I'm desperate. I NEED to do something this summer (post-junior year) that will help my application

I’ve applied to at least three highly competitive programs and have gotten rejected all of them. I really want to do something that will enrich my experience as a student working towards the medical field. For reference, I’m interested in biomedical engineering and dermatology. I’ll take a CNA class next year in the spring through my high school. I plan on volunteering at my local hospital every chance I get.

Basically, I’m running out of options and time and I need suggestions. Please help.

Create your own project or research. Seriously. You do not need to be part of an established program. Make your own.

Is there a problem you’d like to solve or a question you’re interested in? Start there…

Once I decide on a problem/topic, how would I go about it? I have no experience in research projects and I’d LOVE to do one!!

Start where you’d start with any problem - define it and start to research it. And yes, it will sound a little silly to be researching how to do research, but that’s what you might have to do.

I’m throwing this out there because we live in an area that doesn’t have any universities or places where research is generally done. So my son created his own projects and did his own research. Was it the exact same type of research as he might have done if he’d gone to a formal, competitive program? Nope. But it showed he was a really curious, self-starting person who would explore advanced concepts on his own and colleges and employers seemed to really dig it.

Honestly, it’s OK to JUST GET A JOB. Colleges respect working. Millions of students do and get into good schools and eventually medical programs.

The job is a great idea, too. My son did both. His first job had nothing to do with his interests or projects but it was a good experience for him. His second job is very much related to his interests and projects, but I don’t think he would have had a prayer of getting hired for that second job if he hadn’t had the experience from the first job and the research/projects. The second job is one of those impressive ones that even people with college degrees fight to get, so was fantastic for him to have as a HS student. The LOR from his second job was also IMO a key reason he got into top schools. In other words, once you start being self-motivated and doing work above and beyond what people expect, things can snowball and benefits keep growing.

Yes, get a job! Any job! All schools respect motivation and hard work. A kid we know who went to Stanford had a summer job at a zoo, shoveling poo. You do not need to do research at 16 years of age to get into medical school!

@milee30 's idea of the research project is a great one. If you have less time to devote then get a job in the medical field or volunteer shadow a dermatologist. Gain some insight to show that you are really interested. Good luck

I suggest to look for a volunteering position preferably one that offers many hours and has to do directly with people. Not only you will be helping your community, you will also gain valuable skills in working with teams and people. Volunteering is never a waste and it can help you with health field majors and with scholarships. Do some googling and ask around. It does not have to have a “fancy” title or sound medically related. Any close work with people will be beneficial. Some times those positions are not advertised. You might need to pick the phone and ask if they need anyone to help during the summer. Try community centers, nursing homes, recreation programs for people with special needs, crisis centers, local churches known for community service, city sponsored summer camps etc etc. Unless you live in an extremely remote area you will find something for sure.

I absolutely agree with all who said get a job - one of my friend who got into Harvard this year had a summer job at a local restaurant waitering. However, just to provide more options, you can also look around at college labs that conduct researches similar to your field of interest, and email the person in charge (their emails are usually public info on the school websites if you search for it). Yes, it might be a bit too late to start contacting them, but you can always give it a shot.

You can be successfully pre-med at many, many colleges. So doing something as a junior in HS toward med school isn’t really necessary.

You can do anything this summer. Just do something. Getting a job at a fast food place, retail store, as a camp counselor etc. will be a positive in your application. You can volunteer somewhere if you prefer (a community service group, hospital, library etc.). Just don’t sit around doing nothing.

You don’t need to get medical related experience as a HS student.