Success Stories

I appreciate Dr. Rai and I feel very thankful to have her as a mentor. She is a role model to me and I really admire her.

I can confidently say that the SURF program has truly paved my path and ignited my passion for research. I’m profoundly grateful to SURF and Dr. Rai for helping me find my path in science. This journey has taught me that growth often comes from stepping into unfamiliar situations and embracing the challenges they bring. I am now more determined than ever to pursue an MD/PhD.

My SURF experience in the Summer of 2022, was extremely transformative and it was actually when I first learned that MD/PhD programs existed. I talked about my SURF experience in every single interview!

I had no idea how necessary bioinformatics was in research until SURF.

SURF helped extremely in tailoring my higher education goals because I didn't know the M.D./M.P.H. existed let alone something that could be completed in four years.

I found the "How to pick an appropriate graduate school mentor"session useful because before SURF I've never heard anyone mention such a seemingly important piece of information. Just in the session alone I got to see a wide range of mentoring styles so it really drove home the point that not all mentors are the same and the importance of one matching your values, learning style etc.

I was impressed by the matching of mentors to mentees, it seems like there was a lot of thought put into that which I appreciate.

So appreciative of the virtual format. I know it was not easy to pull off but I can't express enough how great it was. I had a great relationship with my mentor and I will be continuing to work with him throughout the year, which is telling of how good the matching process was!

I just want to say here that SURF was everything and more that I was hoping for.

I'm extremely thankful for SURF and the many people who backed this virtual program. Even though SURF was virtual it was engaging throughout the entire 10 weeks. I've learned so much more than I ever thought possible through SURF and gained the confidence I need to pursue a dual degree.

Given the summer's circumstances, the program went above and beyond my expectations for a shift to virtual work and offered us enriching and engaging experience throughout the summer.

This was truly a valuable research experience. I especially enjoyed my PI’s mentorship, the insight I got from the sessions and the outings that were organized for us.

This program has helped me narrow down my options for my future academic/career goals. All mentors and staff of this program made sure the students were enjoying their time and that the experience was what they wanted it to be.

I had a lot of fun in this program and it was very informational and inspiring! I learned a lot and made a lot of great connections. Meeting all these new people was one of the best parts of this summer, and I would definitely recommend applying to this program to any student interested in research.

This was a great experience. I now know what I want to do in the future and I now have the confidence to do it.