Summer research internships for High School Students

[SherryPerdue]

I'm a high school junior and am interested in a career in biomedical research. I'm taking all of the right classes (AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Research...). have a 4.4 GPA and am working on getting my SAT scores up (first attempt was 1470). I know, however, that won't be enough to get me into a top tier undergrad program (I'd LOVE to go to Duke, for example). I'd like to find a good summer research internship for the 2020 summer. Unfortunately there is NOTHING in my somewhat rural area (I've attended the few 'summer camps' available at our local University and hospital). I've scoured the internet and found many summer programs, but a good portion are for local high schools and/or under-represented minorities. I'd love to hear your ideas on what type of program would be most valuable (e.g., I've heard that the ones that cost $$$ don't necessarily boost a resume) and info on any programs I might be eligible for.

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[Kardio]

You’re way ahead of the curve, so give yourself a pat on the back for even thinking of this!

Try checking out the faculty pages on university websites. Find someone who is working on something that interests you and shoot them an introduction email, including your resume (including your relevant coursework and volunteer / work experiences). Ask if you could meet with them to learn more, or if they need help with something in their lab.

If your parents are able to support you (apartment, food, transportation, etc) maybe you could arrange a summer of research with someone at a university more distant from your home.

I don’t think you need to do an ‘official’ internship for this to be valuable. Just because a lab isn’t posting around signs like “we need help!” doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be interested in more help.

Good luck! I’m wishing the best for you.

 

[OfMiceAndWomen]

This won’t answer you question and probably isn’t what you’re looking for, but you absolutely don’t need research to get into a top undergrad. In fact, if you’re really stressed about finding research opportunities, I would recommend you enjoy your high school summers because you’ll be doing a lot of research for a really long time if you plan to go to this field. Once you’re in college, you won’t really get any free summers. And it’s much easier to get research opportunities as a college student, regardless of what school you go to.

This isn’t meant to discourage you away from doing research. Just that, if the opportunity isn’t feasible (it wasn’t for me, and I was still able to get into a great UG as someone interested in STEM), keep doing what you’ve been doing / like to do. Colleges love to see longitudinal interests and involvement. Community engangement and volunteering are always positive too.