<p>Hello, I visited Caltech recently and they said I would need to demonstrate a consistent interest in science. In middle school I participated in science bowl, model solar car, model hydrogen car, and math counts clubs. During my freshman year in high school I mainly read books on chemistry and physics (I wish to major in physics) due to my high school having no math or science clubs whatsoever. In the second to last month of school I managed to convince some other students to start a science bowl team with me and we are currently practicing for our sophomore year (missed freshman deadline). My problem is that for my freshman year no competitions or science related activities will be recorded save the founding of the science club. Will this hurt my chances of getting in? Are there other ways of showing an interest in science that don't require school support? My teacher sponsor will only allow 30 minutes of official practice a week and its doubtful I could convince another teacher to start another science related club. I have read a lot of books but I'm not sure how I could show that on an application.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars outside of your school are a great way to show your interest in science. I’ve volunteered at two local science museums, and secured a research internship at a university hospital – scientific organizations outside of your school will likely need help, and if you demonstrate a profound drive/interest, and they have a spot open, you definitely have a shot at getting in. And your essays are usually a better way to convey drive in a subject rather than activities on paper … of course, it helps to have the ECs to back up and build your essay!</p>
<p>Best of luck to you :D</p>
<p>I don’t really consider much about school Extracurriculars, though what you are doing, you should keep up at. </p>
<p>My drive is computer science, specifically app development and open source development. As I enter junior year with a computer science class, I’m already aware that the class will be a joke. Therefore, I’m involving myself with bigger projects. There is much to gain outside of school.</p>
<p>Thank you guys! Earlier this year I emailed some professors at a nearby college asking them if wanted help with anything but none responded (probably due to having grad students). Where do you recommend looking volunteer opportunities? The only science museum near home for me only offers volunteer opportunities in paleontology, when I would prefer to do something more physics are chemistry related. Also, where did you learn programming? I took a week course from ID tech camps and can code console applications in c++ and Java but am not sure where to go from there. And for next summer, where do you look for internships? I managed to find 2 at Fermilab (I’d have to stay with some family friends) but not much else by using google.</p>
<p>Yep, it’s very tough to get into local universities. I must’ve emailed about 10-15 professors, and I managed to get about two or three responses, one of which was an offer to work with a postdoc on their project. I was amazed just to get responses much less an offer. Of course, it may be much more difficult to get to work in a chemistry/physics lab – mine was in Molecular Bio – so my word may not be as good as someone who does have experience in those types of labs. </p>
<p>If you’re still interested in searching for internships, I’d look through programs since you’ve had little luck with direct emails. Programs practically guarantee that there are positions, but those programs can be highly competitive, and the internships may be limited in scope. If you have any science teachers at your school that are well-versed in the field of scholarly research (some of them should be), you may consider asking them for sources or possible avenues of work in your area. If all else fails, you can see if you can get an internship through connections through your parents, friends, community, etc.</p>
<p>As for volunteering, yeah, I can understand not wanting to volunteer in a paleontology museum. I’d try and look for any sort of place that specializes in Chemistry or Physics and poke around and see if they have any volunteer positions. That may not be an option if you’re in a smaller town, and you’ll just have to settle. Again, this is where you should try to talk to people who are in the science crowd to see if they have any ideas of local outlets. There may be volunteer programs that you haven’t heard about yet.</p>
<p>However, there is likely a place that could use your help. I wouldn’t get discouraged if your first few attempts don’t pan out…there’s usually another place to try. Failures followed by success could even make a great college essay! :)</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Working as a research intern in a university science lab during your high school summer vacations is a great way to demonstrate a passion for science as well as a wonderful experience in its own right. Our S, who is an entering frosh at Caltech, is now in his third summer interning in a chemistry lab at Georgetown University. He even ended up getting listed as a co-author on a paper based on the lab’s current research that recently appeared in the prestigious Angewandte Chemie journal. He got the position originally by sending an email expressing interest in doing an internship to every chemistry professor in the department. Three responded and each of them ended up offering him a position following an interview. The fact that he went to TJ and got a strong recommendation from his AP Chem teacher certainly helped. Whether true or not we ended up with the impression that many chemistry professors might welcome gifted interested high school students into their labs. Why, after all, should Georgetown be unique? Our sense is that the internship played an important role in S getting into Caltech. And he enjoyed it so much he is doing it again this summer.</p>
<p>Thank you very much! Is there anything you recommend doing during the school year? Will an offer to volunteer on weekends be considered? I wouldn’t be able to volunteer on weekdays due to tutoring, science club, and cross country. Also, how soon should I contact professors about summer internships? Is it bad to ask about next summer already?</p>
<p>As far as weekend work is concerned, I don’t know. During the summer S only works during the week, although others on his team do go in on weekends. You would have to check but my guess is that it would be harder to get started working on weekends due to the intermittent nature of the work. S sent out his emails for the summer in the early spring. Professors should have a better idea by then of what their summer needs may be.</p>