The SHARE Summer Apprenticeships open on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
The application deadline is Friday, March 28, 2025, at 11:59pm.

If you have questions about the SHARE program, you can schedule a "SHARE Office Hours" meeting with Melissa Berkey. Click here to see the available meeting times on Nexus.

Eligibility and Award Terms

To be eligible to apply, a student applicant must:

• Be majoring or pre-majoring in social sciences, humanities, and/or or arts field at any UConn campus. ACES/undecided students are also eligible to apply.
  • There are several interdisciplinary majors that span academic fields. If you're unsure if your major is SHARE eligible, please contact Melissa Berkey (melissa.berkey@uconn.edu) to discuss your eligibility.
• Be a first-, second-, or third-year undergraduate student who is graduating no earlier than December 2025.
• Be in good academic standing at the time of application and remain in good academic standing while participating in the program.
• Be eligible for on-campus employment. International students interested in the SHARE program should consult with the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) Office for information on their eligibility for employment on-campus.

Please reach out to Melissa Berkey (melissa.berkey@uconn.edu) if you have questions on eligibility.

You do not need prior research or creative experience to apply for a SHARE apprenticeship. This program prioritizes early career students with little or no prior experience.

Students from underrepresented backgrounds and 1st generation students are encouraged to apply.

The goal of this program is to foster new student-faculty connections. As part of the award conditions, faculty mentors are asked to select a student they are not currently working with and/or have not previously worked with in a research or project capacity.

Students are only eligible to participate in the SHARE program once during their time at UConn. Students who have held a SHARE apprenticeship in a previous summer cannot apply for a second apprenticeship. In addition, students are limited to one SHARE apprenticeship in a summer. Students selected for multiple apprenticeships will be asked to choose which apprenticeship they want to accept.

Award Terms:

• Apprentices will earn up to $1,485, paid as hourly wages, for work on the SHARE project. Apprentices will be paid on a bi-weekly basis through normal payroll procedures. To earn the full $1,485 award, apprentices will need to work approximately 90 hours over the course of the summer.
• Apprentices agree to complete a reflection at the start of the apprenticeship and at mid-point, and to submit an end-of-summer reflection to the Office of Undergraduate Research at the conclusion of the apprenticeship.
  
• Apprentices agree to present at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition the fall or spring following the apprenticeship.

Please note: All students hired for a SHARE virtual apprenticeship must complete a federal I-9 form and present original documents in person to OUR staff as part of the hiring process. Visit this U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services page for more information about acceptable documents. You cannot begin working until this is complete. Students are encouraged to plan ahead for this. For example, if you are going home for spring break, consider bringing documents back to campus with you.

Dates & Deadlines

Summer 2025 apprenticeship descriptions will be posted on the SHARE Virtual Summer Apprenticeship program website and applications will open to students in early March 2025.

The application deadline is Friday, March 28, 2025. Application reviews will begin after the application deadline.

Faculty may choose to interview select applicants before making decisions. Faculty submit their apprentice selections to the OUR. The OUR will extend offers to applicants. Applicants who are not selected will be notified of their application status once the apprenticeship has been filled.

Apprentices will coordinate their summer apprenticeship start date and schedule with faculty mentors. Project work can begin once the spring semester has ended (no earlier than Monday, May 12, 2025). SHARE apprenticeships must be completed before the fall semester begins.

Apprentices will complete reflections at the start of the apprenticeship, at mid-point, and at the conclusion of the apprenticeship. SHARE apprentices will also present at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition in the fall or spring following the apprenticeship.

Preparing an Application

Applications are submitted via the Quest Portal link found in each position description. You can apply to all the apprenticeships that align with your goals and interests.

There is a standard set of application questions that all applicants will be required to answer. Click here to view an outline of the online application. Faculty may also elect to add an additional question specific to their apprenticeship. If there are additional questions, they will be noted in the apprenticeship descriptions.

Please make sure to review the program eligibility requirements prior to applying. Applications from students who do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered.

• Summer 2025 SHARE Virtual Research Apprenticeship Application Outline

Tips for Success

Read the apprenticeship description carefully and review the faculty mentor's bio to learn more about them and their research or creative expertise. Use this information to prepare a detailed answer explaining your interest in working with them. Consider the following questions to help you elaborate on your interest in the apprenticeship:

• Why are you interested in the specific research topic or creative project the faculty member is engaged in. What sparked the interest in this topic?
• Have you taken classes related to the topic or project? Have you engaged in self-directed study related to the topic or project? How did the course(s) or your self-directed study shape your interests?
• Do you have a personal connection to the topic? If so, explain that connection.
• How does this apprenticeship fit with the direction you're going? This can include your academic goals, personal goals, or professional goals.
  • If you're not sure what your goals are at this point in your academic journey, that's OK! One benefit of an apprenticeship is to help you test the waters and determine if research is something you enjoy and want to incorporate into your future plans.

Review the preferred qualifications listed in the apprenticeship description. Make sure to incorporate those qualifications into your answers to any of the standard application questions. When incorporating your qualifications, you are encouraged to go beyond simply stating you have a particular skill set. You are encouraged to elaborate and explain how you've developed or used the skills and qualifications.