I need your help!: Historical research opportunities for students?

Parents Forum
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<p>(Note: I am currently a senior in high school.)</p>

<p>Although I am not planning on majoring in History, I do enjoy the subject. I wrote my first "real" college research paper this summer at Harvard (on the subject of instances in which the United States utilized unilateralism versus multilateralism, and the results and implications). I slaved for two weeks on that paper - quite literally. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, typing away at the Science Center, solely fueled by Starbucks double shots. I burrowed deep within the stacks of Widener Library and dug up a large pile of books that was about my height. I wrote and revised, researched and did more research. In the end, I got an A+ on my 16 page paper and felt thoroughly exhausted but also very pleased. What is more surprising is how much I enjoyed the process--I learned so much through my research experience and really got to hone my research skills and paper writing skills in general.</p>

<p>So, my question to you is this: Are there any historical research opportunities available for high school seniors? I would like to do something interesting this summer, and I thought this would be a great way to spend it. And no, this is not for college applications/admissions because, as you've probably guessed, I've already sent in all my applications. It's strictly out of interest... I have heard of some others who have done something similar, so I was wondering if any of you parents knew anything about this. Thanks! :]</p>

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<p>does your school do National History Day (or could you convince them to)?</p>

<p>when I was a high school senior I volunteered with my local historical society, preparing a report about a local house they thought might have historic value but didn't know much about. I got to go to the registrar of deeds, look at census records in my town's archives, and interview the homeowner--very cool! Maybe your town has something similar, or some other project they'd like help with?</p>

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<p>Your local historical society or local museum might have internship programs. If you are near a college, try contacting profs there and see if they have openings for summer research assistants. They may not have the funds to pay you much (if anything!) but you might enjoy doing the research.</p>

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<p>In our country there are many interesting history museums with live interpreters who enact the community, village or historic times. Plimoth Plantation in SE Massachusetts, or Old Sturbridge Village in central Massachusetts come to mind.
Some large and famous places, such as Gettysburg PA or Williamsburg, VA must have huge research going on. </p>

<p>Perhaps if you google them up to see if there's an opportunity for you this summer. Surely their research teams are headed by PhD's but perhaps there are opportunities to assist on a concrete project assignment.</p>

<p>There are also state and national funding agencies that receive grants, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities. There's often a state-level department for historical matters as well; look up under Commonwealth of Masschusetts or the state in which you reside.. Perhaps there's an internship in the offices that review grants, where you might do some fact-checking on others' proposals. </p>

<p>If you can find the department that does work that interrests you, just email that person and describe your vision for how you might help, and end with "or any other way you might suggest I might participate as a volunteer researcher this summer..." so it's open-ended. They might have an idea you can't think of, so sound open. Do you have a resume to enclose with a letter? Offering free work is a real benefit to overworked people in any field.</p>

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<p>Is there a college near you? I'd approach the history department. You may find you can work as a volunteer research assistant with a professor or grad student. I know if a student like yourself approaching me with some experience and passion about my area of research, I'd be very interested in talking to him or her about it. Often one can usually tailor such working relationships to the RA's interest and abilities.</p>

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<p>There's a new popular activity called "Ghost Tours" with Hallowe'en tourist walks. In Providence, RI, an historian teamed up with an enterpreneur; thr historian did all the research of newspaper accounts, town records, police records, and more to describe actual murders and suicides at specific addresses in colonial-era houses that constitute today's tour. Google up Providence Ghost Tours, or other cities near you, to see if there's a research opportunity there! That's different, anyway :)</p>

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<p>You might also do a google search for the Concord Review, a publication devoted to publishing historical research done by high school studnets.</p>

<p>Also, do a google search for historical associations in your local area - they often welcome high school interns.</p>

<p>Finally, check into the month long history program for high schoolers at William & Mary University in Virginia. It's a great program, with lots of hands on opportunities. Here's the link: A</a> Summer Program in Early American History for High School Students | NIAHD</p>

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<p>When I was in high school I did library research for a friend of my parents who was writing a book--stuff like fact checking and newspaper microfilm reading. You might contact the history department at whatever local colleges you have and see if any professors need research done.</p>

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<p>Check out National</a> Institute of American History & Democracy | NIAHD</p>

