Insper Undergraduates

The next application cycle opens in January 2025

Insper Undergraduate Students

Insper undergraduates who wish to participate in the Summer Institute in Social Research Methods take one methodological course, participate in the Practice of Social Science Research Workshop, and participate in the paid Research Assistantship program.

SISRM Insper fellows with program director Paul Poast
2023 SISRM-Insper fellows with program director Paul Poast.
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Eligibility

Insper undergraduate students who have been approved by their home institution to apply may participate in SISRM.

Application Guidelines

Application Timeline

Students who wish to participate in the paid RA program will:

January–February

  • Meet with SISRM to discuss the program requirements;
  • Submit an application to participate in the program
  • Take the AEPA assessment or the TOEFL to fulfill the English profficiency requirement.

March

  • Receive notification of RA awards (matches are made by SISRM)

April–May

June–August

  • Participate in the Practice of Social Scientific Research;
  • Complete the summer methodologies course;
  • Work on the Summer RA project

Starting Your Application

Please select “Insper SISRM” from the application menu to apply

You must provide:

  • A letter of recommendation from Insper (see notes about letters of recommendation);
  • A CV or Resume;
  • A Transcript from your home institution. Please note: We will accept an unofficial transcript. Additionally, we will also accept a progress report from a student portal that demonstrates the coursework and grades that the student has received thus far.

In addition, you will be asked to:

  • Answer a series of short answer questions (100-300 words);
  • Select 3 courses you are interested in taking during the summer.

English Language Proficiency

Insper scholars participating as fellows in the SISRM program will be admitted to the United States on a J-1 scholars visa.

Insper scholars will meet language proficiency in one of two ways:

  1. Through the TOEFL (104 score or higher; 26 subscores); or
  2. Through UChicago’s Academic English Proficiency Assessment (AEPA) conducted via videoconference by experts in the Chicago Language Center (assessment of functional or higher).

 

AEPA

The Academic English Proficiency Assessment (AEPA) is a language assessment offered at the University of Chicago to prospective J-1 status holders to fulfill the visa language requirement. It is an adaptive and natural interview assessment that measures real-life academic oral proficiency. An AEPA typically lasts 15 to 30 minutes and includes an academic role play in which the assessor pays more attention to functional speaking ability rather than only accuracy and grammar. There are five main levels that indicate the candidate’s academic English oral proficiency: Excellent, Proficient, Functional, Basic, and Limited. To fulfill the language requirement as a prospective J-1 visa holder, the candidate must at least perform at the functional level.

Guidelines for Resumes and CVs

Your resume or CV should detail honors, awards, research, leadership/service, and other co- and extra-curricular activities you have pursued since beginning your undergraduate studies.

If you possess proficiency in a language other than English, please make note of it. Please do not include  details from high school—we’re interested in getting to know about you in this phase of your academic and professional development.

Need inspiration? Check out UChicago Career Advancement’s tips for resume writing.

Applicant Questions

All applicants must answer the following questions in 100-300 words:

  • Describe your interest in participating in SISRM and in pursuing a research experience with a faculty mentor in the social sciences. What kinds of things do you hope to learn through this experience?

 

  • What are your academic and professional interests and aspirations? How does your current or planned major and interest in that field influence your reasons for pursuing an RAship?  If you have not yet declared a major, how do you anticipate that participation in SISRM will influence your future academic decisions?

 

  • Describe your previous experiences with faculty research (if any) and/or any existing skill set that you believe will be valuable in your role as a SISRM RA.

 

  • What kinds of skills do you hope to develop through this experience?

Guidelines for Letters of Support and Letters of Recommendation

Letters of Support

Your LOR will come directly from SISRM and will be based on your nomination from Insper. Please input sisrm@uchicago.edu as the email address when prompted (Jamie Gentry or María Ferreira as your contact names).