Tips for Successful Applications
We asked project hosts about the process behind selecting students for their projects.
Embedded Files
Important Factors
Important Factors
Which information hosts found important when selecting students:
Information Not Important Somewhat Important Important Very Important
Concentration 4 4 1 0
Statement of Interest 0 4 1 4
Qualifications/
Requirements Statement 2 3 3 1
CV 3 3 2 1
Comments 3 2 2 2
Priority Ranking* 1 2 4 2
Small Number of
Applications Submitted 5 0 2 2
Large Number of
Applications Submitted 9 0 0 0
*Priority Ranking takes into account the class year (freshmen and sophomores prioritized), involvement with other projects/funding (prioritize students without past opportunities), and past application to the EPS short-term research program (students who are unsuccessful in the past are given priority, while those who were successful are given lower priority).
Suggestions from Project Hosts
Suggestions from Project Hosts
Here are some suggestions project hosts had for putting together a successful application:
I suggest that students try to spend some time reading about the project in advance.
The successful applications directly talked about why they were interested in the given project. Not only their interest, but their excitement for the given project, separated the applications even further. Finally, incorporation of past experiences or a desire to learn more and explore a new study area added to the desirability of the candidate.
Tailoring the response to the specific application - I looked far more carefully at applications from students who clearly showed specific interest in the project I was offering rather than the EPS short-projects in general.
Don't apply to all of the positions. It sends the message that you're just looking for any job but may not really be interested in any one of them.
Students that mentioned something about my particular project had a chance over those that had more of a general application and didn't seem to put any thought into the project they were applying to.
Some students spoke about something that wasn't related to my project so students should double check their applications to make sure they're not mixing applications by mistake.
I wanted to see genuine interest in the particular project, and favored students who had not had a research experience yet (over candidates with prior extensive independent research experience)
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