<p>As a sophomore in high school, which of the following would be the more viable option? Attempt to sign up for a summer science program that is designated for high school students interested in research? or Email/ contact local professors hoping they will allow you to assist them on their ongoing research? What would be the benefits and disadvantages of both? Also from which of the two would I learn more from? Thanks =]</p>
<p>I can’t really speak to a summer program as I’m just applying to my first one(MITES '11 future alum I hope). But I did an internship my sophomore year. It can take a long time to find a professor to take you on, I had to email about 20 before 1 contacted me. A good side to it is that it shows that you taking initiative to learn something new. Make sure you are interested in the topic because it you will be devoting a lot of time and energy to the research. PM me if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>Try both. Then you’ll have a backup. However, I would definitely recommend a program with other students; you get more of a college experience and it’s more social!</p>
<p>Actually after looking around a bit, I found that it is a bit too late to sign up for most summer programs. So I will probably just stick to emailing professors. Just asking though if I were to email professors how exactly would the email be formatted?</p>