Sophomore and junior majors should begin to investigate options for summer research internships before the end of fall term.

Note: Deadlines for applications for REU’s, INBRE, etc., typically fall in late February to early March.

About Letters of Recommendation

Aside from your application, you will also need letters of recommendation from faculty and/or AIs for all of these internships, so start now to write your resume and a brief biography of your academic and extracurricular experiences, and, your academic and professional goals beyond Bates. The applications usually ask for a self-evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses, and this information is often of interest to your recommender as well. ASK your professors or AIs, well in advance of deadlines, if they would be willing and able to write a supportive recommendation on your behalf. If yes, then you will need to provide them with information about the internship program, deadlines, email or snail mail addresses, your biography and a resume, and any other additional information they may request. If you will be applying for several internships, please make that clear to your recommenders so they will be fully informed.

The Center for Purposeful Work has online resources that will be helpful for crafting a resume.

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