Applying for External Undergraduate Summer Research Programs
Many graduate schools are interested in students with diverse research experiences. While your work with your mentors at John Jay is impressive, it is sometimes important and rewarding to obtain external research experience as well.
Some of the programs will be available to international students, and some not. Some look for sophomores, some for juniors, very few for freshmen and seniors. Some will be targeted to underrepresented or underserved populations in science, and some will not. All will have different requirements. The only way to find out is to go to each program’s website.
Most of these programs will pay for your travel (so please look beyond NYC, the world does not end west of the Hudson!), housing, and will also include stipends, GRE/MCAT courses, and other benefits. These look great for graduate school applications, and make a big difference to admission committees in graduate schools as they will demonstrate your ability to handle more than one type of research.
Let Ed know if you will be applying. He can help you with your application and personal statement that is often required.
- The Leadership Alliance:www.theleadershipalliance.org
The Leadership Alliance groups about 15 Research-Intensive Universities who offer summer programs. Most of these programs are for Underrepresented Minorities in STEM, but not all. By applying through the Leadership Alliance, you can apply to 3 programs with one application, but you can also apply separately to any of the programs listed.
Most of these programs are for Citizens or Permanent residents.
- Programs at the NIH (Bethesda, MD): https://www.training.nih.gov/trainees/summer_interns
Citizens or Permanent residents, enrolled as full-time or part-time students in a US accredited school.
- Programs sponsored by NIH, located elsewhere: https://www.training.nih.gov/summer_programs_outside_the_nih
- American Association of Medical Colleges(AAMC): https://services.aamc.org/summerprograms/
This is a great national database of summer programs in biomedical sciences for all levels of students. You can customize your search parameters. Some look for prospective MDs, PhDs, MD-PhDs, or all of the above.
- AAMC GREAT Group: The AAMC also has a committee (Group on Graduate Research, Education, and Training, or GREAT Group) that lists programs in biomedical sciences targeted to prospective PhD and MD-PhD students.
Programs for MD-PhD preparation: https://www.aamc.org/members/great/169782/mdphdsummerprograms.html
Research Intensive programs for PhD preparation: https://www.aamc.org/members/great/61052/great_summerlinks.html
- Summer Medical and Dental Education Programs: http://smdep.org/
Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, targeted to underrepresented minorities and/or financially disadvantaged students interested in medicine & dentistry. They are housed in 13 different institutions throughout the U.S. Freshmen or sophomores, min. GPA of 2.5, and US Citizen or permanent visa holder.
Additional Possibilities:
Click here to access an MS Excel Workbook document listing a variety of summer programs. The deadlines have not been updated to reflect the current academic year, but if you are looking to do some additional research on your own, it is a good resource to get you started. There is some information included about eligibility, notes about who is best suited, etc. However, please visit the website provided for each program and pay careful attention to any updated information and deadlines.
The majority of the programs are for summer opportunities with common deadlines of January through March, depending on the program.
Opportunities for Post-Baccalaureate Experiences
Post-baccalaureate programs are an option for students who are between undergraduate and graduate studies. They can provide valuable experiences that are both intrinsically rewarding and helpful when applying to graduate school or for employment. Below is a listing of web pages that provide information about various post-baccalaureate programs:
- The NIH Postbac IRTA program provides recent college graduates who are planning to apply to graduate or professional school an opportunity to spend one or two years performing full-time research at the NIH.
- The Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) prepares M.D.-Ph.D. students to translate scientific discoveries into applications that improve patient care.
- The Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) provides: mentored research experience in top labs at Johns Hopkins, annual salary and benefits, preparation for graduate school application and interviews, and support for attending scientific meetings.
- UPIRTA (University of Pittsburgh Intramural Research Training Award) is a post-baccalaureate research program that pairs talented underrepresented students with biomedical researchers who are studying antibiotic-resistant infectious disease or autism. Scholars who successfully complete the one-year program will be well-positioned for consideration for admission to a health sciences doctoral program at the University of Pittsburgh.
- The Post-Baccalaureate Program, University at Buffalo, SUNY School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is for students who meet certain demographic criteria, have a 21 or higher on the MCAT, and have not received acceptance to any medical schools. Candidates must apply to a participating New York State medical school to be eligible for this program. Preference is given to New York State residents.