<p>Has anyone had a high school grad who wants to go into research (Biochemistry) find a summer before college internship? We live in a huge medical city (Houston) and my google searching and reaching out to her high school teachers in the field have not turned up options. The teachers say the grants given usually specify who may work on projects and non-college kids do not fit the bill.</p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone has had this issue and was thinking maybe once she has committed to her college, they might be of assistance? Any other ideas? Her chosen path is something I know nothing about.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about finding a summer position, but when looking at colleges (if you haven’t yet made a choice), I would ask about availability of research positions to undergrads, beginning in freshman year or even the summer before freshman year. (Neither of Frazzled kids had the connections to find research opportunities in high school, but both chose schools that gave them this opportunity by the end of freshman year.) OIW, if you do not have the family connections to make the positions available, find a school that will provide these connections and not make your student wait until junior year or even later.</p>
<p>In the meantime, suggest that your student use part of the summer to work on skills that are not taught at their high school, but will enhance their usefulness when they do get a lab position in college. This could include math and programming skills that go beyond what is taught in high school classes, electronics, horticulture (look at organic farms for volunteer opportunities), even crafts (origami, woodworking skills), and could be done in structured programs or as unstructured hobbies. Even getting a head start on science pre-req chains could be helpful.</p>
<p>Suggest that your D make some phone calls and/or emails. Have her contact some researchers, introduce herself and say that she’s looking for an opportunity to work in a lab this summer, and might they have any opportunities for an eager hardworking biochem major who’s just looking for experience not pay. If they don’t have anything, they might be able to make some suggestions.</p>
<p>You might also have her contact the biochem dept. at Rice and see if they have any suggestions. If she knows where she’s headed next fall, have her contact people in the biochem/bio dept at her school and ask if they have any Houston contacts. </p>
<p>She should have a resume prepared, and should ask some teachers if they’d be willing to be her references.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, you can quietly work your family and friends network. Mention to people that your D is looking for something. If your best friend’s husband knows someone who takes on summer students, then there you go. You hand the name over to your D, and let her take it from there.</p>
<p>My husband has college students every summer as part of a formal program. He generally considers them more trouble than they are worth, but does it as a good deed. That goes double for high school students. That said, he did have a high school student who worked both during the school year and at least one summer. The student made an appointment with him and was very persuasive, it probably still wouldn’t have happened, but one of the post-docs in the lab offered to mentor him. I think he eventually was able to be reasonably helpful.</p>
<p>Personal connections help, but a kid who makes the effort to reach out to professors may get lucky.</p>
<p>You guys have great suggestions! This is her impatiently-waiting-on-decisions-to-come-in mother’s brain thinking of things to delve into to take my mind off the decisions!!! She actually has a high paying summer job in an unrelated field (returning to from last summer), but I was just thinking maybe she should give that up for a no-pay gig in her desired field to become more attractive for early research opportunities once in college.</p>
<p>The schools she has applied to are all small research or LAC’s and I think once in, she wouldn’t have to wait that long, but I was just “butting in” and looking around. I love the idea of her contacting the school she chooses once admitted and asking if they have any H-town connections or ideas - that is likely what she would (maybe) be willing to do since leaving the high paying job is tough for a kid and not sure how hard she would work to make that happen.</p>
<p>I am not sure about summer before college, but my S (a college junior majoring in MBBC) is working at Jackson Labs this summer in Maine. The program is by application and while that deadline has passed for this year, you might consider doing it next year. They take about 30 students overall for the summer and probably a few more since S’s gig came through his professor and all he really needed to submit was a recommendation, which was easily done.</p>
<p>It probably happens sometimes, but I honestly can’t imagine why someone would pay a highschool student to work in a lab. Even as a volunteer (my kids have done so, through our connections as faculty), but it is 90% the lab helping them, and the lab getting very little in return. They OWE the lab, not the reverse. It is great experience. But there is a ton of training involved.</p>
<p>that makes perfect sense starbright - guess I need to find something new to obsess on while waiting for the decisions to trickle in! (that one didn’t occupy very much of my time!)</p>
<p>Modadunn - D will end up back east for college, but believe she will spend her first summer back in H-town and the rest likely on her college campus doing research there. Maine sounds like a great opportunity if it would logistically be feasible.</p>
<p>The bolded quote is not true at all. Grants can specify how salaries are allocated, but someone could always work there for free. Getting paid is possible, but it makes you less attractive–especially if you haven’t taken any college classes yet. Just email profs and see if they are interested.</p>
<p>If you are really talking about the summer right before the first semester of college, I have no doubt that you could find a research position at the college you are going to.</p>
<p>My kids were busy every summer of their young lives. The summer after high school (8 short weeks) was for senior week at the beach, friends parties and doing anything they wanted until college started mid August. They were excited to go and recharged for the beginning of school. After this summers were REU’s and internships with no down time.</p>
<p>This summer will be a lot more chill than previous years for my D. The summer job she has does pay rather well for her age and most importantly, it is very flexible and has allowed her much time off for her national travel teams. With the recruiting process over, I expect she will not be playing this summer so I think she will work the same amount (sporadic) and relax with her friends more :)</p>
<p>BTW my nephew (who attended Rice) wrote to some professors during the summer before he started and one prof told him to stop by during orientation and he could get started then. He worked in that lab, ended up spending summers doing research in the DC area (including getting his name on what DH calls “The paper of the century”). So consider that too. I think it’s fine if she sticks with the high paying job this summer - lucky her! - but if she’s interested she can set the ball rolling this summer for research opportunities at her college.</p>
<p>Rice!!! D applied ED but sadly, didn’t get in. She is actually glad now b/c she will be going back east for school and realizes it’s best to broaden her horizons. I am fairly certain, with her choices, that she will be able to start doing research freshman year and did expect she would spend the summers doing research - probably first summer back here and the rest at her school. I will DEFINITELY encourage her to reach out this summer…great idea!!!</p>