Research Jobs and Internship Opportunities for High School Students
Are you a high school student scouring the internet for potential job or internship opportunities? Are you a high school student looking to further your research experiences? Or are you a high school student just trying to find something to do this summer? If you answered yes to any of these questions, a high school research job/internship is a great potential activity for you to do. In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of doing a research job over other jobs and tips on how to get a research job/internship. A disclaimer is that this blog post assumes that students have had prior research experience.
What are the benefits of high school students doing a research job?
There are a lot of potential benefits that come out of doing a research-related job, which elevates it above other potential jobs.
First, it can significantly strengthen one's resume and make one appear more qualified for a possible future job. This is because research is one of the most impressive activities for a high school student to do since it demonstrates high critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as passion in a student. Especially doing a research job is impressive because it proves that the research one did is credible and legit. Overall, this makes one appear a lot more credible for a potential job since it highlights that one can successfully do high-level work in a work environment. In addition to future job applications, it can significantly strengthen a student's profile and college application as it makes colleges think a student will likely be able to handle the rigor of a college and that a student will likely seek out opportunities to further their experience.
In addition to these 2 great benefits, there is also the benefit of building a relationship with someone who can always be there to provide mentorship for someone. They can also write future recommendation letters, unique and different from the ones normally written for people, which further elevates a person’s status and profile. However, beyond the personal benefits, it allows one to make an impact on the world and dive deep and explore their passion. There are countless other benefits from doing a research-related job, but these are 4 main reasons why one should look into getting a research-related job.
Formal Research Assistant Jobs/Internships
STANFORD OFFICE OF SCIENCE OUTREACH PROGRAMS
This is a program that offers students the opportunity to connect with professors and have an authentic research experience with faculty members. The Stanford Office of Science Outreach lists many different potential research projects which students can then choose and apply accordingly based on their interests and availability. These are paid internships as well meaning students will have the opportunity to make money. Applications are normally open in March/April time period.
PRINCETON LABORATORY LEARNING PROGRAM
Similar to the Stanford Office of Science, the Princeton Office of the Dean for Research offers numerous opportunities where students have the chance to have an authentic research experience with faculty members. On the linked website, there are numerous potential projects listed where students can go and apply to project internships they are interested in. Applications are normally due on March 15 and students are notified if they were accepted normally at the end of April. Internships are not paid, but participating in the program is free.
SPARK SIP
Spark Sip is another online service provider, which lists numerous jobs/internships that are typically computer science/software related. Some of the jobs/internships listed are research-related projects. Students can go to the website and choose and apply to projects they are interested in completing. Many of these jobs/internships are paid. Many of the internship/jobs are virtual but some do have in-person requirements. Applications are typically due around mid-April.
Informal Research Assistant Jobs/Internships
Oftentimes the formal research job/internships programs may not work out either done to them being highly selective or down to a student not being able to make the commitment to work at the specific time or in the specific area required. However, there are still opportunities for students to get a research job/internship by contacting people at local research labs or colleges. This process does require one to take a lot more initiative though. Interested students must first search for faculty members that are conducting research in their general field of interest. Then once reading more in-depth and understanding each faculty member's research, a student should compile a list of between 10-15 faculty members they want to contact and potentially work with. Once a list is made a student should formally type up a draft email which they will send to each faculty member. The email should include an introduction about the student, a paragraph demonstrating interest in working and conducting research with the professor contacted, and a paragraph outlining the student's availability. It would also be a good idea to attach a resume to the email. It is important to contact numerous people as oftentimes the professors will either say they're not in need of an assistant or will not respond. If no response is heard after a week, the student should send a follow-up email.
Closing Thoughts
Overall the process of getting a research internship/job can be very lengthy, exhaustive, and frustrating. However, this process essentially highlights the real-life reality of getting a high-end job in a big company. It isn’t easy and takes a lot of initiative and effort. Therefore, getting involved in this process of getting a research internship/job can be a great preparation for the future as it will teach you how to contact people regarding opportunities and how to write applications.
If it ends up working out, it will be totally worth the effort as a research job/internship can look very beneficial on an application or resume due to it highlighting a student's critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and drive to seek out opportunities and work in a real-life work environment. Even if it doesn’t work out, it won’t be a total waste of time and effort since it will teach you valuable skills such as seeking out opportunities, contacting people regarding opportunities, and writing applications. Therefore, you shouldn’t shy away from this and should make the effort to get a research job/internship if you are truly interested in research.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
