Hi everyone,
I am a high school junior, and am thinking of applying to internships that are free of charge, but do not provide any housing, transport, or food. However, these internships are not close to where I live, and two are even out of state. These internships range from a full month to 2.5.
On top of that, the internships highly recommend I take AP Biology and/or AP Chemistry, but I have merely been taking Honors Anatomy and Physiology and self-studying the two APs (it’s a very interactive web out there for these courses). This is because my school only allows each student to take only one science course, and HAP is more medically related (I want to be a dentist) and not as available online. I do plan to take the AP tests, but I still do not have any real credentials over my learning.
At first, the internships sounded really good: working alongside professionals and earning money on the side, in addition to phenomenal experience if I get in, but now I’m not so sure about whether it will be worth it. My dad questions my ability to survive because he believes I have been very sheltered throughout my life (and I quite agree; our city has a low crime rate and high morale). These programs do take place in large cities and encourage those who are accepted to ask for advice for housing and transport. However, my parents won’t be able to stay with me for very long, or not at all.
Would it be worth it to continue applying? Or should I abort the mission and try another way to find low-cost educational opportunities?
Thank you so much!
I forgot to also mention that these internships have relatively low rates of acceptance (as are many other “free” internships). I also have had no experience living on my own for such a long period of time. Just increases the risk level of trying to apply and work out these internships.
I just really don’t want to miss out on a good opportunity…
Are they paid internships? If not (or not enough), can you or your family pay for housing, transport, and food? If not, then you really can’t apply. Advice does no good if you can’t cover the expenses.
HS internships honestly aren’t very worthwhile in the college admissions process. You aren’t skilled enough to add much value, so you will pretty much be a gopher. Don’t glorify the idea of an “internship”.
@intparent Thank you for replying! The internships are all free programs without any housing, transport, or food. My family is willing to financially support my decision but are against it because it’s risky.
I’m so sorry that I glorified the “internship” name. It’s just what all of them tend to be called, an internship or a program. I do understand that the high schoolers they accept will be merely watching or doing minor work. They provide training programs and then time for high schoolers to try out independent research, of which some have been published for some nice money.
I am not doing the biomedical research 100% for college, but also for myself. A lot of people in the past have done these and they seemed worthwhile.
In your opinion, are the internships not worth it?
I don’t know what types of internships these would be. I know about NIH internships, but they come with a stipend to help cover expenses.
@intparent Oh, yes, several of the internships I am applying to have stipends as well.
The internships I am applying to all have the following in common: biomedical research, training, and independent research. Some have stipends (one is $4000 for example), and some do not.
There are internships where kids do more than observe. Some do have stipends. But when you have to luck into short term housing, that can be expensive. Plus you need it to be walking distance or on a transportation route, which complicates possibilities.
Sure, they can be good for college apps, but it depends on what. Why not something near home?
My kid applied for NIH internships one summer, but it was in the depths of the recession and there was little funding that summer – she did not get one. We would have let her live in DC for the summer in a sublet apartment near the metro, and maybe supplemented her stipend a bit if she got one. BUT, her older sister lived in DC at the time, and could help find an appropriate place to live and be available if something came up. She applied for Roswell and Lillehei as well, also did not make the cut there. I was kind of reluctant about Roswell, as housing is not provided and it is a long way from home (Lillehei was in our city, so no problem there). She ended up attending a 3 week engineering program (with housing, etc) at a college instead. She got into every college she applied to, including UChicago, Swarthmore, and Harvey Mudd. You really don’t need research to get into a good college – I wouldn’t die on that hill with your parents if they are very opposed to you living in another city this summer.
I agree that in the sciences “internships” can be more meaningful. That is less true in the business world for HS students, though.
If your parents are willing to help you make a go of it if you get one, go ahead and apply. But it feels late to me for this, have you already got apps in? Tell your dad that you can’t get less sheltered by staying home. 
But he needs to feel that you are safe, too, and I can understand that.
Just like with colleges, you need a backup plan if you don’t get into a program or internship that works for you. A lot of these are VERY competitive. My kid didn’t bother to apply to Jackson Labs, for example – it just seemed out of reach. My kid had a couple of not too expensive college programs in mind, and got into both. And one of those (along with quiz bowl camp and a MOOC) is what she ended up doing, and it worked out fine.
While in college, D1 applied for a Smithsonian internship and I heard you can sometimes sublet in the GW dorms. Her alternative would have been to commute in with my bff, an hour, at least. (And isolated, when not in the city.)
If these need courses you haven’t taken, chance are reduced. I really agree with intparent that you need a Plan B- and local opportunities, where you’re on the spot, are sometimes easier to wiggle into and you avoid the housing challenge. Getting past being sheltered doesn’t always need a distant location. The least of it is sleeping in you own bed and eating family food. You take on responsibilities of a different order, get yourself there every day and rise to the expectations. You don’t show up for one day a week, but make a fuller commitment.
@akazure, if you don’t mind saying, which internship programs are you considering?
Thank you everyone for the amazing advice! I’m really inexperienced with the internship process because it is my first time applying to them. The summer applications I am applying to all happen to have March deadlines, and only two applications are in so far.
@lookingforward Thinking of local opportunities, I recall that a friend has contacted a local college for research work as well, and that I can try applying for a job at a nearby dentist practice. Is this okay to pursue?
@intparent I wish I had posted earlier, because many programs’ admissions windows have already closed. I am not sure of what to do for Plan B except to try to find opportunities through applying for jobs/shadowing locally. May I please know which college programs she did for the summer? They seem very interesting!
@Lbelle43 I am considering the Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy, DiscoverGenomics, Einstein-Montefiore Summer High School Research Program, and Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Summer Volunteer Program. However, I may not consider the East Coast opportunities in the end because they are too far away from my home on the West Coast.