<p>I also posted this in HSL, but i decided to post it here because you guys seem more likely to give responses. </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 kids have done this before?
I want to do something that won't cost much and still be productive. </p>
<p>Wish you luck, you sound very enterprising!</p>
<p>Another suggestion: is there a medical center nearby? The hospital lab I work at has a student intern type program for HS students. Each summer a few students join us and observe and participate (to their ability) in functions within the laboratory sections.
It is valuable experience for students contemplating a career in the sciences.
Perhaps you can contact the laboratory director or human resources dept at a hospital near you to see if they have a similar program.</p>
<p>I guess you can give it a shot. I’ve always wondered about those seniors who list 4 years of research… what did they do, get a research position after 8th grade? Sounds strange, unless of course the researcher was a family friend or neighbor.</p>
<p>^^
There is a major med center in my city, but the program that they seem to have appears to be directed mainly at minorities. I want to shadow in a lab this summer, and then somehow use/make connections so that I can really start doing my own project the coming year. By then, Ill have completed AP Bio, AP Physics, AP World (not all that helpful), and maybe AP Stat, as well as PreCalc. Im also considering taking CC courses over the summer, maybe on anatomy and physiology or just biochemistry so I will be more familiar with the topic.
Im just wondering: have any CC parents had experience with this? I know about formal summer programs, but Im looking into stuff that’s more flexible.</p>
<p>My husband is a professor at a med school. I know he has had a high school student working in the lab. Older than you though! This student wrote him and my husband met him and was somewhat reluctant, but one of his grad students was willing to be a mentor. I know the student came in after school and then spent more time in the summers. There was no question of connections. If you have connections, by all means start there. It’s often harder to say no to the son of a friend than a stranger! My oldest son, was interested in computer programming. My youngest brother agreed to have him in the office for a week just to see what it was like. He ended up being useful enough, that they paid him via a gift certificate. The following summer he got a real job there.</p>
<p>If you’re going to try this, make sure you research the professor first. Know what kind of research they do, and have a reason for wanting to work in their lab. Have a clue before you contact them, because if you don’t, the professor will know it immediately.</p>
<p>There’s really no upside to a professor allowing a high school student to do summer research in the lab. Most undergraduates who do research are a drain on time and resources, rather than an actual contributor to the research effort. And most undergraduates who get research positions already know the professor in some capacity before being accepted for research. So a high school student sending a cold e-mail is stepping up to the plate with a two-strike count already.</p>
<p>But I encourage you to try. Check the college web site and look for professors who have undergraduate researchers working in their labs. Look for professors who have demonstrated an interest in education (something beyond the one or two courses a year they are required to teach). And look for something that interests you personally, because nothing kills your research motivation faster than being stuck on a project you have absolutely no interest in.</p>