College Programs vs Lab Work

Pre-College Topics Summer Programs
1

Basically what the title says; what is worth more as an extracurricular, college programs or something like working in a lab in a college?

I am really interested in medicine and biological sciences. I took a precollege course at Adelphi for credit in 2023 and absolutely loved it. Small classes, experienced professors, and plenty of lab experience. Underrated as heck. Finished with a 4.0 GPA on a transcript. More recently, I started shadowing at a local city hospital, which I loved even more. Even though I couldn’t (legally) do much but follow the doctor around and view scans and ask questions, it was so exhilarating and I was never bored.

Now, im looking for my plan for the summer of 2024. I applied to HOPP and made it to the second round which was top 15%, but unfortunately I was rejected in the final round. As much as this program would have been my dream, it had a 1.5% acceptance rate. What really kicked was getting rejected from my backup program- a female-centered science program at a local hospital. I went into HOPP knowing the odds of me getting in were statistically so low that I needed a backup, but what I didn’t account for was the backup itself. I assumed it wouldn’t be a problem since it was not well-known/prestigious and the application process was so simple, but clearly I was wrong. I tried researching the acceptance rate and admissions of said program and got absolutely zero results.

So now im stuck. For summer extracurriculars, I work 2 jobs, shadow a doctor at a hospital, and do regular community service but none of that makes you stand out. Additionally, I find research and studying and otherwise getting hands-on experience extremely fun and not getting that opportunity over the summer would really upset me, knowing I had the chance.

What should I do? Columbia’s Summer Program is available, but I heard really mixed things about it. While I would definitely enjoy it, it is super expensive and I don’t want my application loaded with paid programs. On the other hand, I could do independent research, but that would be really difficult. Not difficult in doing the research part, but knowing where to start. I have no family connections to any hospitals or universities- I got my shadowing job from a visiting school alumni. Should I just cold-email professors of local college? Working in a University lab on something I am passionate about would absolutely be a dream but I have no idea how to start.

Any advice would be appreciated. I feel like im doomed.

2

Work your two paid jobs (or get more hours at one job at quit the other). Do normal HS stuff. Or join a summer book club and read things you never have a chance to read during the school year. Clean up a decrepit, 19th century cemetery in your area and create a searchable database so that people can find the graves of their ancestors. Visit every historical society in your area. Take a train someplace cool and blog about it. Perfect your recipe for gluten-free pizza.

You do not need to load up on anything else pre-professional to stand out. You’ll stand out by being the best version of yourself that you can be.

Do a podcast with a grandparent or an elderly person in your neighborhood describing summertime when they were young?

2 Likes
3

You do not have to do medical or research related activities in HS in order to get accepted to college as a biology major (or other major).

I would continue working the 2 jobs and doing community service. It’s fine to continue shadowing, but it isn’t necessary…at all.

What else can you do? You can work at a camp, babysit, read (as noted above), start a book club, tutor, teach a neighborhood kid how to play soccer, etc. offer to walk your elderly neighbors dog, etc.

That’s it! My recommendation is to stop worrying about what is “worth more” when it comes to ECs.

2 Likes
4

The thing is, I dont like those things. Feels cruel to say this, but I don’t want to spend my summer doing things I do all year round. I want to do science, thats my fun.

5

I wish it were that simple, but ive never seen someone on here get accepted to a T50 without some crazy extracurricular. I simply wont allow myself to fall behind. Besides, my parents really want me doing something.

And maybe above all, as I stated before, I want my summer to be me having fun. Science is fun. Biology is fun. I dont wanna be doing stuff I do all year round

6

Can you take a community college biology class in the summer? Intro Bio is super easy pretty much everywhere. Do well, you can always ask the professor to hook you up to work for the school. It won’t be “research” but any experience inside a biology lab, even if you mop floor and wash dishes, will set your resume apart when you attend a university.

Community college biology departments hire student workers to prepare for lab sessions and it actually pays ok.

I don’t know what your current two jobs are, but if you are interested in “science” I would suggest start with a CC class and see what opens up for you.

7

It’s only crazy because people have not thought of them.

1 Like
8

I would personally recommend that you completely ignore whatever impact, if any, this choice will have on university admissions. Instead, pay attention to what is constructive and makes sense for you, and what opportunities are available to you.

This is the right reason to get research experience. It is however difficult to get research experience as a high school student.

