I’ve noticed that there are a lot of STEM internships for high schoolers but not a lot of humanities ones (history, for example). I’d love to do research for IR but I have not found an summer programs with universities, think tanks, etc. Would this be a time where students would have to cold-email professors to ask if they can tag along on their research projects or…? This, I assume, would be especially awkward for professors at schools in different cities that are maybe an 8 hour drive away.
Adcoms know it’s harder for hum kids. But instead of a research internship, you could be looking for a role with an advocacy group, even as a volunteer. Eg, for immigrant rights, health, or other issues. Best might be those where international situations affect urgency and you get some exposure to the international problems. Not directly IR, but background and a collateral experience.
I would really love to help them research, I’m especially interest in East Asian Studies. I agree that most professors would just use the students they already have, and that even if some professor far away did agree (which is HIGHLY unlikely), housing would be interesting…
Often, the value is in ‘activating’ now and doing the dream things later. You’re talking summer, what can you do in the interim? Just the research in your app won’t be a tip.