I am Gabriela from Brazil and I am currently in Chile (but this is another story!). I am writing this article to talk a little bit about my experience as an undergrad researcher in the US.

But first, a little background of my story: I have always been a talkative kid that loves to explore life. When I was a teen I started loving biology and that’s what I ended up studying in college. During second semester of college I had a chemistry professor who liked the way I solved problems and my way of thinking, so she invited me to start a “Scientific Initiation” in the lab and work with neuroblastoma. When I was on my second research project she asked if I wanted to do the next one outside of Brazil and of course, I accepted.

Research programs for undergrad students

I studied Biology at a private university in Brazil called PUCPR. We had a lot of opportunities to do research projects during our studies, and here are a few options:

Inside the university

• Volunteering: you do not receive money for it (of course), and almost everyone falls into this category.
• With scholarship: you can receive a monthly stipend from the university or scholarships from the government. In both cases the amount is the same (R$ 400,00 or almost US $85 today).

The main difference between volunteering and with scholarship is literally the money. In both cases you are expected work 4h/day, write partial and final paper, and participate in a big event sponsored by the university to talk about your project.

Outside the university

This is a special case of scholarship which is paid by the university (We used to have a public program for this in Brazil, but now only private ones). It’s important to mention that there is a selection process and your professor must have a partnership with the other university involved.

• Inside Brazil: you can move to another city or state inside Brazil for 6 months and receive R$ 1.300/month (almost US $275).
• Outside Brazil: you can move to another country for 6 months, and receive US $750/month during your exchange program. The amount is not that much, but it helps a lot!

The second option was the program that took me to Colorado!

Applying to the program

The application is done by your professor and has a lot of requirements (not only for you but for your professor too). After that’s done, you will need to create a presentation about your project and explain why you need to work on it it outside of your home country. In my case, I was starting a project with biomaterials and this field not very well explored in Brazil, so that was the reason.

Requirements & Eligibility

• Be enrolled in a program at a university
• Having been at university for a minimum of 2 years
• Be selected by your professor
• Already finished a research project. This is important because it applies whether you are a volunteer or have a scholarship. They care that you participate in everything your university offers.
• Must be not be working or doing an internship during the time of the program
• Have excellent grades
• Have a 15 min presentation about the project
• If selected: pass language proficiency test. Good news is that you can do a simpler test like TOEIC

Documents

• Full research project
• Transcript with GPA
• Two recommendation letters
• Motivation letter
• Acceptance letter from the university you are going to
• Result of the language proficiency test
• Academic plan for when you return (you need to keep in mind that you will pause your regular studies for 6 months).

Final words of advice

With this, I want to give an advice:

Use every opportunity you can! If you have an opportunity to develop a research project, do it, even as a volunteer! This will help you not only with learning how to do research and be disciplined, but it'll be a plus on your CV too.