Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This may be why my college student has yet to find an internship, because so many kids jump on the internship train in high school. My college kids have steadily worked a variety of lawn care, retail, and other jobs and are behind their peers who have been taking unpaid “internships” each summer.

Nonsense. In high school, a real job is better than a lot of unpaid internships, PP. In college, working in one's chosen field is what's important, whether it's billed as a job or an internship, paid or unpaid. Don't let semantics throw you off!

Everyone keeps saying this, but come on! I agree scooping ice cream is a good learning experience (getting along with co-workers, disgruntled customers, being on time, doing a job for people who are not family/friends). But once you have that experience, kind of diminishing returns, and I think valuable to learn/ do something else - see how a lab is run, see what the research grind is all about. Nobody on this board wants their kids doing menial labor/non-intellectual jobs as future careers (another reason good for kids to experience so you know you don't want to do that long term).

Anonymous wrote:This may be why my college student has yet to find an internship, because so many kids jump on the internship train in high school. My college kids have steadily worked a variety of lawn care, retail, and other jobs and are behind their peers who have been taking unpaid “internships” each summer.

Nonsense. In high school, a real job is better than a lot of unpaid internships, PP. In college, working in one's chosen field is what's important, whether it's billed as a job or an internship, paid or unpaid. Don't let semantics throw you off!

Application deadlines for organized internships are already over, but your child can cold-email professors at universities, if they want, OP. Remember for future years that internship season starts in November for the earliest ones, and ends in February-March for the latest ones.

My college kid did not get an internship this summer because he too missed a lot of the deadlines, and was rejected from the later rounds. He's only got himself to blame for spacing out on dates.

My high schooler miraculously landed a (paid!) internship at the Smithsonian. The deadline to apply was in March and she scrambled right before the deadline. She cannot believe her good fortune, honestly.

Your high schooler can get a job, although even those (for summer camps, etc), are filling up.

Don't worry too much. This is only high school.

Agree with PP above - the high school "internship" market is brutal out there. My high stats (4.0 UW/1550 SAT) rising senior applied to 10 STEM programs of varying selectivity. Got waitlisted at three; rejected from most; accepted to two "safeties" (that yes, cost money - but not too outrageous and are quality programs where I think she will learn a lot). So I feel fortunate she at least got something!! And, I guess, had a college app dry run (with multiple essays, letters of rec, interviews . . . sheesh!!)

My kid did a lot of looking for formal stem internships back in Feb, even then some deadlines had passed. My high stats kids with two years of solid work experience (typical high school jobs) just got his final two rejections last week. Doesn’t help that he was really looking for something paid. For the vast majority of kids, working nepo connections is really the best hope. Even with a number of those (both DH and I are both scientists) at this point at best he’ll get another typical teen jobs and spend a bit of volunteering time in a friends lab that isn’t highly linked to his primary interests.

What aspect of Bio? Biomed? Biochem? Biotech?

Your kid has to bring something to the table for an internship. If he just wants to spend a day here or a day there learning about what people do in different fields, he needs to reach out for shadowing opportunities. If he’s really looking for an internship, what skills does he have that a mentor would be interested in?

Where do you live? In the DMV?

Anonymous wrote:How do you even find an internship on high school? Just by asking your friends and acquaintances if they can take your kid to work for a few weeks?

IDK last time I was at the orthopedic surgeon for a cortisone shot in my shoulder they had a gaggle of students in there. Turned out one was in HS "interested in sports medicine" - so yah, ask your dad's doctor friends I guess?

How do you even find an internship on high school? Just by asking your friends and acquaintances if they can take your kid to work for a few weeks?

High school internships aren’t real, and they would have filled in January anyway.

You’re behind the 8 ball for this summer

Real internships in pretty much any academic field that is not pay to play is extremely competitive in this area. Those are well past their deadlines as well. My rising junior is working a summer job and volunteering.

This may be why my college student has yet to find an internship, because so many kids jump on the internship train in high school. My college kids have steadily worked a variety of lawn care, retail, and other jobs and are behind their peers who have been taking unpaid “internships” each summer.

Landscaping

Our son is a high school junior and is looking for job or internship opportunities for this summer, preferably in BIO related fields.
Any leads or referrals appreciated.