Accepted REU Summer Student FAQs

Arrival: You should plan to arrive between 12pm – 7pm on Wednesday, June 4. If you need to arrive prior to June 4, you will be responsible for your own housing.

Departure: All students must be moved out of housing by 5pm on Saturday, August 9.

We will update this information once we receive instructions from housing.

We will send out a list of arrival times and in an editable sheet where you can add in your contact information if you wish to coordinate with others arriving at similar times.

For students flying into Logan airport, you have a few options on how to get to the housing:

Uber/Lyft

We will organize a Lyft pass for students from the airport to the housing. We will send a code to you the week before that you can use on your arrival date. You will need to download the Lyft app to your phone to use the Lyft pass. If you choose to use other methods for transportation from the airport (e.g. taxi or Uber), we will not be able to reimburse you.

Public Transportation

There are a variety of methods to take the MBTA, or "T" as it is called locally. 

You can use their Trip Planner to see options for bus/subway routes. 

The program officially begins on Thursday, June 5. We will begin at 9:30am with breakfast, and orientation will start at 10am. At 12:30, your research mentors will join us for lunch. After lunch you will leave with them to get set up in your research group. More information, including location, will be announced. 

We highly recommend that you DO NOT bring a car. There is no on campus parking available for summer visitors. Most parking in Cambridge and Allston is either resident only or 2-hour metered parking, which is heavily ticketed and towed (which can run several hundred dollars). Garage parking is very expensive. If you absolutely must have a car, you will be responsible for making your own arrangements.

Unfortunately we are not able to provide discounted MBTA passes. You will be able to use the Harvard shuttle, which runs between Cambridge and Allston, to MIT, and to the Harvard Medical School campus.

• You will be a part of the Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Village (H-SURV) and living in Winthrop House.

• Housing contains a mixture of singles and doubles, most arranged in suites of various sizes. 

• Rooms are NOT air-conditioned, and you will NOT be allowed to install air conditioners of any kind. Only fans are allowed. 

• Housing is equipped with an elevator and coin-op or ID swipe (Crimson Cash) laundry. 

• Rooms are furnished with beds (Twin XL), desks, chairs, and a ceiling fan. You must furnish your own linens, including a pillow, sheets, and towels. 

• There is no tv/cable connection. The housing does have a wireless network, so you will be able to connect to the Internet with your issued Harvard University ID via your own laptop or desktop computer.

• You will be provided a meal plan. H-SURV Dining includes breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, and brunch and dinner Sunday, at the dining hall. At breakfast, you will be able to take a bagged lunch to take with you. Please swipe your Harvard ID at the entrance to the dining hall at each meal. 

• During the summer there are no kitchen facilities available. In addition, hot plates, rice cookers, convection ovens, and air fryers are expressly prohibited in all Harvard residential space.  

• If you would like to rent a micro fridge, you may do so through the Harvard Student Agencies

If you would like to live off-campus, please discuss first with the REU team. We cannot provide assistance in finding off-campus housing, but if you have an existing lease or some other arrangements, we would be happy to discuss that option. However, in the recent past we have not been able to compensate students for that expense, and you will not be able to participate in the meal plan.

You will be provided a meal plan if you are living on campus. H-SURV Dining includes breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, and brunch and dinner Sunday, at the dining hall associated with the housing. Please swipe your Harvard ID at the entrance to the dining hall at each meal. 

You will receive a separate swipe card for gym access sometime during the first week of the program if you are living on-campus. If you are off-campus, we will try to get a swipe card for you if you request it.

Due to the uneven service during the summer and problems with lost packages, receiving postal mail during the summer is discouraged. However, if necessary, you will have a temporary summer Harvard mailing address assigned to you. That address will be made available to you in early June.

Regular mail should NOT be forwarded to Winthrop House or your summer Harvard mail address.

Please plan for any summer mail and packages to arrive on June 10 or later.

In general, REU students are expected to be in the lab around 35+ hours per week. Your hours will vary depending on the nature of your research project and the schedule of your research mentor. We have several scheduled group activities each week, including a weekly writing workshop, faculty seminars, and skills workshops.

The REU program is a full-time commitment, so we do not allow students to take on additional part-time work. If there are extenuating circumstances, these need to be discussed and approved by both the REU administration and the research mentors.

The REU program is a full-time commitment, so we do not allow students to enroll in summer courses.  If there are extenuating circumstances, these need to be discussed and approved by both the REU administration and the research mentors.

No, generally we do not plan formal activities for the weekend. H-SURV will be hosting optional social outings that you are welcome to participate in.

Students receiving their stipend through Harvard can expect to receive stipend checks every other week starting in the second week of the program.

• Make sure you upload all of your forms prior to arrival!

• Linens: sheets for twin XL bed, pillow(s), blanket, towels

• Fan: It can get very hot and muggy and the dorms are not air-conditioned. Air conditioner installation is NOT allowed in your room.

• A light jacket/sweatshirt, rain coat, umbrella 

• Business casual cothing for final presentations 

• Clothes and shoes appropriate for the laboratory (long pants, closed-toe shoes)

• Clothes for warm weather. There are several beaches within range of public transportation, so you may want to bring a bathing suit.

• Laptop - wireless is available across campus

• You may want to bring a bike with you, or you can rent Blue Bikes, which are available in Boston/Cambridge. Please bring a helmet if you plan on riding a bike!

Please keep in mind the weight restriction for baggage so that you aren’t hit with any unexpected fees at the airport. Check with airlines for updated information, and also http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm for updates on prohibited items.