Got an offer for NIH SIP Program!!

[wdhero]

Sup guys,

I am new to this forum (definitely wished i knew about it sooner) but yea greetings to you all!

I'm starting this thread to ask your opinions. I am currently a junior in college and this year I applied for the NIH SIP (Summer Internship Program) and got really excited to hear from one of the researchers who offered me a position at his lab.

Here's the thing though. His lab work is not an area that I am so familiar with. Subsequently, it is hard for me to determine whether or not I will be interested in the topic.

At the same time, I was searching through this forum about the NIH SIP program and found out a couple things: 1. It is not easy to get in. 2. One should contact researchers they are interested in for this very reason. Frankly, I haven't attempted to contact any researchers at this point.

So here is the dilemna: Should I attempt to contact researchers that I am particularly interested in? Or should I be grateful that I got an offer for a position and gladly accept it, knowing that I might not be so familiar/interested in the project? It is to my understanding that even though I find a research project that I am familiar/interested in, either 1. I might not meet their standards 2. the lab is most likely full. Am I getting over my head and should thankfully accept the position? Thanks.

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[Mobius1985]

I got an similiar e-mail offer two weeks ago from an NIH researcher who is a neurologist. To find out what working with him might entail, I pulled the last few of his published papers. This is a good way to inform yourself of the area of research before you make contact , decide if you want to get involved, and be able to ask intelligent questions if you call to express interest.

From another post on this forum by someone who did e-mail a lot of NIH researchers, his responses indicated that most positions are already filled. If working at the NIH is important to you, this might be your only shot.

 

[shevie]

Im a postbac fellow at the NIH right now. Heres my advice. Whether its something youre "intersted in" or not, TAKE IT. its almost april. most positions HAVE been filled. it's a great opportunity, and well to be honest, being that youre only going to be there for about three months, its not like youre going to "delve deeply" into whatever research is being done in the lab. youre going to be doing basic, basic stuff, probably helping some phd candidate or postdoc with a project, and might potentially get your name onto a publication. Either way, its a great opportunity, and its also a great way to "network," if youre into going to all the lectures they offer for the summer students, etc etc. Just take the Internship. the NIH is really a great place to be, bethesda is a wonderful city, and its not like youre making a year-long committment to doing something you might not be interested in. Its a summer job, no matter what, its short-term...

 

[thedelicatessen]

Last year I was an IRTA, and this year I applied for SIP. I emailed a bunch of people this summer with no openings and did get an offer from a PI this year, but I had already decided to do research through another program. I must agree with what's already been said. I would take the position if I were you.

The NIH is pretty awesome no matter what field you go into, and Bethesda/DC are great to explore when you're out of the lab too. Though you will probably produce a poster at the end of the summer, the amount you can realistically accomplish isn't really that much. It's more important to make sure that you have a good mentor in your PI and/or whoever will be your supervisor. In retrospect, my time actually doing research was good, but the relationships I had with my PI, postdoc, and the rest of the lab were what made the whole experience absolutely amazing. Good luck!

 

[housem]

I got an similiar e-mail offer two weeks ago from an NIH researcher who is a neurologist. To find out what working with him might entail, I pulled the last few of his published papers. This is a good way to inform yourself of the area of research before you make contact , decide if you want to get involved, and be able to ask intelligent questions if you call to express interest.

From another post on this forum by someone who did e-mail a lot of NIH researchers, his responses indicated that most positions are already filled. If working at the NIH is important to you, this might be your only shot.

Since I am the person you are talking about, I can unfortunately confirm this. I think they probably pick most before March even. As long as it is research that you think you will be competent at and you will enjoy, go for it. (At the same time I did get a few that said they will pick later so you can try getting another research job if you want - since a researcher picked your app you probably have a much better chance than me)

 

[dendro]

I would definitely take the research position. I was a summer intern at the NIH for two summers. I didn't know anything about the topic I worked on, and I wasn't interested in it starting out, but I definitely became interested in the topic as the summer progressed. The NIH is a great place for its technology and lectures, and you'll probably get a pretty diverse research experience (bench+animals). You'll only be there for 11 weeks at most, so that's not much time to get extremely involved in the experiment. And you'll probably be working on multiple projects (I worked on four each summer).

You'll definitely learn a lot, and the NIH looks great on a CV.

Take the position. Most of them are likely to be filled. I e-mailed labs around this time the first year I applied and I only heard back from one lab that wasn't full. Go for it and have fun!

 

[mythblazer1988]

I was just wondering how exactly one would apply for a research position at the NIH. I can't seem to find a SIP application anywhere! Do I contact particular lab PI's to see if they have availabilities for an undergrad over the summer?

Also, am I the kind of applicant they are looking for? (A college junior that has one year lab experience (in a fly lab) with OK grades) How hard is it to get a position?

 

[Ubergeek]

Well, if you google "NIH SIP" and click on the very first link, you'll be directed to the NIH SIP page. Then, in bold red letters in the middle of the page, you'll see that the application opens up in mid-Nov.

I did the SIP program two years ago (after my Soph year). The lab work is generally top notch. A few suggestions based on my experience: try to find a lab on the main campus. I worked off campus, which required an extra 30 min of commute each way. Being off really impaired me from working out the immense web of red tape at NIH since I could never find time to interact with those key cogs in the bureaucratic machine. This meant waiting more than a month to get security clearance, two months to get a subsidized subway fare, etc. Also, being off campus really inhibits your social life, since the bulk of other interns on are main campus. Because the students in the SIP tend to be so focused on their work, there is very little socializing between them, anyway, so I suggest renting a dorm room in one of the near-by universities (American University was a popular choice). I made the mistake of choosing the cheapest place off craigslist and ended up living in a windowless room in a house full of shirtless rednecks who lived for Formula 1 and professional wrestling. The pay is pretty phenomenal for a undergrad research gig, though.