Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the SIMR Summer Research Program for? The
program is for high school students who are juniors and seniors in the
school year prior to the summer of the program. Students who are applying
to
the 2010 summer program must be juniors or seniors in Spring 2010, and
in
the 2010 or 2011 high school graduating classes. Underrepresented minorities,
women, and those who are historically underrepresented in the
sciences are particularly encouraged to apply. The program is open to
students around the US, but, there are limited funds available for
transportation and no funds available for housing.
How many students participate in the program? This year we are expecting about 40-45 students.
Is on-campus housing provided? Unfortunately, the program does not offer any housing. We recommend that students stay with relatives or close family friends. We do offer parking permits at Stanford and partial reimbursement for bus/train passes. If you are 18 or over, you can try to apply for Stanford Summer Housing. This office is not affiliated with our program so if you are selected for the program, you must apply separately to the Summer Housing office if you are interested (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/scs/individuals/)
Can you pick the lab/institute that you work at? On the application you will rank in which institute you prefer to work. If accepted, you will be given a list of faculty and their research topics which you will rank again. Which institute you rank has nothing to do with whether you’re accepted or not.
Do I have to register online? Yes, you must register online but you should only register if you are definitely planning to apply. You may register at any time up to the final deadline (Feb. 24, 2010). The online registration just gives us some basic information. You will still need to mail in a completed paper application. The application must be postmarked by February 24, 2010.
What test scores are required? We don’t require any test scores; however, SAT I & II test scores are strongly encouraged for all applicants.
How early can I submit my application? You can submit your application up to 2 weeks before the deadline. However, all applications will be reviewed at the same time so there is no advantage of mailing it in early..
What will the summer be like? The first day there will be an orientation session proceeded by lunch where you will meet your lab mentors. You will proceed to your lab after the lunch. Later on during the first week, there will be some safety/library training sessions in the morning. During the next 4 weeks, you will attend lectures 2 times a week in the morning and the rest of the day you will be in your lab. The last 3 weeks are reserved for full time lab work . During each week of the 8 week program, you will typically put in a 40 hour work week. Throughout the summer there will be some special joint lectures as well as a field trip which all the students will attend together. During the last few days of the program, you will be busy preparing your poster for the poster session.
What is the poster session? This is the highlight of the summer for the SIMR Program. where students will present a poster of their research project. Family members as well as the Stanford community/staff are welcome to join us to view the posters. The poster session will be held in the evening before the last day of the program. A special talk on how to put together a research poster will be given a couple weeks before by the Faculty Director of the program.
Who are the lab mentors? All mentors are Stanford graduate students or post-doctoral fellows who will work closely with each student to carry out a research project
Is there a stipend provided? A $1500 stipend will be given to all students
Do we need to be there for all 8 weeks? Students are expected to participate in all 8 weeks of the program and required to attend all safety sessions.
What if I can’t be there during the first few days due to finals? We understand that there are a few schools which still have finals on June 15-17. You may still apply and if you are selected as one of the student interns, you will be excused during that period. We will make arrangements so that you can join the program when you are done with your finals.
What can I do to increase my odds of getting into
the program? Carefully
filling out the application, proofreading the essay, completing all
steps on
time and looking for answers to questions on the different pages of our
web
site before asking us questions, are all steps that reflect well on you.
**PLEASE READ THE PROGRAM INFORMATION DOCUMENT FOUND ON THE APPLICATION LINK ON THE LEFT PANEL FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
