I am trying to find a research internship before college, suggestions?
I am a sophomore in high school who is interested in science. I really want to participate in a research internship sometime before college (summer before senior year, maybe?). I really want to get the experience, and think that it will look really good on my college application, but I am struggling to find one that would work for me. Out of the ones I’ve found, many are VERY expensive (thousands of dollars for only a few weeks), and the ones that aren’t are either extremely competitive or targeted towards other demographics (I am a white man). Many of the ones I’ve found look for previous experience in research. Where is a good place to start out? Is there something I can do that is both affordable and relatively easy to get into with no prior research experience? Does anyone have any programs that they would recommend?
Again, I am a sophomore, so I still have time to improve my application to get into the more competitive, merit-based internships. I am mainly looking for pointers to help get me started.
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2 answers
I was in the same spot during my sophomore year and honestly it may be a bit difficult to get a research internship w/o connections until your junior year. However, it never hurts to look up universities and research centers in your area and see if they have applications for high school interns. If you don't, you can email researchers/professors directly w/ your cover letter and/or resume attached. Be sure to tell them why you're interested in working w/ them and stress the importance of their work. Many people get lucky and find wonderful research opportunities and lifelong mentors that way!
I looked for research opportunities by emailing researchers from universities. I would suggest looking under the faculty members and looking at the work they do, such as their research interests. I also recommend reading their publications because that will give you a better insight at their work. This will help you choose a researcher that shares your interests. You can them email them, give them a brief description of who you are (name, high school, grade), and ask if they are looking for a high school research intern.
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