Nih

[yjj8817]

Is the NIH summer internship really that great? Is it much better than other programs? I feel like I am kinda late into the application game since I need to email the professors and it seems like a pain looking for an apartment since they don't give you housing.

thank you!

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[Ismet]

I did the NIH summer program and I can say that it was brought up at every single interview and the interviewers were impressed with the program. I have no basis to judge whether there are other programs out there that are better, and I'm sure there are, but the NIH SIP is an excellent program.

You're not too late yet, just start contacting the professors you want to list as contacts and get it out the door asap. Also, the housing thing isn't a huge issue. At least for my institute, they sent out a list of contact info for all the interns that would be there so we could coordinate housing if we wanted to. People subletted apartments for a great deal, so don't let that deter you. You get a sizeable stipend, and that will more than cover your living expenses for the summer, so you'll even pocket some of that money.

 

[fudGez14]

overall it was a great experience. it also really depends on which lab you end up working for. be sure to be active in the process and send personalized e-mails to a few PI's and explaining why you want to work specifically for them. don't just send like 20-30 generic emails to everyone and hope that one will somehow reply and let you in.

i personally worked in a smallish lab (about 7-8 people including me), and i loved it. i got the opportunity to interact and talk with my main PI whenever i wanted to, and we had weekly lab meetings and personal meetings as well. there are also many many other summer interns that are doing the same program, so its not like you will be the only one there. they have a lot of cool programs on the side for you to do (some trips, pre-med informational meetings, grad school fairs, weekly journal clubs). as for housing, it definitely took some work and help from local family friends to find an apartment, but i had some friends living at GW or you could just find your own apartment near campus.

 

[yjj8817]

does nih program offer clinical research or is it only basic science?

 

[fudGez14]

it is mainly basic science research, but i met a couple of interns that were doing clinical research (but it's less common). you should just search for lab PI's who do clinical research; i think they are part of a department/program of clinical research under the NIH.

 

[SBR249]

NIH investigators who also run clinical trials will usually have links on their profile that identify those clinical trials.

However, from what I've seen, one of the most common mechanisms is actually for clinical trials to be mostly run by staff clinicians under the direction of a PI who may or may not see patients. In that case, you may just have to contact PIs and ask if they have such projects going on in the lab that you can join.

 

[thesauce]

does nih program offer clinical research or is it only basic science?

NIMH is flush with them

 

[Ismet]

does nih program offer clinical research or is it only basic science?

Depends on the institute. I was at NIDA (Drug Abuse) and there were several interns who were involved with nicotine studies and were responsible for interviewing patients.

 

[brainyhack]

I've been debating for the past year whether or not I should apply for an NIH internship. I live in southern California and I noticed that all the internships for the general NIH SIP were all out of state, but luckily found out that L.A. Children's Hospital has an NIH NIDDK Step Up SIP in state. Needless to say I am jumping on the opportunity! But I'm still anxious. To anyone who has actually gone through with an NIH internship, how competitive was it to get an internship position? Have any of you guys ever done research and or had previous internship experiences before?
My resume looks weak at the moment. All I have to show for is my coursework and 2 years (which comprised of intermittent periods) of volunteer work with a clinical laboratory at my local hospital.

 

[yjj8817]

do you think I'm writing too much if I am around 900 words for the cover letter essay?