Research Experiences for High School Students
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For high school students seeking a mentor for a research experience during summer or the school year:
0. The advice below is general. It also applies if you are interested in working with me specifically, but keep in mind that I get tens of such requests per year and I take on a high school intern only once every 4 to 5 years. I am aware that high school research experiences can be very impactful for the student (they were for me) and that high school students can accomplish remarkable things. But for me there is an opportunity cost: my Ph.D. students, postdocs and I can work with other exceptional Stanford Ph.D. students and remarkable undergrads from Stanford and elsewhere. Those normally take precedence. Since the same applies for many potential mentors, you might consider an organized summer program to learn more about science and research and build some skills. Many universities and some research-intensive companies offer such programs, some free of charge or even with a stipend, some fee-based. Google is your friend for finding these! Here's a list of some at Stanford: https://oso.stanford.edu/programs/high-school-students
1. If you've decided to try to arrange your own internship, explain in your note why you are reaching out to the particular person you're emailing. Show substantial familiarity with their work, beyond just a skim of their website; this will probably take 1-2 hours for every email you send out. This will lead you to focus on fewer leads, but with greater likelihood of success, though still low probability for each note. Also, consider reaching out to people at institutions other than internationally-renowned research universities, for example community colleges and national labs -- they may have less access to students to work with, so this could be more of an opportunity for them. And you could end up getting more attention and a better learning experience.
2. Say what you have to offer. What is special about you? What are you passionate about? Do you have any special skills? If you are a strong student and/or taking advanced classes, say so, since that is an indication of your ability to focus and to process complex ideas (even though someone can be an excellent scientist or engineer and not get good grades). Activities that you have pursued for years and have reached a high level also show focus and dedication. The key is your short email "cover letter", but consider attaching a one-page PDF CV if you have more to say.
3. If you've accomplished things despite challenges or people's assumptions about what you can do, you may want to work such info into your narrative, for at least two reasons: a. Overcoming challenges is promising for your future prospects. b. Many scientists feel strongly about expanding opportunities in science to a diverse population.
4. How long and how intensively do you want to engage in an internship? One or more summers? Time during the school year? 8 hours per week? 40 hours per week? What kinds of activities are you open to (computer simulation, building apparatus, starting by doing whatever technical contribution would be most useful for your mentor, etc.)?
5. What are your goals for the experience?
6. Try to stay local (or someplace you could visit over the summer, if your finances and family logistics allow for that). It's possible to be mentored by phone/email/Skype but it's harder on both sides, especially if you want to do experimental work rather than theory or computer simulation.