Hello there! If you’re on this page, hopefully you’re looking for resources to help you apply for internships, REUs (research experiences for undergraduates), or graduate programs. If so, you’re in the right place.

As a non-traditional, first-gen Ph.D. student, I struggled to find information, resources, and tools when applying to a variety of academic experiences and opportunities (from REUs to grad schools!). My hope is that by sharing my own tools and resources I developed through trial and error, I can make your own journey just a little bit smoother.

If there’s a resource that you’ve found helpful and want to see added to this page, please let me know! I plan to keep this updated periodically as I learn more and progress in my own career, so stay tuned.

One of the hardest parts of application season (aside from writing the actual application materials) is keeping yourself and your recommenders organized! Below I’ve linked my own templates that I used for various application cycles; make a copy of these to your own Google Drive and feel free to make whatever modifications or changes suit your style!

• Application Tracker (complex) » I used this for my own internal purposes to track information and statuses of Ph.D. applications.
• Application Tracker (simple) » I used this for my own internal purposes to track information and statuses of REU/internship applications.
• Recommendation Request Tracker » I sent copies of this to each of my recommendation writers so that we could track submissions together.

Each of the templates has helpful comments to indicate how certain fields/formatting works. Best of luck in your applications!

I applied (successfully!) to the NSF GRFP during the 2024 application cycle. If you’re intimidated or overwhelmed by the propsect of proposing like I was, here’s some resources and advice that may help.

I found that referring to previous application materials (like those on Brandon Barker’s website; see the resources section) was very helpful when getting started, so feel free to do the same with mine!

• Research Statement
• Personal Statement

some general advice.

1. Read the solicitation (and then read it again). Little things like formatting or timezones/deadlines can trip you up and disqualify your application before it’s even submitted and reviewed.
2. Use the provided MS Word templates. They already have the correct formatting built in and can save you from mistakes or conversion errors that can happen if you use Google Docs, etc.
3. Have others read your applications. I asked my current research advisor at the time, another professor in my field, and a professor who’s research wasn’t related at all (he had the most useful feedback!). Use the people in your field to make sure your science is good; find someone totally outside of your field to make sure you’re communicating well and getting the big picture across.
4. Don’t panic if you’re not starting early. I almost didn’t apply because I nearly talked myself out of it, and then decided last minute to go through with the proposal for the experience. Make a plan, gather your thoughts, and talk to your support system, whether that’s your advisor/PI, a favorite professor, or your family and peers. You’ve got this!
5. Think of this as a learning process! Because I submitted fellowship proposals before graduate applications opened, I was able to write my later application materials (like statements of purpose and personal statements) fairly quickly (during finals season!) because I’d essentially drafted them through my fellowship applications.

DISCLAIMER. All advice above is based on my own personal experiences. Please make sure you refer to NSF.gov yourself to make sure you’re working with the most up-to-date information, solicitation, and guidelines.

I used this directory from NSF to make my initial list of REUs I wanted to apply to. Keep in mind that many of these usually link to the university websites and don’t always show deadline info, etc. so you’ll have to dig a little deeper to get more details. Some programs have a unified application now, so keep an eye out for that too!

Helpful tip: if there are projects or professors who you’re interested in working with that you notice while deciding to apply, consider mentioning that (or specific aspects of the program you like) in your application! It shows that you’ve done your research and aren’t just randomly applying.

Regarding personal statements, you can find two of my past (successful) personal statements linked below.

• Sample REU Personal Statements

Don’t be scared to brag or show off unique experiences/skills you have in your personal statement. This is the place to talk about what makes you stand out and what you want to gain from the program.

Helpful tip: absolutely have someone (or several people) read your personal statement! It’s helpful for catching any mistakes and making sure you’re communicating the message you want to get across clearly.

When trying to keep track of applications, I was a big fan of putting together a spreadsheet that had all the info I (and my recommenders) might need. Feel free to make a copy of the templates I created; you can find a simple version or the more complex/dynamic version I used for my grad school applications. I recommend sending your letter writers a brief spreadsheet or table of deadlines and programs as well to make their lives just a bit easier.

Finally, I recommend (with a word of caution) the Reddit, or r/REU. While there are some individuals on there who are just around to brag, I found this very helpful when I was just starting out to search for programs of interest, see other students’ personal statements, and learn more about the world of REUs. That being said, it also jumpstarted my impostor syndrome as well, especially as a first time applicant, so take care of your mental health and don’t get sucked into the negativity or competitiveness.

I’m not the only person who’s compiled advice, tools and resources, so here’s the other places I’d recommend checking out!

My collaborator Brandon Barker (LANL, by way of MSU) has most of his past application materials for both graduate and undergraduate fellowships and experiences compiled on his personal website, along with a list of useful undergraduate research opportunities. I used this page a lot when developing my own applications for grad school.

Fellow NC State Physics alum Josh Ott (now at MIT!) has a library on his website with a variety of resources, including successful application materials, slides, and more!