Program Description | Eligibility Statement | Application Information | FAQ | Interview Guidelines | Proposal Guidelines | Announcements of Opportunity
Q. What are my chances of getting a SURF?
A. In the past about 70% of applicants have been awarded SURFs.
Q. Can I apply for more than one SURF?
A. Yes, but do so with caution. One of the criteria used in assessing your application is your enthusiasm for the project. If you apply to more than one project, your enthusiasm for each can be questioned. If you choose to apply to more than one SURF, please inform each of your prospective mentors that you are pursuing other SURF opportunities.
Q. My potential mentor says he/she has no money to contribute to my stipend. Can I still be awarded a SURF?
A. For Caltech students, yes. Recommendations for SURF awards
are based solely on the merit of the application and proposal, not a mentor's
ability to pay. The strongest applications will be considered for full funding.
For non-Caltech students, SURF has extremely limited funding. Mentors will
usually have to bear the full cost of the award for non-Caltech students.
Q. Can I do my SURF some place besides Caltech or JPL? I'd really like to SURF closer to home.
A. Caltech students may conduct their SURF at another university
or research institution. The application process is the same, but in addition
to your research mentor at the off-campus location, you also need to arrange
for a Caltech faculty member to serve as your faculty co-mentor.
Q. I'm currently a senior. Can I apply?
A. Maybe. SURF is for continuing undergraduates only. If you will be an undergraduate student during the fall term, you are eligible to SURF.
Q. I'm a freshman. Do I have any chance of getting a SURF?
A. About 15-20% of each year's SURFers are frosh.
Q. You ask for letters of recommendation from people at my school. I'm a freshman and all the classes I've taken had a large number of students, so my professors don't really know me. What should I do?
A. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know your professors! Draft a short (one-page) resume of your activities, your interest in SURF, what you hope to do in your project, and make an appointment to meet with your advisor, a teacher, a resident advisor in your dorm, your dean, or others. Faculty members like to see students take such initiative, and they may be willing to write a recommendation.
Q. In at least one of my classes the TA knows me and my work better than the professor does. Can I ask a TA to write one of my letters of recommendation?
A. Yes, one of your faculty recommendations may come from a TA. You may have an undergraduate or graduate TA write one of the recommendations, but only if that person was the TA for a class you took (or are taking).
Q. I SURFed last year. The application instructions say my previous SURF mentor must write one of my recommendations, but I'm applying to work with the same mentor this year. Should my mentor submit the mentor recommendation AND a regular recommendation?
A. No, each recommender should be a different person. Your mentor should write only the mentor recommendation.
Q. I come from an international university and we don't have what American institutions call a "transcript." What should I do?
A. American transcripts include a declaration of all the courses you are taking or have completed, and the grades or marks earned in those courses. Most schools can provide you with such a document, even though it may not be identified as a "transcript."
Q. How long should the proposal be?
A. There are no minimum or maximum length requirements for the proposal, but it should include everything the review committee—faculty in the relevant discipline—would
need to know about, like what you plan to do, how you plan to approach the
problem, and why you're the right person for the project. We've provided Guidelines
for Proposals to help you. Ask your mentor to review your proposal for completeness.
Don't wait until the last minute for the final review!
Q. Are examples of successful past proposals made available to applicants?
A. No. We do not release past proposals.
Q. Is housing available for non-Caltech students? If so, are board contracts available?
A. Housing is available for non-Caltech students working on campus or at JPL during the summer under one of the programs coordinated by the Student-Faculty Programs Office. The cost of housing, however, is not part of the SURF award; students must pay for housing themselves. Information about housing rates can be found here.
Board contracts are not available during the summer, but food can be purchased
at various campus/JPL food outlets.
Q. SURF starts in mid-June, but my school gets out earlier (or later). Can I start my SURF on a different date?
A. Once you have been awarded your SURF, you may negotiate with
your mentor for a different starting date. Your SURF fellowship period must
not begin before May 1 nor extend beyond the fourth Friday in September. Whatever
schedule you work out with your mentor is fine, but please keep the Student-Faculty
Programs Office informed. NOTE: Housing for non-Caltech students on the Caltech
campus will not be available before the first official day of SURF nor after
the last official day. Check here for
official dates.
Q. Can I take a vacation in the middle of SURF?
A. You must negotiate with your mentor to take vacation during
your SURF and extend your end date in order to complete your ten weeks. Your
SURF period must conclude by the fourth Friday in September.
Q. I hope to do a SURF at JPL and live on campus. I don't have a car. How can I get to the Lab every day?
A. JPL provides a bus from the campus to the Lab for SURF students. The bus leaves the campus at approximately 7:30 am and returns to the campus at the end of the day.
