<p>Ok, so I'm a drum major in high school (and I live in Texas so band/marching band is huge and very very competitive and intense) and well... I feel SO frustrated that I can't go to a lot of these prestigious summer programs because all of them conflict with band or drum major camp. Therefore... do you think it would be wise if I were to just email all the professors of the departments I'm interested from universities that are very close to where I live? I would be asking them if I could have an internship during the summer and work under them.</p>
<p>However I have reservations about doing this because</p>
<p>A) I kinda feel intimidated because I see the list of faculty and all of them have PhDs and graduated from UChicago, Stanford, Duke and I feel kind of embarassed if a mere high school student emails them asking for an internship.</p>
<p>B) Would they rather just have undergrads working for them?</p>
<p>C) Has anybody even done this before?</p>
<p>D) If I do email them, what exactly should I include in my email?</p>
<p>If any of you have any experience in this matter please post back with help or if this is even a good idea to begin with.</p>
<p>I’ve done this before! And honestly, it was one of the best summers I’ve had. I think that as long as you show some independence, and that you can work well, they won’t mind. </p>
<p>When I asked, I didn’t want pay. I think some professors preferred me over undergrad students BECAUSE they wouldn’t have to pay. However, I ultimately chose to work in a lab where the prof said I could be paid- I just didn’t want to, since I was so inexperienced.
When choosing a lab, make sure your interested in the field, and also that you like the environment. I can pm you w/ more advice if you want!</p>
<p>I was actually thinking about doing the same thing! However, I don’t know how to approach a professor either. I want to major in Computer Science but I feel like I do not know enough in the subject to help in a research project. I’m taking AP Computer Science, but the class seems so introductory.</p>
<p>I tried this none of the professors answered back >.< I did the same as 082349. If you’ve gotten a call back please please PM me and tell me how you did it.</p>
<p>***Most of them tend to ignore high school students. I mean, wouldn’t you? Typically, this high school kid probably hasn’t even completed puberty and has yet to take more than one AP science. And then he/she goes and emails a professor for lab space, mentoring, etc… and for what benefit to the professor? Hardly any, really. It’s very hard to get responses from totally random professors unless you have some connection with them.</p>
<p>I research under an internship at Columbia University in alternative energy/carbon sequestration, and if you can do research in high school it’s an amazing experience. I worked during the summer, but also during the school year :] </p>
<p>A) There are a lot of professors that are really passionate about what they do and love it when high school students show an early interest in their area of expertise. Last summer, I emailed a Nobel Prize winner and was able to eat lunch with him and ask him questions individually about his research. Don’t be intimidated, a lot of professors are really nice people!</p>
<p>B) At least with my internship, they treat high school students like undergrads, and I think if you demonstrate interest and work hard, that’s all that really matters. </p>
<p>C) I still work under the same internship from sophomore year (junior now). If you’re interested in a certain field, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get a headstart and preview what real research is like. </p>
<p>D) If you PM me, I can copy and past the email that I sent to my Columbia professor. </p>
<p>If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! XD</p>
<p>@ Carin: I am currently taking 4 AP courses one of them being AP Chemistry and I am a junior in high school (puberty completed). So before you respond to an unkown person please find out about their background beforehand. Also, I needed to use the professor’s lab for AP Chemistry. Our local high school did not have the necessary chemicals needed and it seems this professor did. So, my teacher recommended me to do the lab myself and present it’s outcome to my classmates. That way we all could learn.
EDIT: I even took AP courses last year (as a sophomore) that typically juniors did and passed them with flying colors. As you can tell by now I am quite angry because of this user’s comment. </p>
<p>@Kevin521: This was months ago. It was about an AP Chemistry lab. </p>
<p>Note: I will try this once more since we obviously weren’t able to do the lab.</p>
<ol>
<li>Just because you’re 17 or turning 17 doesn’t mean you’ve finished puberty.</li>
<li>I hope you realize that AP Science courses do not actually resemble college level courses in top universities, which I’m sure you’re “bound” to. For instance, in an MIT information session, the guy told us that an entire year of AP Bio would be about two weeks in their Biology course for most freshmen. Please don’t think you’re some frickin’ genius because you’ve taken four AP science courses. It’s wonderful that you are a great science student (at least based on what you’ve said), but you’re at the beginning of your journey. To build off this, undergrads in college have more experience and knowledge than high school students, which is why professors tend to be more lenient with them. And besides, if you were a professor, wouldn’t you rather choose one of your students than a happy-go-lucky high school junior?</li>
</ol>
<p>I was merely proving you wrong on this comment:</p>
<p>“…and has yet to take more than one AP science.”</p>
<p>Also, I don’t think I’m a genius. Personally, I thought you were correct on professors choosing their students over high school students. But 082349 and tsubomi1993 have certainly proven us both wrong.</p>
<p>@Carin: I’ve talked to some professors that have told me they love working with high school students because they are incredibly self-motivated and dedicated if they are pursuing research at a relatively early age. </p>
<p>Most of the time, advanced research projects are so focused, but if you devote a lot of time and effort into reading papers and asking questions, that’s what matters.</p>
<p>Connections help, but I didn’t have any…</p>
<p>Ehh…I’ve done a couple of AP Science/Math (AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Bio sophomore year) and I was dual-enrolled at Columbia sophomore year (Linear Algebra, Multivariable and Complex Analysis junior year), but my professor didn’t know that until I had started working. </p>
<p>Passion and dedication are the most important.</p>
<p>I feel like I’m a bad person. Excuse me if offended anyone… I wasn’t trying to. I was only trying to mention something so you don’t get unreasonably high expectations, and possibly end up getting disappointed. Regardless, I live near Princeton University and they don’t really accept high school interns because their undergrads take up a lot of the lab space. Things in New York City are probably different though.</p>
<p>^There are definitely professors out there that are too busy or their labs are too full to research with high schoolers. Sometimes it takes several tries. I know someone who emailed 12 different professors before finally coming up with a research position. </p>
<p>Really? I know three friends (I live in northern NJ) that live near Princeton and they do research there. Two work in biology labs while one is a physics intern. There are a lot of undergrad interns at Columbia, but in my project there is only one other graduate student and the supervising professor researching the same topic. A lot of times you can find your own niche :]</p>
<ol>
<li>When should I send out the emails? I’m currently writing them and finding professors, and i’ll probably send them after winter break (beginning of January). Is that too late? </li>
</ol>
<p>2.I’m also applying to some summer programs that give stipends… but I won’t find out until mid-Spring. If a professor agrees to helping me, but I get into a program, can I politely tell him that I won’t be able to work with him?</p>