<p>I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, or if this is too late, but how would I go about looking for a research internship? Math and science interest me, and I'm probably going into an engineering field, so how would I find a place to intern? I've looked around the what are my chances forums and almost everyone has done some lab research or something like that. Where would I go and who would I contact?</p>
<p>I am not an expert on research internships as my interests are concentrated in the humanities, but from what I am aware of, because it is too late to apply to set research internship programs, you will have to do a bit of searching on your own. It is already very late so get out those emails as soon as you can but you should spend a good 2-5 hours creating your message and then sending it out to as many people as you can. Essentially, look to nearby universities, local colleges, hospitals, and if you are lucky, research labs themselves. Many hospitals have labs open during the summer and people working in them. Go onto the websites and look under departments, contact information etc. If you target departments specifically, you will yield better results- for example, the head of neurology or OBGYN or something. Send individual doctors and surgeons emails and some will respond back- many will say no but you might a lucky few who will direct you to the lab and have you fill out paperwork. The key is to have a hook- you have to craft a personal( perhaps sentimental) letter that speaks for you- let it express why you want to do research, what you are passionate about, hardships you may have faced, obstacles,etc. Attach a resume with a cover letter for their perusal and say that references and transcripts are available upon request. But you have to indicate that despite being a high school student, you are an academically motivated or high achieving student- make that clear in your resume at the top( GPA, class rank- if available, contact information,etc.). Basically, you're applying on the whim to things you don't even know exsist or will work out for you but there are doctors who will come home and read a very passionate letter from an obviously iniative taking student and they may take pity. Before I realized I totally did not belong in the science world, I did this and on my first try, I got a response from a doctor who said I could observe and work in the lab with a summer graduate student. It's all about taking iniative and creating those opportunities for yourself if they are not readily apparant. It also makes for a much more compelling story, don't you think?</p>
<p>thanks for the detailed response, I still have a few more summers ahead of me to do this, but is that really the only way? From the amount of people on CC that have done research interns, I thought it would be a lot more straightforward than taking chances with every lab and scientist in the area</p>
<p>You should try asking around- pm other CCer's who are science/math junkies. But, from what I know, most of them get their research done through summer programs- RSI, SSP, HSHSP( or however the acronyms for that one goes), CCIS,etc. There are TONS AND TONS of research oriented summer programs- many, many labs offer programs to high school students. Unfortunately for you, it's a bit too late this summer. Many of those programs release their applications in November or October and deadlines are in January, February. The best thing about doing research with a program is that it really sets things forth for you- it outlines projects, goals, objectives and how to achieve that through assistance,etc. Many programs offer additional workshops and offer other opportunities like writing an abstract/a powerpoint presentation and then submitting it to research journals or advancing forth to competitions like Intel or Siemens,etc. If you do decide to the innovative, on your own approach, you have to be very dedicated, self-motivated, think like a scientist, already possess the skills, finesse, and independent work-mode as well as have a very firm idea of what you want to research. It seems that you are not of that lesion- very, very few are. You would be best of applying next year for a program so you can get your feet on the ground. I would suggest doing something else worthwhile with your time this summer- related to your interests.</p>