Summer Opportunities in Mathematics & Statistics

There are a variety of math and stats-related summer opportunities for students. This page has information on three summer opportunity areas:

  • Research experiences (REUs)
  • Internships
  • Teaching opportunities

There is more information below on each of these areas. You can read comments from previous math and stats majors about their summer experiences on our Student Comments page.

Deadlines for submitting applications to many of these programs are in January and February, with a few even earlier, so do not delay! Feel free to come and talk to any faculty member about these and other programs. Some Amherst College faculty may also seek summer research students, so keep an eye out for announcements and ask your professors about on-campus opportunities. See our list of publications with students for examples of past research projects.

We also encourage students to seek out opportunities to present their research by presenting a poster or talk at a conference.

Andrea Boskovic's poster at JMM 2020

Research Experiences (REUs)

REU stands for Research Experiences for Undergraduates. These programs typically involve a small group of participants, studying and living together at the host institution for part or all of the summer. You will usually have a combination of lectures (at the beginning to introduce you to new topics) and working on particular projects, usually in groups of a few students. At the end you will probably write a joint summary of your work and give a presentation to the rest of the participants. If you make a lot of progress on the project, it might be possible to submit your final paper for publication. Most REUs will cover the living expenses of participants including a stipend (though sometimes this only applies to US citizens and permanent residents).

Here are some points to remember:

  • Each program has its own application process and deadline so read the instructions carefully.
  • An application will typically require letters of recommendation from some of your Amherst professors. Please make sure to ask for these at least two weeks before the deadline.
  • Most programs are also aimed at students at specific points in college, or that have taken a particular set of classes.
  • Many programs require US citizenship or permanent residency, but some do not. Again, read the requirements carefully.
  • Create a Handshake account and regularly check for relevant events hosted by the Loeb Center.
  • Look into the Charles Hamilton Houston internship program through the Loeb Center, and the CCE summer experiences page (these can be particularly helpful if you are not a US citizen and so don't qualify for government-funded programs; note that the CCE funding must involve community engagement in some way).
  • There are lots of different programs focusing on different topics and for different types of students. If you have trouble finding one suitable, then keep looking!

Andrew Tawfeek's poster at JMM 2020

Lower down on this page is a list of REUs that we have heard about at Amherst, but this is by no means comprehensive. Here are some useful links for finding the program that is right for you:

Andrew Rosevear's poster at JMM 2020

List of REU Programs for Summer 2020

The following list includes links to REUs from 2020. Note that not all of these programs will be run every year. You will find many more examples by following the links above.

On-Campus Opportunities

  • Amherst College SURF is open to all 1st and 2nd year Amherst College students (application portal usually opens up in early January, with applications typically due in early February)
  • Greg S. Call Student Research Program supports various types of research projects for Amherst College students (any class year), including summer support to start thesis work

Programs in New England

Programs Not Requiring US citizenship or Permanent Residency

Statistics REUs

Programs Supportive to First-Generation College Students or Members of Underrepresented Groups

Other Programs (among many, just to give an idea of possibilities)

Internships

Companies from Amazon to Xerox offer summer internships to students with interest or experience in math or stats. Here are some useful links:

Summer Teaching Opportunities

There are various programs that hire college students to be teachers and mentors to high-school students taking summer math programs. This information has been consolidated with other information related to teaching on our Teaching Opportunities page.

More Information

For more information and other opportunities, see the (physical) bulletin board on the wall of Seeley Mudd between Rooms 202 and 203. Also see our info session handout, which has further links.

See also the following general resources for undergraduates:

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Fall 2017 Summer Info Handout 48.58 KB