<p>I am a junior in college who is very interested in doing some sort of REU/research internship in theoretical computer science this summer, as I would like to get research experience before potentially applying to grad school. However, I have not had much luck in finding many research opportunities. The most theoretical focused one I stumbled upon was at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, but I want to apply to more than just one program, of course. If anyone has any advice or knows of any good research opportunities for an undergrad in theoretical computer science I would love to know, as I am beginning to have difficulty finding other options.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-20T01:03:23.177Z
Are you limited to the Chicago area? In any case, one general search algorithm is to pick a university within your target area, then go through the faculty there that do the kinds of things you're interested in, then contact them, listing *specifically* which topics/papers of theirs you'd be interested in studying. The more specific your letter, the better your odds are of getting a response.
Aryeh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-20T04:48:56.020Z
Not limited to Chicago, that was just the best one I found for what I am looking for. Thank you, contacting professors is a great idea. I will definitely do that.
user13251577
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-20T22:09:27.513Z
When I was an undergraduate student, my experience with contacting people directly was hit or miss.  Please be prepared for some warm and some not so warm replies.  In addition to doing your own search for programs, sometimes it is good to ask for advice and suggestions from multiple classmates or your past professors / advisors as well.  They might be able to share about what has worked for them before and about some programs that they are familiar with.
Michael Wehar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-20T22:20:04.307Z
I think that there should be many programs out there for TCS, but here are the two that I have heard of before: REUCAAR program (UMD) and DIMACS REU program (Rutgers).     Also, doing a quick search, I found REU opportunities in theoretical computer science listed at Oregon State University and Baruch College on mathprograms.org.
Michael Wehar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-20T22:35:47.900Z
Maybe there aren't as many as I thought.  Those five that have been mentioned were the only ones that I have found so far.  If anyone out there finds more, please let us know.  Thank you!
Michael Wehar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-21T06:04:29.953Z
I posted on the cscareers Discord to try and find out more.  It seems that there are a lot of international opportunities that I was unaware of.  This could be something to look into as well.  If I find any especially helpful information, I will make sure to share it.  :)
Michael Wehar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-21T06:07:14.317Z
It might be worth asking your professors if there are any opportunities for funding summer research projects at your school as well.  Some schools have opportunities for their students to apply for support to work on their own project with a mentor.  I just thought that I would mention this as well.
Michael Wehar
<soft-question><career>
Advice on undergraduate research
user13251577
# Advice on undergraduate research

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-19)

I am a junior in college who is very interested in doing some sort of REU/research internship in theoretical computer science this summer, as I would like to get research experience before potentially applying to grad school. However, I have not had much luck in finding many research opportunities. The most theoretical focused one I stumbled upon was at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, but I want to apply to more than just one program, of course. If anyone has any advice or knows of any good research opportunities for an undergrad in theoretical computer science I would love to know, as I am beginning to have difficulty finding other options.

**Tags:** soft-question, career

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Are you limited to the Chicago area? In any case, one general search algorithm is to pick a university within your target area, then go through the faculty there that do the kinds of things you're interested in, then contact them, listing *specifically* which topics/papers of theirs you'd be interested in studying. The more specific your letter, the better your odds are of getting a response.  
> **username_0**: Not limited to Chicago, that was just the best one I found for what I am looking for. Thank you, contacting professors is a great idea. I will definitely do that.  
> **username_2**: When I was an undergraduate student, my experience with contacting people directly was hit or miss.  Please be prepared for some warm and some not so warm replies.  In addition to doing your own search for programs, sometimes it is good to ask for advice and suggestions from multiple classmates or your past professors / advisors as well.  They might be able to share about what has worked for them before and about some programs that they are familiar with.  
> **username_2**: I think that there should be many programs out there for TCS, but here are the two that I have heard of before: REUCAAR program (UMD) and DIMACS REU program (Rutgers).     Also, doing a quick search, I found REU opportunities in theoretical computer science listed at Oregon State University and Baruch College on mathprograms.org.  
> **username_2**: Maybe there aren't as many as I thought.  Those five that have been mentioned were the only ones that I have found so far.  If anyone out there finds more, please let us know.  Thank you!  
> **username_2**: I posted on the cscareers Discord to try and find out more.  It seems that there are a lot of international opportunities that I was unaware of.  This could be something to look into as well.  If I find any especially helpful information, I will make sure to share it.  :)  
> **username_2**: It might be worth asking your professors if there are any opportunities for funding summer research projects at your school as well.  Some schools have opportunities for their students to apply for support to work on their own project with a mentor.  I just thought that I would mention this as well.  

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## 0 answers

