<p>Hi,
I wanted to get an NIH internship over the summer; however, it states that you must be 16+ at the time of the internship, which means that I'll have to wait until junior-to-senior summer to get that internship because I have a "late" birthday. Do any of you know whether or not they are willing to make exceptions for this? I'm only a month away from 16 (by the time the internship will start).
thanks :)</p>
<p><em>bump</em>.......</p>
<p>does anybody know?</p>
<p>When I was looking for a job last summer, there were many places that wanted to hire me, but when they looked closely and saw that I was 15, they didn't hire me. The companies (Jamba Juice, the YMCA, McDonalds...) all have insurances that cover employees 16 yrs old+. 15 year olds arn't covered. I don't know about the NIH, but it is probably the same. You should call them to know for sure</p>
<p>You may also ask your question on-line directly to NIH here:</p>
<p>btw, does anybody know if u can get an internship near your home, or do u have to go to maryland?</p>
<p>Do they offer housing?</p>
<p>no they dont offer housing unless you are accepted by a special program for ppl from disadvantaged backgrounds (low-income type) </p>
<p>Basically, I would say unless you have good connections in NIH, they probably won't use someone who's only 15. I think it's pretty competitive to get into NIH as a high school student, and being too young certainly won't do you any good.</p>
<p>However, if you are willing to work as a volunteer, some PI's probably will use you? I don't know but if you don't care about the money, try to mention that in your e-mail and it would be soooo much easier to get in that way.</p>
<p>Yeah, age restrictions are pretty annoying sometimes. I've got a late birthday and skipped a grade, so a lot of things are off limits to me. However, you can definitely ask around: private companies, research labs, university labs, etc. Call as many places as you can: the worst they can say is no. :D Ask your parents if they know anyone who works at a place you're interested in, see if any of your friends' parents work somewhere cool?</p>
<p>They are VERY strict about birthdays. We know someone who turned 16 in May and had been offered a position in Feb. to start in June, and NIH would not let that person even fill out the paperwork until after the actual birthday. A lot of it has to do with security clearances, access to labs, etc.</p>
<p>If you are in the DC area, SEAP has some science/engineering internship opportunities for kids <16 (they do have some things outside the ares, too, now that I think of it). DS1 was offered a position as a 15 yo last year, and was considered for a second position until they learned he wasn't 16 yet.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gwseap.net/%5B/url%5D">http://www.gwseap.net/</a></p>