Rant about "research" and "internships"
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Anonymous
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Many don’t go looking for it. They happen into them because of who they are and time and place.
Child goes to a public lecture because their brand of nerdery means they volunteer at a national park, nature center, or maybe they are in a D&D community, or take music lessons at an independent music shop and hang out and jam with other people and through these communities hear about a public lecture because someone knows kid is interested or bc of shared interests. Kid looks up lecture, figures out a way to go, goes to lecture, enjoys lecture and is engaged and asks a really great question, but maybe it isn’t really answered. A professor who is sitting nearby strikes up a conversation with kid and invites kid to come to a thesis defense on a related topic. Kid goes, is engaged, and gets along with all the other grad students. Kid is well-read on topic and holds their own in the group. The lab across the hall happens to have just won a grant to work with HS students and one of the grad students suggests kid apply. Kid is rejected because kid is not perfect fit for that project, but the application stands out, and the researcher is working on a fun side project with an educational component so they offer the kid a summer internship on that project provided the kid can pair that work with a school course. Kid never sought out an internship working to create a coding curriculum for middle school students with reading-based disorders when they went to Banjo lessons sophomore year. Kid’s genuine interest and enthusiasm for learning the banjo made them an interesting kid people who frequented the store liked to be around. Or maybe the kid works at the ice cream shop where the local paper’s editor buys her weekly pint of rum raisin. Kid’s powers of observation and natural interviewing style shine when kid chats with editor. Editor find out kid writes for the HS paper, etc. Who doesn’t love a nerd out living life? |
Anonymous
| hahahhahahhahhaha |
Anonymous
| The whole "research" thing was news to me. Granted I'm old (51) but I don't recall hearing about a single kid in my high school doing "research" and my high school was one of the top Ivy feeders in the country. When did this become a requirement? |
Anonymous
Different times PP. |
Anonymous
| My husband did his through a specific program with the state university. His science teacher told him about it, he applied and got in and got aid. First in his family to go to college from a rural public school. He competed in ISEF based on his project. It's definitely easier for privileged kids and those with connections but the programs do exist. |
Anonymous
| Nice to hear that some HS kids are getting internships by going through the application process. My kids have never gotten callbacks despite their best efforts. Meanwhile, several of their friends have gotten plum internships through family connections. I’m happy for those kids too but tired of hearing their parents brag about the internships and how they pulled strings to get them. |
Anonymous
You buried the lead here. SMH |
Anonymous
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You sound really worked up and competitive.
In the real world (not DCUM-land), it is hard for kids to get meaningful internships/research jobs even the summer after freshman year of college. Colleges can see through applicants who take credit for high cost (pay to play) experiences , masquerading as serious internships. So calm down. Stop reacting to extreme anecdotes. Love the kid you have. Convince him or her that he/she is good enough as is. Exhale. |
Anonymous
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Have your kid keep their eye on Federal opportunities. There are many and they pay well.
This is even more true in college. Contact agencies that have a logical link to their major. |
Anonymous
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The Banneker Key kids we knew at UMD definitely did research and/or had internships before college.
Now these kids sometimes turn down Ivys (due to cost) so I think that is relevant. |
Anonymous
But did the kid get the internship because of the connection, or did he have the needed skills because he learned them from his developer dad? My 11 just spent all weekend working on an electronics and programming project. She asked for a soldering iron and components for her 11th birthday and had ideas for what she wanted to make. Is this standard for a 6th grader? Nope, it's college level content. But her father is an engineer and can help when she gets stuck. Is she a genius? Nope, but she's a smart kid who has supports available so she can dig into tough projects that wouldn't be accessible to a kid who didn't have an engineer living in their house. She's too young now, but I wouldn't be surprised if she had opportunities to do research or internships sooner because she has taught herself useful technical skills. |
Anonymous
| I manage 1-2 summer interns each year, stem company like a PP. Hired only via parent connections to a specific private school. I've never interviewed any of these kid, they just show up one day. The kids are bright and willing to work but there's usually not much they can do in a short time. |
Anonymous
What sorts of opportunities? Family connections? Pay to play? Or apply and compete? |
Anonymous
For the last 2 years, the unhooked admits to Ivies and Ivy+ at my DC’s big3 private have ALL had published research. Every one. |
Anonymous
Apply and compete. These are not t privileged kids. |