<p>Can you guys give me suggestions as to how I can make my summer fulfilling, I just finished my freshman year and as of right now I am taking a EMT class starting in June and holding a summer job. As for volunteer positions I am still looking around as to where I can volunteer, the local hospitals have volunteer programs in the summer, but they are unfulfilling and require an application months in advance. Therefore, I was wondering if you guys can offer me some advice. Are they places where I can just walk in and ask for a volunteer position? Also can you give me suggestions as to what I can do for the upcoming winter break. I saw you guys post about REUs and other possible internships, is there anything I can go for and such. Any help would be appreciated, please and thank you.</p>
<p>Did you look into any possible research positions at your school? My freshman son secured a two month medical research job for the summer through his university.</p>
<p>You can volunteer at other medical facilities–group homes, rehab hospitals, health clinics (Planned Parenthood, for example, or Healthcare For The Homeless). Call and ask if they have openings. You probably won’t be able to just walk-in as they usually require a orientation/training session first. </p>
<p>And yes, hospital volunteering–really any volunteering-- is likely to be unfulfilling at first–you have to pay your dues by doing a whole lot of boring stuff to prove your reliability and discretion before you get to any of the more interesting stuff. </p>
<p>Way, way too late to apply for REUs which have application deadlines in January. </p>
<p>The NSF has a searchable database of REUs.</p>
<p>[US</a> NSF - REU - Search for an REU Site](<a href=“http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm]US”>Search for an REU Site | NSF - National Science Foundation)</p>
<p>The Health Professions advising office at your college will have a list of other summer programs.</p>
<p>Anything that you can get into, any job (including babysitting), volunteering, internship. If nothing is available in your area, just relax, spend time with friends, wake up in afternoon, go abroad, enjoy your free summer, you will not have them after you graduate.
D. was forced to do everything during school year at her college, which actually worked out very nicely at the end, great connections, relationships, LOR’s, various awards and recognitions at graduation. Absolutely nothing was available in our hometown, she had tried very very hard and was able to get a bit of volunteering. She mostly spent her summers with her HS friends, something to keep in heart for the rest of your life.<br>
In regard to walking in, waste of time. Go to internet and contact every single place that possibly might have some volunteering, apply to 30+ jobs (this one is too late, should have asked parents to collect applications and send them long time ago), spend days doing it and maybe you will get something. That was my D’s way, she did not get much though for her summers. She traveled abroad to couple places though. But that was organized well before summer.</p>
<p>kdog-My school did offer that, but I realized about it way too late I think, I am pretty sure thats what I will be doing next summer though</p>
<p>Thanks for the helps guys, great information here</p>
<p>Also for winter break is there something I can apply now so I can ensure I have something to do then. Is there any specific programs that occur over winter, similar to a REU and such? If not, I might just try to study abroad during this time. Thanks for the help again.</p>
<p>If any winter break research programs exist, I am unaware of them. </p>
<p>Your school-- it has a particuarly long winter break (i.e. break > 3 weeks)-- might offer something unique to it. But generally 2-3 weeks is too short to have meaningful research experience. (NOTE to OP: good research take time. It’ll take 2-3 weeks just to figure out what you’re supposed to be doing in the lab and who everyone is…)</p>