Un. of Chicago Summer Research Opportunity in Economics
Stipend, Housing, & Travel Expenses- Deadline to Apply Wednesday, 1/15/25 by 9am
In special partnership with The Leadership Alliance, the University of Chicago will select up to three current UMBC undergraduates for an amazing research internship in economics. The program is designed for undergraduate students with strong quantitative and analytical backgrounds of ALL majors. This nine-week residential program exposes students to three program components: research, mentorship, and graduate school preparation.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 (by 9am)
PROGRAM COMPONENTS include:
Research Mentors: Students will be matched with a faculty/research mentor. Students can learn more about research opportunity offerings by looking at faculty research profiles. All students participating in the summer session will also be guided by advisers outside of the laboratory environment.
Activities: Students are expected to spend a minimum of 40 hours/week conducting research and working with faculty/research mentors. In addition, students will participate in several program activities that will allow them to interact with other members of the academic community and summer research programs at the University of Chicago:
Weekly Workshops/Panel Discussions: Workshops on how to navigate the academy, including topics like getting the mentoring you need, self-care and community, communicating your research, the graduate admissions process, preparing grad applications, fellowships and funding opportunities, and study abroad.
Library or Facility tours: Participants will be acquainted with the shared library, research, and laboratory facilities as it pertains to their research placement.
University of Chicago Research Symposium: Near the end of the nine-week summer session, participants will give oral presentations of their work to fellow participants, faculty mentors, and research associates in a symposium on campus.
The Leadership Alliance National Research Symposium: Participants will travel to attend the national meeting of the Leadership Alliance to present their work and to network with other SR-EIP participants from different institutions, faculty/research mentors, and Leadership Alliance members and directors.
Recreational Activities: Social activities organized to acquaint participants with life on the University of Chicago campus and in the city of Chicago at large.
Program Dates:
Monday, June 16, 2025 through Friday, August 8, 2025 (9 weeks)
STIPEND AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORT:
- Housing: Participants will be offered room and board in an air-conditioned student dormitory residence located in the center of campus near several amenities, including an athletic facility.
- Participating students are eligible for reimbursement of approved expenses associated with round-trip travel to the University of Chicago from the student’s home city.
- Stipend: Participants will be offered a $5,100 stipend.
- Rising Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors (at least one semester of undergraduate education remaining by the start of the summer program)
- Open to all analytical backgrounds including economic, finance, global studies, engineering, mathematics, physics, etc.
- 3.0 cumulative GPA or above
- Demonstrate an interest to pursue graduate study toward a PhD or MD/PhD
- Be a U.S. citizen or have permanent resident status at the time of application.
Application Process- Required materials:
1) Current Resume or Curriculum vitae
2) Personal Statement: Two essay personal statement (no more than 1,000 words total). The statement of purpose should be an essay crafted to convey your academic and career goals, with an emphasis on your current research interests. Consider the statement of purpose your opportunity to introduce yourself to a review committee and limit your statement of purpose to no more than 1,000 total words. Clearly explain your reason for pursuing doctoral level training.
ESSAY B. Consider the following questions in preparing your statement of purpose. These should help guide the writing of your research story. (Suggested length - 250 - 500 words)
- Why are you interested in research, what helped develop this interest, how have you pursued this interest thus far, and how do you hope to carry this interest into a PhD program and career?
- What are your current research interests? The clearer you state your research interests (whether they are specific or general), the easier it will be to identify potential faculty mentors.
- Describe how previous coursework or other experiences have influenced your interests. Would you prefer to continue on a similar path of inquiry, or to engage in a different approach, technique or field of study?
- What are your future educational and career goals, and how does training as a researcher fit with your goals?
- What academic, volunteer or work experiences have best prepared you to engage in research?
- If you have not previously conducted research, describe how your coursework or other opportunities have influenced your research interest and scholarly goals.
4) Unofficial Transcript
Please send these materials including recommendations via e-mail to:
Christine Routzahn, Director
UMBC Career Center
routzahn@umbc.edu, 410-455-3671