<p>I am a sophomore premed student. So recently I've been browsing the premed internship opportunities and found them to be really competitive. </p>
<p>Basically each university has its own summer internship program that mostly comprised of only about 25 to 50 students. My university has a summer program but it only has room for 25 students and about half are from other universities. So it means that only about 10 students from my university will get the summer internship. I'm sure I'm not among the top 10 premed students, so that's why I think summer internship is so hard to get. What about the rest of the premed students in our school, how will they get their summer internships? Do they have to apply to the summer internship programs of other universities?</p>
<p>Also, applying for internships ask for recommendation letters from professors. All the classes I took are huge general premed science courses. Although I sometimes visit the professors during office hours to ask questions, none of the professors really know me. I supposed those who did research under the professors are able to get decent rec. letters. Unfortunately, I don't have such opportunity.</p>
<p>All in all, I just feel truly pressured and hopeless.</p>
<p>^summer programs are hard to get in. D. had no problem obtaining one that lasted for few years during school year. That reauslted in awesome connections, recommendation letters and many other honors/awards. She did not get into summer program at the place that she has worked, had great references. Obtaining her internship took one email and one very casual interview.</p>
<p>School-based summer internships at colleges are only ONE place to look for summer programs. </p>
<p>There are national internship programs at places other than colleges. AMCAS maintains a list on their site. Also you can apply to REUs (Research Experience for Undergraduates) offered thru the NSF. The NIH runs summer programs at a half dozen different sites. Alsod Amgen, the Pasteur Institute and several other national/international organizations have summer programs.</p>
<p>You’re giving up too easily…</p>
<p>RE: LORs are going to be required for everything from now on in your life. Get used to it. Even if you have large classes, you can still ask for a LOR. Profs are asked to do this all the time. It’s part of their job. Your prof will consult with your TA to get more info about you, plus you need to attach a CV to your request. </p>
<p>Really, you don’t have to best buds with the prof to get a LOR. Nor do you have to be fixture in their lab. (You will usually need 3 LORs to support your application–you can’t possible be a lab asst for three different profs!) Some of them will have to come from your lecturers.)</p>
<p>D1 had 250+ kids in her OChem class, but she asked for and got a LOR from the prof. D2 had 200+ kids in her Intro Bio class–she asked for and got a LOR for her prof 2 years later. In both cases the prof know who each D was, remembered them and wrote a very positive, detailed letter for each girl. (One was for med school admission; one for a extremely competitive summer program. In both cases the LOR was good enough to get each accepted.)</p>
<p>You can also use a TA for a re, if you have built an excellent relationship with him/her. A glowing rec from a TA can be better than a so-so rec from a Prof. (Yes, a Prof is always better, but a grad-student is better than nothing.)</p>
I do not have a good suggestion. But hopefully the following story could help pressured premeds relax a little bit:</p>
<p>In one year, a girl at DS’s school got a summer job in a lab but the offer was not confirmed yet. She found that the pay was slightly lower in that lab. She sent an email to the PI to ask for a raise before she even started to work. The PI was upset and gave the job to another applicant. Poor girl!</p>
<p>Lesson: Do not ask for a raise, definitely not before ypu have a confirmed offer.</p>
<p>Maybe I should steer away from organized internship programs? Maybe it’s a better option for me to contact the biology professors at my school/med. school and ask for internships?</p>
<p>^This was my strategy. My school has an undergraduate research website, and on it there’s a listing for open research positions. I emailed a few professors in labs that sounded interesting and told them a little bit about me and why I wanted to work in their lab. You could also talk to professors you’ve taken classes from, doctors you’ve shadowed, TAs of your labs, and/or your advisors for ideas. I ended up working in that same lab for like 3yr and it was great. Worth mentioning it was unpaid work, but I did get credit for a few semesters.</p>
<p>The tricks to finding research positions: be flexible with what you’re willing to do, be willing to do it for free, and if possible, choose a lab that’s a little off campus. You’ll be able to find something, so don’t let it stress you out too much!</p>
<p>I ended up doing 3y bench research (unpaid) and a summer of clinical research (with a doc I’d been shadowing awhile). No pubs, but I did a few poster presentations, nothing stressful, just a stress-free research experience that I really enjoyed. Totally possible!</p>
<p>To OP: Follow your plan of contacting individual professors; they almost always have research projects in the works. It will just take some of your skill in persuading them to make you part of the research team.</p>
<p>I noticed that you acknowledged the importance of applying to other internships outside of the university. This is prehaps the best advice for the pre-med student who is looking to make his or herself a more competent applicant for med school. I currently am in the process of submitting my application for an NIH affiliated internship at L.A. Children’s Hospital. Bu the problem I am facing is just this: I have this overwhelming anxiety on how I should structure my personal statement. Could you or anyone reading this post offer any tips? Would love to hear your feedback and adice.</p>