Advanced 9th grader seeking an internship

[Anonymous]

DD15 really wants an internship at our state university but has no idea how to get one. Her school doesn’t have any programs for this kind of thing and we have no connections.

She’s easily as advanced as a high school senior, at least in STEM (she is taking multivariable calculus and will be taking AP chemistry and physics next year), and has decent writing skills. However, I’m not sure what a high school freshman could do for a professor or PhD student.

Any tips? I’ve seen this topic in forums and people just seemed to say to wait until 11th or 12th grade, which she really doesn’t want to do.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I think the only option is to cold email professors.

There are a variety of formal high school internship programs across the DMV at universities, government agencies and private companies but they

1)almost aways (if not 100% of the time) require the students to be 16 and/or a rising junior or senior.

2) have fall or winter application dates for the following summer. You'd be too late for summer 2024.

[Anonymous]

Reach out to numerous professors directly with truly insightful comments on their field of expertise/research.

I don't think any professors care what courses your kid has taken. They want to know how your kid will actually help them do their research over the Summer and not be a drag.

Mention any coding abilities and their use in a research setting. I also believe there are certain computer programs that many STEM researchers use...if her daughter knows how to use those tools, be sure to mention that as well.

It's still a long-shot, but hopefully one or more at least responds and then maybe you can start a dialogue for future years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the only option is to cold email professors.

There are a variety of formal high school internship programs across the DMV at universities, government agencies and private companies but they

1)almost aways (if not 100% of the time) require the students to be 16 and/or a rising junior or senior.

2) have fall or winter application dates for the following summer. You'd be too late for summer 2024.

To expound upon this, all the federal positions (paid and volunteer) we found required kids to be at least 16. I'm not sure agencies can even hire at 15 so professors with joint government appointments may be bound by this as well.

You should draft a generic email template and then start emailing professors or even grad students at local universities (of course personalizing the greeting, etc each time).

[Anonymous]

At this age, she (or you) are going to have to have a relationship with a professor to get in the door. What clubs outside of school is she involved in? UMD has a robotics club for HS kids that professors and students lead---something like that where she has had contact with people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only option is to cold email professors.

There are a variety of formal high school internship programs across the DMV at universities, government agencies and private companies but they

1)almost aways (if not 100% of the time) require the students to be 16 and/or a rising junior or senior.

2) have fall or winter application dates for the following summer. You'd be too late for summer 2024.

To expound upon this, all the federal positions (paid and volunteer) we found required kids to be at least 16. I'm not sure agencies can even hire at 15 so professors with joint government appointments may be bound by this as well.

You should draft a generic email template and then start emailing professors or even grad students at local universities (of course personalizing the greeting, etc each time).

One last point--my kid got some super internships for this summer at age 17 after striking out entirely at age 16.

I think in large part this was because she had full time, paid work experience (working at a restaurant as a cashier) for the summers she was 15 and 16.
She had more than one interviewer mention this: "I see you worked a full time job for two summers. Tell me about your job as a cashier". She ended up getting chosen out of dozens of other teens for the selective internships.

So have your kid get a JOB. Any job. It will help her future pursuits. Most kids can't go straight to the cool stuff without first doing time in the trenches.

[Anonymous]

16 is 16, even if they’re “advanced. “ Realistically, college professors, won’t be looking to hire someone so young when they have a whole pool of college applicants readily available. It’s fine to get a regular summer job in retail, life-guarding, camp counselor, etc. Plenty of time for research jobs in the future. Teenagers don’t need to be mini-adults and can still be kids for a while longer.

[Anonymous]

If they have no idea how to go about getting the internship, then I’d suggest they’re not quite mature enough or ready for it. OP, this sounds like something you really want for your child. As suggested, guide her to a more realistic high school summer job.

[Anonymous]

My dad was a college chem professor. He ran a lab. First years were always put on washing. They washed a lot of glassware.

[Anonymous]

Mu husband is a scientist at a national lab. Our kids had to be 16 to intern. I am not saying it is impossible but sometimes you have to wait. Doesn't matter how advanced you are and how much you want to drive at 14, you have to be 16.

[Anonymous]

I don't know of any programs like this at my university. Even in labs where freshmen/sophomore undergrads work, it's mostly doing things that you'd need to be over 18 to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only option is to cold email professors.

There are a variety of formal high school internship programs across the DMV at universities, government agencies and private companies but they

1)almost aways (if not 100% of the time) require the students to be 16 and/or a rising junior or senior.

2) have fall or winter application dates for the following summer. You'd be too late for summer 2024.

To expound upon this, all the federal positions (paid and volunteer) we found required kids to be at least 16. I'm not sure agencies can even hire at 15 so professors with joint government appointments may be bound by this as well.

You should draft a generic email template and then start emailing professors or even grad students at local universities (of course personalizing the greeting, etc each time).

No, the CHILD who wants the internship should do this. NOT Mommy or Daddy.

[Anonymous]

A 9th grader can't even get hired as a lifeguard because they're not seen as having the requisite maturity, but you expect a college professor to babysit her for the summer and call it an "internship"? Let her be a kid. She has all of college to chase internships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only option is to cold email professors.

There are a variety of formal high school internship programs across the DMV at universities, government agencies and private companies but they

1)almost aways (if not 100% of the time) require the students to be 16 and/or a rising junior or senior.

2) have fall or winter application dates for the following summer. You'd be too late for summer 2024.

To expound upon this, all the federal positions (paid and volunteer) we found required kids to be at least 16. I'm not sure agencies can even hire at 15 so professors with joint government appointments may be bound by this as well.

You should draft a generic email template and then start emailing professors or even grad students at local universities (of course personalizing the greeting, etc each time).

No, the CHILD who wants the internship should do this. NOT Mommy or Daddy.

Agree. This was my post you're replying to. I would of course expect the kid to write this letter.
I always require my kids to write any correspondence the have with adults but am happy to look it over.

OP, your kid should get a regular job. An internship is not going to happen at age 15 until you have a family friend who runs a lab and owes you a favor. But a resume with work experience (at any job) will greatly help her get an internship at age 16+.

[Anonymous]

My son has an internship this summer at UMD with a professor. He had to fill out work papers, which clearly stated that he had to be at least 16 years old. He is a junior, 17 yrs old.