Application Tips

One of the things that we look for in reviewing applications is whether or not the applicant would be a good fit with one of our faculty mentors. All of the project descriptions are posted on the Projects page of our REU website. It is definitely worth your while to review these projects and mention at least one (three is ideal) of the projects/mentors in the "Why PSU" section of the application. This not only demonstrates that you have done your research into our program, but also helps us place participants in a lab where they will gain the most benefit. 

Housing

There are always lots of questions about housing, particularly since many REUs provide student housing for all participants. Our site has a limited budget for a number of reasons. We have chosen to provide more student opportunities with a slightly higher stipend rather than use the money to provide housing. We do reserve enough funds to sponsor one student per year for travel and housing. However, by requesting housing in your application, you reduce your odds of selection dramatically (or to put it a different way, your application must be ten times more competitive than the other top applicants).

Housing opportunities are abundant in Portland. PSU is located in downtown Portland and is easily accessible through several modes of public transportation including, MAX train, streetcar, and bus. Although we do not provide a housing-locator service, past participants have had good luck in finding affordable short-term rental arrangements in the Portland area. Staying with local friends or family is encouraged.

Application Deadline Extended for 2012

The application deadline has been extended for the 2012 program year to March 5th. We are still trying to find an ideal length for our application window. In years past, our application window has been over four months long. The result was that many of our top-choice candidates had already committed to another REU before our application window even closed. We shortened it to just over two months, but our number of applications is not where we would like it to be only one week out from our original 2012 deadline.
Priority will still be given to those candidates who submit their application by the original February 10th deadline in that we will begin interviews of our short-listed candidates after that date but before the extended deadline.