<p>Hey everyone here,
I'm a lurker, so I don't post much, but I do read this forum a lot. </p>
<p>I'm a freshman at a competitive high school that sends kids to top colleges yearly.
I was considering doing some summer programs, but it seems like most of them are money spinners, especially the ones for rising sophomores.</p>
<p>Someone suggested to me that I email professors and shadow/volunteer/intern at someone's lab this summer, and get experience. Then, next summer, I can start doing actual research.</p>
<p>As of now, I'm taking
Algebra II/Trig H, Bio H, Chem H, French II H, English (no H), and SS (no H).</p>
<p>Do you guys have any suggestions on how to do this? Anyone who's done this before?</p>
<p>I want to do something that won't cost much and still be productive. </p>
<p>If you want to get started in a lab, emailing professors may help but asking your friends (if they have parents who are professors) or family might be a better start because professors are busy people and are less inclined to take in a student - especially a high school one - that they hardly know. What kind of research are you interested in doing, and more importantly, why? Is there an end goal or do you just want to work in a lab?</p>
<p>H stands for honors.
To be honest, most of the kids in my area are pretty competitive, and I doubt how helpful theyd be .if their parents have a lab, I doubt that they would ask their parents to help. I want to do research in molecular biology, and my school has a pretty good internship program (a lot of very successful kids have done it), but Ive been advised to wait until sophomore year or later
I live in a city with quite a few major colleges, with one having a huge medical school. I understand that they dont know me well, so I was hoping I could put my email writing skills to some use. My mom is applying for a PhD to one of the schools, and she knows some people from my temple who are professors there, so I guess I can try and talk to them.
Again though, its a competitive area.
For end goals, I want to be accomplished enough in lab techniques and whatnot so I can work on my own project the summer after sophomore year, and then, the summer after junior year, theres an excellent program at a science center in a near by city which is a formal internship over the summer. I was hoping I could finalize it there and write a paper.</p>