<p>I figure there must be a thread somewhere here that discusses summer internships that involve science research. I may be too early, but my son -- a college sophomore -- is starting to think about this. He's pre-med at a mid-size university. So where are his best possibilities to investigate?</p>
<p>You’re wise to start looking now since most of the application deadlines are in January. There’s not a thread on here that I know of, but here are some place to start–</p>
<p>NIH’s summer internships: </p>
<p><a href=“https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip[/url]”>https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip</a></p>
<p>REUs at various schools (next year’s list may not be available yet since funding is contingent on the NSF’s budget) This is a link to a searchable database.</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>Amgen Scholars</p>
<p>[Amgen</a> Scholars](<a href=“http://www.amgenscholars.eu/]Amgen”>http://www.amgenscholars.eu/)</p>
<p>The Pasteur Institute (in Paris–stipend available but no funding for travel costs or housing)</p>
<p>[::</a> Pasteur Foundation - Undergraduate Summer Internship Program ::](<a href=“http://www.pasteurfoundation.org/internships.shtml]::”>http://www.pasteurfoundation.org/internships.shtml)</p>
<p>AAMC’s list of summer undergrad research programs:</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/members/great/61052/great_summerlinks.html[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/members/great/61052/great_summerlinks.html</a></p>
<p>"So where are his best possibilities to investigate? "
He should focus on opportunities available at or through his own U. That is the best place to start. Does it have a Med school associated with it? . Also, does he have any specific area of interest? Chemistry? Biology? Neurology? Some of the internships listed above are INCREDIBLY hard to get and require recommendations from profs are required[ such as AMGEN]</p>
<p>IIRC, limabeans’ son did a summer research project at his home school this past year and wants to look farther afield for the upcoming year.</p>
<p>Every summer program I listed requires 2-3 LORs, a detailed CV, official transcripts and statement of purpose as part of the application process. </p>
<p>Acceptance rates at these program run from under 5% (Amgen) to under 30% (REUs, but school dependent–some are much lower.)</p>
<p>Thanks for the sites WOWM! Actually, my son was a camp counselor last summer and is hoping to do something in science research next summer. The applications for all these programs haven’t started yet, but deadlines always come up quickly. </p>
<p>I recall my nephew had some great experiences as a research assistant for his professors when he was at his LAC, but my son goes to WashU and hasn’t heard about research opportunities. Why did I think it would be the other way around?</p>
<p>^ I once heard WashU (medical school, not its UG) has the largest MSTP program in US. They must have many large research groups in order to support so many MD/PhD and/or postdocs.</p>
<p>Since UG is often a much more important part of their institute as a whole, I would guess the university must have spent some efforts on “right-sizing” some research projects so that they are more “premed-friendly”, if they are smart on this.</p>
<p>I also heard something as following before: the professor at LAC is proud of what his students can achieve in their research, while the professor at a national research powerhouse is proud of what he himself can achieve with the help of his UG/graduate students or his employees (postdocs).</p>
<p>There are undergrad research opportunities at WashU. (Know several kids who went/go there.) But your son is going to have to seek them out. They aren’t “announced” or “posted” but come up by word-of-mouth and by due diligence on the part of the student. </p>
<p>You son should check the home pages of the bio dept (and the med school) and see who is doing what then contact–preferably in person–those individuals who are doing stuff that sounds interesting. (He should have a CV in hand to leave when he makes his visits or attach a CV to his contact emails.) He should also go talk with any profs who he feels comfortable with and ask what research they are doing and who else is doing interesting stuff, then follow up on those leads. He should be prepared to work as unpaid volunteer for 1-2 semesters before getting “hired” for the summer. (And he may end up being a unpaid volunteer for the summer too, depending upon the lab and the funding available.)</p>
<p>Amgen is principally for students who already have some specialized lab skills–and is also mostly for rising seniors who will be going on to grad school. (Students have to sign a contract agreeing NOT to take the MCAT or do any MCAT prep during the program.) Stipend plus room & board and travel costs…Each Amgen program at each of the 10 sites has to be applied to separately. </p>
<p>REUs vary all over the place in terms of types of projects and kinds of students accepted. (D2’s advice–pick somewhere fun for the summer…) All pay a stipend; some pay room & board. Each location requires a separate application and has individual deadlines. [NOTE: REUs are financed by the NSF which is facing MAJOR budget cuts for next year. I’d heard that NSF will lose into the many millions of $$. Possibly up to 1/3 of its budget. REUs may be more scarce this coming summer.]</p>
<p>NIH’s SIP is located in Bethesda, MD, but also has other sites including Bozeman, MT and AZ. Be open-minded about location to improve your chances for acceptance. It also helps if you can identify ahead of time some researchers you’d like to work with and contact them in advance of applying so they’ll know who you are when your CV gets circulated. Stipend but NO living or transportation expenses. (And living in DC/'burban MD is expensive!) Other perks include weekly seminars in how to apply to grad schools, CV and personal statement coaching, etc. GRE/MCAT prep available (but not sure if it’s free). Caveat: Like NSF, NIH is facing serious budget cuts for next year–though not so drastic as NSF. It’s likely there will be fewer slots for SIP than there were this past summer. (Last year’s acceptance rate was around 15%.)</p>
<p>Individual medically related programs at various schools are like REUs in that they have variable acceptance rates and may have other restrictions on the kinds of applicants they accept. Some lean heavily toward certain research areas (neuroscience, cancer, clinical practices) and your son will need to check each one out carefully before applying to make sure each is a good match for his interests/skills. Some/many will expect previous research lab experience. (Because summer is short and training a newbie takes up lots of valuable time.)</p>
<p>D2 has had 2 successful rounds of applications, including one summer with multiple acceptances to choose from. She applied to around 10-12 specifically targeted programs each year. Plus she has some unique skills that are in high demand. (Computer programming, advanced math/analysis skills, experience doing brain imaging and hands-on experience with several proprietary data acquisition software packages. She’s also HIPAA certified.)</p>
<p>My D. has applied to such program at the place where she had had previous experience and has obtained very good recs. It was impossible to get in, despite of her outstanding academics and references. D. had no problem getting Med. Research internship at her college that lasted for several years (during school year) and resulted in great relationships and LOR’s for Med. School.</p>
<p>@limabeans</p>
<p>Not sure why your son hasn’t heard about any research opportunities at WUSTL, assuming he’s interested of course. After all, they have an entire office of undergraduate research which has been extremely willing to help. Like stated earlier, research opportunities aren’t necessarily “announced,” but they are certainly there if you put the slightest effort into it.</p>
<p>Got to thinking after reading Miami’s post…</p>
<p>In addition to those places I listed above, summer internship programs are also offered at all the DOE National Labs. </p>
<p>National Labs (see Labs and Technology Centers) :</p>
<p>[Offices</a> | Department of Energy](<a href=“http://energy.gov/offices]Offices”>| Department of Energy)</p>
<p>While most DOE summer programs are skewed towards physical sciences, computer science and engineering, some (I’m specifically thinking of LANL, but there are probably others) have biology-related programs. Programs offer a very generous stipend plus living expenses. (NOTE: DOE labs will most likely require the student to undergo a security clearance thru the FBI. Don’t freak out–it’s routine, but may take up 3-4 months to get done.)</p>
<p>Local resources–</p>
<p>The not-for-profit biomed research lab I work for runs a small summer research program for local college students. Other industry-based and not-for-profits research labs probably will have similar programs. They may or may not pay a stipend. (Our does.) Check out your local resources. While they may only hire 4 or 5 students per summer, often they allow students to return summer after summer. REUs and most of the big programs don’t.</p>