Summer Internship Advice?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>So, I'm currently of the opinion that I should probably do something useful over the summer; I think I'd enjoy doing research at a university or having some sort of other internship, as a future science major (I still don't know which sciences...)</p>

<p>I'm a sophomore, and firstly, I must say, I sure screwed up my freshman grades. They're so bad, I can't even type them. For some reason, I didn't try whatsoever the entire year. So now, I have a 4.14 GPA (7 classes, one AP, all As). The problem with this is that the only teacher that knows me well and would give me an outstanding recommendation is the World History teacher at a community college. I took his course over the summer because I wanted to make space in my schedule, and I wasn't interested in taking world at our school.</p>

<p>I suppose I could get a recommendation from my physics or chemistry teachers, or even my math teacher, but I don't try particularly hard in those classes - I have the middle of the road A that results from spending as little possible time on homework but getting high grades on tests. The second problem, however, is that I waited too long to start checking for internships. I live in California, and there are a few internship programs, such as the programs at Livermore National Laboratory, Stanford Med, UCSF, etc., but their deadlines are mostly already past or coming up soon. I'm fairly confident that my teachers will hate me if I tell them that I need a recommendation letter, with the deadline in a week.</p>

<p>So...that gives me a few options. (A) I could send messages along to professors at schools like Saint Mary's and Berkeley and inquire what qualifications I would need or (B) check out local technology companies and see if they would be willing to give me a position over the summer.</p>

<p>With that background information, do you guys have any advice for me?</p>

2

<p>hmmm I would say B. You could get paid, it offers a work experience, and you could learn new things</p>

3

<p>both. and no, don’t ask to get paid like the poster above said, you won’t get any response.</p>

4

<p>I find a direct approach works best to secure a research position. The simplest way to find yourself a spot is to investigate local universities. Find out when their semester ends, and pay a visit to the department of your choice after final grades are posted - most professors will be switching to a more relaxed, full-time research mode then, and a positive response is more likely. Try to read at least two papers from each prof so you can speak intelligently with them about their work, and make sure to drop in around 1:00 PM - after lunch people tend to be in a good mood, and you will catch even the 9-2 types before they leave for the day. Just go to each prof’s office and introduce yourself as a high school student looking to do real research volunteering in a lab. You will encounter plenty of aspie/unintelligible/unfriendly professors, plus more then a little rejection (I was 2/15 when I did this) but you will find a lab position. Younger professors tend to be more relatable and thus more open to young research assistants, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.</p>

<p>As a bonus, after a few months working in the lab, many professors will write you into a grant, resulting in a paid position. Playing with million dollar instruments and producing interesting research for $17/hour = excellent job for a high school student.</p>

5

<p>Thanks snipersas! I’ll see if I can talk to some of my freshmen friends at UC Berkeley and visit sometime.</p>