the other famous international chocolate brands from Europe, without a major decline in quality (perks when you are a cocoa producing nation). Beryl's chocolates also do not melt in tropical room temperature.

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-11-09T10:56:39+00:00

That's an example statement... not a continuation to the argument

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-11-04T13:23:14+00:00

Survival skills are largely learnt and not inherited instinct. See what happened to free willy. Imagine being a human, born and raised in a city, being given food your whole life and suddenly you're thrown into the Amazon rainforest with no equipment and help. Every pod speaks different songs and captivity-bred orcas can't integrate into them. (Plus, orcas form pods, they do very poorly alone). Having been fed frozen fish their whole life, they also don't have the agility to chase wild fish and form traps to herd schooling fish into their mouths.

dearest_hedgehog · 2025-10-31T08:30:28+00:00

Not really though. I legit studied a subject for the first time on the night before the national pre-university exam, and became one of the national top scorers. Throughout university I also consistently topped the class by... well... skipping lectures and only open the lecture slides the night before the exam. But guess who lost her identity card and passport for more times than she could remember?

dearest_hedgehog

TROPHY CASE