<p>Hey guys. First post here so bear with me. As internship season for high school students rolls around, I find myself falling into the normal trap with questions like "Am I good enough?" and "Should I even bother with a 95% chance of rejection?" A bit about me. I'm a high school junior at an extremely competitive school with a 3.92 GPA, 2290 SAT, few officer positions here and there, ZILCH research experience, etc... BUT, the internships I'm applying to are known to be RIDICULOUSLY populated with people with the most buffed up stats on the planet. A few examples would be, City of Hope, Lillehei Heart Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, NIH, and J. Craig Venter.
I feel as if I haven't picked (or rather found) any alternatives that don't have an overwhelming chance of rejection. As it stands right now, I have a good chance of being rejected from all of the internships I'm applying to. Would it be a good idea to maybe find (or if anybody could recommend anything) some more realistic options, or perhaps even scrap the options I've listed above? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should worry too much about any one particular component of your application (e.g., experience, grades, extracurriculars) because the application process is most likely holistic. However, since they ARE highly competitive, you should be fearful that you might get rejected. Just don’t worry or become anxious. I don’t see any reason to ditch your current options just because they are competitive. Use the fact that they are competitive to make yourself better.</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d simply apply to as many as I could to back up in the case of rejection. Find some that are less competitive, or find other opportunities to do this summer (I’m assuming those are summer internships). But, honestly, everything is way too random to say anything for sure. When I was in high school, I once applied for a research internship two years in a row, and was rejected both years while my friends got in. after I was rejected the first year, it was devastating for me, of course, because I had no back up plan for the summer, and I struggled to find some sort of substitute for the research (i.e., I tried looking up ways to do theoretical research online and do theoretical research, but it was too difficult for me to guide myself). However, after I was rejected the second year, they offered me a back-up research camp opportunity, and I ended up enjoying that.</p>
<p>What type of research are you interested in? Physics? Biology? From your examples, I’d guess medicine? Are you into theoretical stuff or experimental? If you honestly have no idea, that’s fine.</p>
<p>Experimental stuff is up my alley. I do have a (what I hope is) strong back up plan or two.
- Recently, I went to Peru for a trip in the wilderness and I’m considering going back for a volunteer service project.
- I have a job as a piano teacher, and I could pursue that full time during the summer.</p>
<p>Backup Opportunity:</p>
<p>SSTP program at the University of Florida. I’m fairly certain you would be accepted here. You’ll spend most days working in a lab (you’ll be matched with based on your interests) and you’ll also take an evening course.</p>
<p>For some students the lab is a great experience, for others its so-so. Much of it depends on how prepared a lab is to teach and have something a high school student is capable of doing.
In general at SSTP, the life sciences (Bio, Chem) have been better than the physical sciences (Phys) at doing this.</p>
<p>[Student</a> Science Training Program » Center for Precollegiate Education and Training » University of Florida](<a href=“http://www.cpet.ufl.edu/students/sstp/]Student”>http://www.cpet.ufl.edu/students/sstp/)</p>
<p>UFs SSTP is a fantastic program. They take about 100 students, it has a 50+ year history, extremely fun and social, great bonding and weekend trips to theme parks and such, and many students are very successful with ISEF and STS etc. And they take students of varied backgrounds and qualifications to make the program more interesting. It is awesome!</p>
<p>Oh and you can get dual enrollment credit for the lab work and honors seminar. And most of the labs have been working with the program for many years and are very accustomed to having high school students. The labs have to already have research plans for the SSTP student prepared before they arrive. It’s a great experience.</p>