SRIP & Mentorship Application Instructions

Apply

The deadline to apply for the Summer Research & Innovation Program is Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM (midnight).
Applications for Summer 2026 open Monday, October 23, 2025!

Opportunity Catalog for Class of 2027

VIEW OPPORTUNITIES available for 2026-2027
- - Students may apply for a maximum of four opportunities and will provide the rank of each opportunity in the order you wish to be considered
TO LEARN ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS AND DETAILS of each opportunity to best determine if you and your family can fully commit to the opportunity
CHOOSE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES beyond the maximum of four you apply for
- - Students may list up to 4 additional opportunities within Survey Monkey application. If you are not accepted to one of the four you apply for, you can be considered for additional opportunities if slots remain available.
FIND THE SPECIFIC ESSAYS in the catalog for each opportunity
- - You don't have to wait until Oct. 23 to begin drafting your application materials because the catalog lists all the Specific Essays (and Common application materials such as the Resume and Common Essay)

NCSSM Mentorship & SRIP Catalog 2026-2027.pdf

Application Overview

Application Instructions

The application will open on Thursday, October 23rd (all juniors will receive application instructions via an email from NCSSM ITS by the end of the day on Oct. 23)
The Survey Monkey link will take you to a page with the 20+ applications from SRIP and Mentorship
Choose up to 4 program applications to complete and submit by 11:59pm on Nov. 4th
Prepare your applications materials in a separate Google Doc and paste into the application
- Start the application, save it if you need to come back to finish it
Finish and submit the application by the deadline on Tuesday, November 4th
Receive the confirmation that your application has been submitted

Application Requirements

Decision about which opportunities you will apply
- Choose up to 4 opportunities (strongly recommend 4)
- Rank according to your preference
Resume (1 page maximum and PDF format)
- The same resume must be submitted for all 4 opportunity applications
- Must utilize Resume Guidance Mentorship/SRIP Application
Common Application (1 essay, 500 word limit + 1 question)
- The same common essay responses must be submitted into all 4 opportunity applications
Opportunity-Specific Essays (500 words, or otherwise specified)
- Written by the instructor leading each opportunity
- Listed in the Opportunity Catalog above

Application Tips

Draft essays in a Google Doc to (1) have an organized way to keep track of application progress and (2) ensure that you don't lose progress if the application doesn't save.
- When essays are finalized, copy into your application
- Easier to share and receive feedback via comments!
Follow the instructions provided for each of the components of the application
Start early and give yourself time to complete
Seek feedback from others, read aloud to hear what you are writing
Be informed about the program you're applying to and authentic to yourself
Review the Frequently Asked Questions before reaching out with your questions.

SRIP/Mentorship Program & Common Application Support

Common Support

Application Essay Writing (Application Essay Writing Recording)
- NOTE: The recording is from last year and may include reference to essay questions that have been updated or are not included this year.

SRIP/Mentorship Program Support, review the Frequently Asked Questions

If questions remain, contact:

- Durham-hosted SRIP/Mentorship, Dr. Sarah Shoemaker (shoemaker@ncssm.edu)
- Morganton-hosted SRIP/Mentorship, Christiane Burkins (christiane.burkins@ncssm.edu)

Student Support Sessions

Dr. Shoemaker, Durham-hosted SRIP/Mentorship

This Same Zoom link for all sessions (via drop-in), Click HERE.

Oct. 17 7:00-8:00am and 12:00-1:00pm

Oct. 21 3:30-4:30pm

Oct. 24 12:00-1:00pm

Oct. 28 8:00-9:00pm

Oct. 30 3:30-5:00pm

Oct. 31 7:00-8:00am and 12:00-1:00pm

Nov. 4 7:00-8:00am and 3:30-4:30pm

Ms. Burkins, Morganton-hosted SRIP/Mentorship

For Director Meetings: Click HERE
For Application Support: Please schedule an appointment with the Morganton Writing Center

Specific Essays Resources

Application Essay Writing (Application Essay Writing Recording)
- NOTE: The recording is from a previous year and may include reference to essay questions that have been updated or are not included this year.
For Opportunity-specific questions
- contact the individual NCSSM faculty listed in the Opportunity Catalog

Survey Monkey Application Technical Support

For Survey Monkey Application Platform questions

- For Survey Monkey instructions, please review the wiki page application walkthrough.
- For technical questions, submit an IT ticket HERE

Resume Guidelines

Resume Guidelines (1 page maximum, PDF)

Must utilize Resume Guidance Mentorship/SRIP Application

Who will see my resume?
- All reviewers for all opportunities
Resume Support
- Resume Workshop: Showcase Your Skills (Slideshow link)
  - NOTE: The recording is from a few years ago and may include reference to the final format or other minor items that have been updated this year.

Essay Guidelines

AI Guidelines for all application materials: Applicants for SRIP/Mentorship are not allowed to use any artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as chatbots, text generators, paraphrasers, summarizers, or solvers, to complete any part of the required application. Any attempt to use these tools will be considered academic misconduct and the application will not be considered. Students are expected to complete all work independently and without the assistance of AI-generated content. If you have any questions about what constitutes acceptable use of AI tools, please consult with the Directors of Mentorship and Research (mentorshipandresearch@ncssm.edu).

Common Application Guidelines (1 Essay + 1 Question)

What are the Common Application prompts?

COMMON ESSAY #1: By applying, you are acknowledging that you are available for all program dates. SRIP/Mentorship Program participation is not a graduation requirement, rather an optional experience that requires full commitment for all program dates. Explain how your participation in the overall SRIP/Mentorship Program for 2026 would be of value to you and to your future plans, and describe specific ways that you will prioritize your commitment to SRIP/Mentorship Program if accepted.

COMMON QUESTION: SRIP/Mentorship Programs have limited slots available per opportunity. If you are not accepted to one of the four you apply for, you can be considered for additional opportunities if slots remain available. Select the additional opportunities you are interested in and can commit to in order of your preference below (5th choice, 6th choice, etc.) or if not interested then choose “None”. Do NOT re-enter opportunities you have already applied for. Use this List of NCSSM SRIP/Mentorship Opportunities for 2026.

Additional opportunities will only be utilized if you are not accepted to one of the four you apply for.
Do NOT re-enter opportunities you have already applied for.

Who will read these essays?
- All reviewers for all opportunities

Opportunity-specific Essays (500 words, or otherwise specified)

What are the Specific Essays?
- Essays written specific by the instructor leading the opportunity
- How you can express your interest in a particular program
Where are the Specific Essays?
- Specific Essays are listed in the Opportunity Catalog
- No need to wait to begin drafting your responses. We encourage students to draft in Google Doc and then copy into the Survey Monkey applications when they open on Oct. 23.
Who will read these essays?
- Only reviewers for that specific opportunity
- Mentorship and Research Directors (Sarah Shoemaker and Christiane Burkins)
Tips
- Learn as much as possible about the specific opportunity you are applying for
- For SRIP: Reach out to the NCSSM instructor directly with questions
- For Mentorship: Contact the Mentorship instructors or Directors (Do not contact mentors or potential mentors directly)

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