2019 Summer Student here… happy to answer any questions or give advice if needed.
I applied last year and got denied… Any advice on what to tackle/strategies for the essays?
Also, which location were you at?
I was at the Bar Harbor location. I’d recommend writing about something that you’re truly passionate about and not just rewrite your resume. If you look at the website and all of the materials for the program, they don’t seem to really want kids who are just going to work the whole summer and aren’t true to themselves. They seem to want people with a true passion for science and the world in general and who are going to take advantage of the unique opportunities of living next to Acadia all summer (in my case). Also some of it is just based on the individual needs of the various labs. From what I gathered, they go through a preliminary weeding out of applicants and then they sort of shop you around to various labs. Not sure how accurately that reflects the admissions process but it seems to be quite close. I didn’t get any of the labs I applied for because they either weren’t looking for a summer student or had already taken one. Also, certain labs are more open to taking on students and you can sort of tell based on PI. For instance, my PI’s CV mentioned several college and graduate students they’d mentored over the years, hence maybe why they took two of us last summer.
Ah, thanks!
Also, how exactly did you tackle the “Provide an example of a challenge you have had to face” question? (i.e. did you write about a personal challenge/struggle, or something more in the context of work/a related experience?)
I did sort of a mix. I related a personal challenge that I’ve had (medical related) to why I want to go into research. Either personal or work related would work, but I felt that mixing them would demonstrate that science and my personal life are interconnected and that I truly have the passion for research that they seem to be looking for in students. Of course, you could do something different and it would be fine.
Thank you for the insight! Finally, did they happen to tell you guys how many people applied for how many spots? (I ask bc I just want to get more info on competativeness and my last research internship told us during orientation)
They didn’t say during the program that I remember but it lists the data here: https://www.jax.org/education-and-learning/high-school-students-and-undergraduates/learn-earn-and-explore/quick-facts
I also heard (and I don’t know how true this is) that they usually get more high school applicants than they do undergrad ones.
Cool, thanks for everything!
Got rejected last year, but didn’t hear back until very late which is a good sign according to what I’ve read on here. Any tips on how to improve my chances of being offered a spot in a lab this year?
I don’t know if it’s necessarily a good sign or not. Based off of what I know of their admissions process, it could mean a couple of different things. If it is a good sign, then you’re probably quite qualified for the program, but there might not have been a lab that was able to take you. Like I said above, some of it is just chance based on what the labs need or want that year. Likely what they wanted/needed last year is going to be different this year. My best advice I guess would be to do some research into labs that you think might be willing to take a summer student (size of the lab, PI’s history of being a mentor, etc). Also I think what I found to be really important is showing that you’re truly passionate and curious about research. Make it personal.
I’m currently a high school junior and I’m looking at the stats from last year and they don’t look too good for juniors (3 accepted). Also, there’s a side note saying that in 2020 they’ll have a bias for seniors, so do you think this means that there will be virtually no juniors accepted? I’m trying to decide if the application is worth my time or if it’s a lost cause
Any tips for the application process?
@gettingthere812 I’m not sure what their plan is for this year. I don’t think it’s not worth your time though. It’s hard to get in no matter what and a lot of it is just need based. I’d say apply and see what happens. It won’t hurt if you do and you might regret it if you don’t.
@Srzxyz I posted some tips earlier on this thread but really stressing that you have a strong passion for science, learning, and discovery. Also just a general tip for any application is to look on their website for the things that they’re looking for and terminology that they use and try to work some of that into your own application without making it seem too obvious. If you have a specific question, I’d be happy to answer.
Hey. I’m applying as a junior this year and I just had a couple of questions: Has anyone on this thread gotten in as a junior and if so what do you think made you stand out? How long did you put into the writing potion of your application? And, who do you suggest getting recommendations from?
@16072503 I’m assuming that you mean junior in high school and not college. I was one of three they took last year. In my application, I related the research that I wanted to (and was able to) do at JAX to personal experiences and I think that made me stand out. A couple of the other summer students from last year I know did something similar. I can’t remember what the min and max was for the writing portions but whenever I apply for something I try to be a bit above the average of the min and max. So if they ask for between 1,500-3,000 characters, I’ll write around 2,300 or so. As for recommendations, I got one from my physics teacher and one from my chemistry teacher.
What’s this program like compared to other options?
I’m a high school junior and I’ve haven’t done research before. Other than really good grades I don’t have any accomplishments in science other than being a semi finalist in the bio Olympiad. I have really good recommendations as well. Do I have any chance of getting in if my essays are really good?
I was a 2018 JAX summer student at the Farmington, CT location and in my acceptance letter they mentioned that over/almost 1000 people applied to both locations combined.
Hey jnal1212, if you don’t mind me asking, when did you recieve your acceptance?