<p>You would still be eligible for the pre-collegiate program, or might want to look at the college-level offerings for the future.</p>

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<p>Any presidents' homes or national historic sites in your area?</p>

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<p>Wow, this is exactly why I came to the Parents forum to ask my question. Such helpful comments! :] Here are my replies..</p>

<p>@stacy: I have never heard of National History Day, but thank you for telling me about it! I made a few contacts to see if I could start one at my school. It looks very interesting.</p>

<p>@marite: I'm not really intersted in being paid (hey, although that would be great!), so I think something with a professor or local museum might be great. Thanks for the idea!</p>

<p>@paying3tuitions: Those are some really neat ideas. I will definitely look into the National Endowment for the Humanities. I am planning on making a few contacts with a brief message like the one you suggested, but I like the idea of attaching a resume. I could make a concise resume and attach some of the research and writing I've done..that sounds like a great idea. Thank you!</p>

<p>@exploringMOM: There are a few community colleges in my area, and I think I'll contact their history departments like you suggested or look up professors. Thank you!</p>

<p>@paying3tuitions (again lol): Actually, our little town does have something similar during Halloween! It's a hayride / ghost tour with some historical anecdotes here and there. That would be quite an interesting opportunity hehe. Thanks for the idea.</p>

<p>@carolyn: I have heard of the Concord Review, but I didn't know they published high school work..that's awesome! Thanks. I also checked out the link you provided and I am very very interested..except perhaps it would be a little too far away for me. But still, I'll keeping my options open. Thank you!</p>

<p>@dmd77: Some other parents have suggested contacting local colleges, and I think that's what I'll do. Thank you!</p>

<p>@midwesterner: carolyn suggested the same thing, and I am very interested. It does not seem like the exact opportunity I was looking for but it still looks really cool. Thanks!</p>

<p>@lspf72: <em>sigh</em> Our town does frequently boast about being named after the Marquis de LaFayette because he visited way back when. We actually had a bicentennial celebration not too long ago... We do have some other minor historic sites, like a tavern which Benjamin Franklin stayed at and some really old Victorian houses...but nothing really major. It is something I will look into - thanks for the idea!</p>

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<p>Hm I'm an senior undergrad history major. I'm not sure about this yet. You don't want to be a history major but enjoy this research? I'd think again. Or at least really think about what is it about that process that you enjoyed. Is it just the finished project but not the subject context itself? If you found yourself asking questions all the time and going off the track a bit to find that answer and like doing random reading on a historical subject, then you should reconsider your academic interests. Otherwise, you'll have plenty of such "research" opportunities in college.</p>

<p>I will guarantee you that if you're seeking this route as to help a professor or a historian with their project it's going to make-or-break your interest in this. You need to be prepared to sit, I mean SIT, in front of the microfilm machine for at least 3-5 hours at a time, just trying to find that tiny answer. You're going to be pouring over issues of many different journals (Sometimes EBSCO and JSTOR can only over so much) to find that article or specific historian. You'll be getting up and down endlessly because you're looking in the footnotes section of books and articles and want to see those sources for yourself. I imagine those are some of the major tasks that professors will ask you to do because it's extremely boring after a while. I personally would much rather interview with people than to sit in front of the microfilm but until I can afford my own research assistants that I can trust, I'm going have to do the dirty work :)</p>

<p>Also because you're only in high school/college freshman without any significant history background, I'm not sure how seriously people will take you unless they've had high schoolers to work for them. Professors at universities will not want to have you because they'll expect a fair amount of knowledge of that specific field of history because when you do the dirty work for them, they're going have to trust you to be able to discern truth from falsehood when you read the primary sources. To do that, you need deep knowledge of that subject.</p>

<p>I was a lot like you in high school- very interested in history and involved. But I knew that in the back of my head that I wanted to be a history major. So I just read history books and what not in my senior year when my options of taking history ran out. </p>

<p>For now, I would just concentrate on picking up knowledge of history in an area that you're interested in and read as much as you can before approaching anyone about an opportunity that isn't made for high school students and college freshmen. Because when you meet these people, you need to be able to demonstrate your knowledge beyond the high school textbook. And of course, apply for any local museum internships- those are great places to start but most definitely will NOT be paid. (as I did for three internships at national museums)</p>