Insper Undergraduates
The application will open in January
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.
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
- Initiate visa paperwork.
- Register for one SISRM methodological course;
- Attend RA orientation
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 support from your institution (Insper);
- A letter of recommendation (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 will meet language proficiency in one of two ways:
- Through the TOEFL (104 score or higher; 26 subscores); or
- 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 do you hope to learn and what kind of skills do you hope to develop through this experience?
- What are your research interests? Is there a particular field(s) in the social sciences that you are passionate about? You can be as specific as you would like.
- 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 experience with research (if any) and/or any existing skill set that you believe will be valuable in your role as a SISRM RA. This may include any experience designing surveys, using programming languages, conducting interviews, literature review, analysis, or anything else that you think would be relevant to research in the social sciences.
Guidelines for Letters of Support and Letters of Recommendation
Institutional Letters of Support
Your Institutional Letter of Support will come directly from Insper.
Letter of Recommendation
Please be prepared to provide the name and email address of somebody with whom you have a professional relationship. This person should be able to provide you with a recommendation for participation in this program.
Once you enter their email address into the application portal, your recommender will receive an email with further instructions.
Possible recommenders may include: your College adviser; your campus work supervisor; an instructor or TA from a course; a degree program representative. The College Center for Research and Fellowships has a helpful and in-depth guide available to help you as you choose a recommender.
Recommenders will be asked to answer the following questions:
- Please explain how you know and interact with the applicant;
- What makes this applicant a good candidate for our program?
- A successful fellow is a strong, thoughtful communicator. Please describe the applicant’s communication strengths and/or weaknesses;
- A successful fellow is able to meet deadlines in a timely manner, both in their coursework and with their RA position. Please describe your experience(s) with this applicant’s strengths and/or weaknesses in managing deadlines;
- Is there anything else—positive or negative—that we should know about the applicant?