Hey guys! I’m currently a sophomore but I would love any advice… I’m trying to find any/all science related programs (ideally research), but I’m not sure where to apply/where I could get in. Thought I’d come to cc to ask as there are so many awesome people on here!
Here are some of my stats!
GPA/Rigor
private school. Asian, father is an immigrant (although my mother was born here)
No class rank, no official gpa, but calculated gpa W 4.17 (only possible to take 1 AP sophomore year. expecting to take bio, world, chem, eng, french, math next yr.)
Extracurriculars
CEO of startup, tied into climate change initiative (big company)
Varsity field hockey team (starter since freshman year)
Science club, cohead
AIME qualifier, AMC 10 national honor roll (highest score in the school)
school wide poetry class (application required)
won Scholastic art and writing gold medal in poetry
Interned with artist JR- helped make mural now at Brooklyn museum
School chorus and audition only singing group
Active actor and model, highly paid- >20k a year
national campaigns (print and commercial), walked in runway shows for ralph lauren, petiteparade, swarovski, cynthia rowley, saks fifth ave, etc (LOTS more). actor- sesame street, dora, cast in matilda on broadway
Research experience
Looking to get an internship at CSHL this summer, in final phase (interviews- lab head is trying to connect me with a researcher)
Take college classes at Columbia- currently taking immunology and genetics
CTY JHU two years, intensive studies
Internship last summer at genetics testing company, worked in gene sequencing and IVF testing lab
Internship year round at Memorial sloan kettering hospital
I’m currently looking into MSKCC HOPP and Rockefeller SSRP, but it’s been hard to find any other programs that will accept rising juniors. Hoping y’all have some in mind that could work! Thank you so much guys- I really really appreciate it. Would love any and all help/advice!
First: Find what “science” you are interested in. For me that was neurology/Alzheimer’s.
Second: Research opportunities and ask people you know like residents, medical school students, and the like if they know a good place to start.
Third: Contact professors. They get a ton of emails and are NOT looking to waste their time on a student who just wants to “stat-pad” resumes. Show that you are willing to dedicate a long time on this research.
Also, a disclaimer, that real “research” doesn’t happen in a week or two or by visiting a few hours every week. Even as a volunteer researcher, I’m expected to spend at least 15 hours at the lab, and three days consecutively.
This may be a contested statement, but imo those summer “internships” that you have to pay for aren’t really worth it because it isn’t “real” - merely a simulated experience for high school kids.
First of all, not all paid internships are merely simulated experiences. I attended SSTP (Secondary Student Training Program at University of Iowa) last summer as a rising junior and loved it. My mentor was amazing and I learned a lot about cell culture techniques and had a great poster to present at the end of the program. I actually plan to go back to Iowa this summer as a rising senior and continue working in her lab.
For paid internships, it does depend on which mentor you get and whether you are planning on being committed and actually putting in time and effort into your project. Some people learned very little while others learned a lot, but if you are committed to your work you can get a lot done.
The research programs I applied to as a rising junior were SSTP at the University of Iowa and SSP (multiple locations, super competitive for rising juniors though since they don’t take many). I also applied to a few other non-research, mostly medicine-related, programs.
I also found out later about HOPP, UMass Amherst’s research program, and Tufts’s Pre-College Research Experience. Summer@Brown also has a few course-based research experience classes, which have an extra application, some of which involve designing your own research project. Hope that helps.