It is essential to participate in research summer programs throughout the undergraduate years to present a competitive application to graduate schools. In addition to learning how to conduct research, a sustained period of full-time research allows you to see the ups and downs of research, and teaches you how to cope with the failures and to celebrate the successes of your experiments and projects. When you participate in a summer program in an institution away from home you are exposed to new topics, new techniques and new equipment. You will gain confidence that comes from success in a new and unfamiliar setting. In other words, summer programs can give you the confidence to become a graduate student and subsequently a scientist.