I sent 13 emails before I got the interview offer, but three others within that group would have given me a position had I asked earlier. I found a PI through this website(http://irp.nih.gov/), and clicked on ‘Principal Investigators’.
Wow @MarcoReus So are there still spots available in your goup? Would you mind PMing me…?
When you get rejected, how do you respond? I said something like “thanks, I completely understand” but idk if I should add something like “good luck with your research”
I don’t have the best extracurriculars… do I still have a chance if I write good emails? My resume is all nasa/computer science/cybersecurity stuff, but I really like biology.
Are you guys only emailing Intramural Investigators? Looking at past years, many investigators who accept interns are not in the Intramural database.
how do you find investigators not in the intramural database?
Hey guys! A PI just emailed me asking me to meet them at their lab to discuss things… What should I prepare/any advice? I would really appreciate any input. Thanks!
What if I received an offer from a PI but I also applied to other summer programs and will not know those results until March/April? Should I just accept the offer and withdraw later if needed?
@kazee123 I would ask the PI honestly, is it going to include technical questions??
@imbep49 I would maybe say that you can’t commit firmly due to family/transportation issues. What other programs are you applying to?
How’d you guys find a PI, I still dont have an offer :((
@imbep49 the only programs even worth considering over NIH SIP are TASP RSI and maybe SIMR
I accepted, knowing fully that my chances of getting into any of those were slim (I only applied for RSI and TASP-WL For both)
What programs are you waiting for?
How did everyone find a PI??? Only one person has responded to my emails lol
I emailed like 250 PIs (I know, ridiculous right) and got a bunch of “I’ll get back to you during March/April”, so I kept emailing and finally one person asked to meet them in their lab (I’m meeting the PI tomorrow, so nervous!). Good luck with your search, don’t give up!
@OneMata does doing NIH SIP look good on college applications? Do you think doing this is something that is very helpful for getting into an ivy? I’ve emailed over 100 PI’s and have gotten 1 yes so far - but I am just curious if this is helpful for college admissions.
^^ The answer to this often asked question is that for virtually all internships and summer programs, it depends more on what you actually achieve at the program than the name of the program itself (with the obvious exception of RSI and possibly SSP and TASP although I have seen rejections at top schools by attendees of all three). Attend NIH SIP if you think you will enjoy and thrive doing it and be prepared to work incredibly hard. Don’t go if your primary motivation is that you think it will “look good”. You may easily be disappointed come application time if you do. Good luck!
@OneMata Hey how long did the PI’s take to email you back? I emailed like 5 two weeks ago and I am wondering if i should still hope for a reply or move on…
Hello,
Here is something i noticed with my son applying to this. I am sharing hoping it will be useful for others based on my observations.
He did lot of research on the PI’s and picked 4 that he really wanted to work with. He started applying during Thanksgiving break. He read a lot about the PI’s and watched all their presentations and more importantly their research papers. He got positive responses but no offers. So he started expanding to email other PI’s too. In the end after holidays, he got an offer from the original four he short listed. He is still waiting for the paper work.
Out of the four PI’s some took longer to respond. The PI that made him offer responded after 6 weeks.
I felt, spending the time on understanding the work of the PI’s was instrumental in communicating and also the interviews. I agree with one of the authors earlier, quality over quantity. That has been his experience.
In the end the whole process took a lot of time. He is very much looking forward for summer.
Hope this helps others.
Does anyone know how phone interviews work?
That depends on the PI i believe. One conducted it through skype and others via Google hangout. Mostly they spend the time asking him about his background and provided more insight into the kind of research they are currently doing.
Is it too late to start emailing PIs?