Vacation Studentships
The purpose of a Vacation Studentship is to give undergraduates a chance to experience first-hand what working in a research laboratory is really like and to encourage them to consider a career in research when they graduate.
These studentships are limited and made by open competition. The sponsors fund a maintenance fee to the student for between 8 to 10 weeks. The closing dates for application usually vary from February to June with the studentships taking place sometime between June and September.
If you are interested in applying for a studentship you need to speak with the academic in whose research area you'd like to work.
Applications are made by your academic supervisor for a particular research project. You should allow time for this to be processed. Applicants are normally undergraduates in the middle (preferably penultimate) year of their first degree. Most funding bodies state that students have to be in year 2 onwards of study to be eligible for funding.
You will be supervised in a self-contained research topic and will be expected to produce a report describing the project you have undertaken. You are asked to provide feedback on the experience and may be asked to give a poster presentation of the results.
This can be a very useful exercise in determining whether you wish to pursue a PhD and can be a prestigious award to have on your CV. Most students also find that this experience prepares them well for their final year project.