Think about the people that you know from your work, and from shadowing, and from community service. Ask them if they could suggest any opportunities that you could participate in.

I have a daughter currently doing biotech research. I am pretty sure that she just worked a regular job for the summer between high school and university, and again for the summer after her freshman year of university. She did get involved in research over the summer after her sophomore year of university, and again during her junior year of university and over the summer and following school year after that.

You are likely to similarly find opportunities to get involved in research at some point after you start university. However, you do not need to attend a “top 50” university to do this. There are a lot of universities and colleges that are involved in a very wide range of research.

I think that this is exactly right. Be yourself. Be genuine. Be responsible. Be kind.

And this is very true also.

2 Likes
9

Same thing happened to me—rejected from all summer programs and now looking for an opportunity to research in labs near me. I got some feedback from other people (as young as 15) who have done researched in a local lab , and they all reached out via cold email. However I am not sure which is “better” for ECs on college apps, but I think it is better to do research than do nothing.

2 Likes
10

It is not a good idea to choose ECs based on what looks “better” on college apps (responding to a comment made above).

I agree about asking around to see if anybody knows of any opportunities. It is hard to get lab experience as a HS student, but ask! Ask your science teacher!

My kids worked in a camp during HS. One of my kids also spent part of the summer cleaning out her school’s yearbook closet, and learned a lot in the process. She was in involved in research right away in college and continued for all 4 years. This included a summer research position in a very well known research hospital. She was also published. She did not have any research experience in HS.

If you are interested in lab work and different medical related ECs, and can get these positions as a HS student….thats great. Talk to people and see if they can help. Talk to the doctor you shadowed, etc.

BUT…if you cannot find what you are looking for, this will not prevent you from achieving your goals in college.

Lastly…working in a lab (in any capacity) is a wonderful experience…but it does not guarantee acceptance to any college. Students are accepted to excellent schools all the time without these experiences.

Adding: there are online science journals for HS students. Why not get a few friends together who share your interests and spend some time reading and discussing?

1 Like
11

I was thinking of that and it sounds ideal, only problem is that there’s no local CCs. Ill try with that. Should I just cold email a professor?

12

Thanks. Im just so, so stressed out abt it. And unfortunately none of my friends share my passion for science. Tbh we are only friends because I knew them for like a decade

13

Well then why not spend time reading journals on your own?

That, along with your 2 summer jobs, should keep you busy while also allowing for time with friends and family.

Have you considered working in a camp for children with various disabilities? You would learn a lot about topics related to science, biology, genetics etc.

1 Like
14

None near here. Though I could definitely look.

My parents would be really suspicious if I was just “reading journals” and not doing anything with it. But yk what? Its my life. Maybe ill start this afternoon.

15

Suspicious? Of reading HS science journals? I see it as engaging in your interests, learning about topics you enjoy.

If you did work at Adelphi I assume you live on Long Island. Plenty of camps there.

Social skills, autism, cochlear implants etc… all involve science.

1 Like
16

You’re wrong. Colleges love to see students working. You’re shadowing and volunteering. This seems like a jam packed summer schedule already. You do not need more stuff to do this summer. You don’t need to do expensive stuff this summer. If keeping busy is the goal, just do more of the things you’ve already done. If you want to do lab work and have a chance to do it, go for it. I don’t think Columbia’s program is more helpful than the stuff you’re already doing.

5 Likes
17

All my kids accepted to T50’s with nothing crazier than working fast food, plain vanilla hourly summer jobs, recording books for the blind, volunteering for causes they cared about, etc.

You already sound burnt out and you aren’t even in college yet!

1 Like
18

My S24, and many others we know, have gotten admitted to “T50s”, “T20s”, highly-ranked LACs, and other very selective colleges without doing anything “crazy” over their summers.

Of course I think summers can be very productive times in a variety of ways–having fun, meeting people, exploring interests, getting new experiences, making some money, doing things to prepare for the upcoming school season, and so on.

Like, my S24 did a college summer program where he took a couple regular summer college classes, and while I don’t think that helped him get admitted anywhere in any direct sense, it did help him get a better understanding of what he might want to study in college, better sense of what he actually wanted in a college generally, and also helped him prepare for his senior year classes (and it certainly doesn’t hurt if your midyear report looks stellar). He and a lot of his friends also did sports camps that helped them prepare for their varsity sports, and so on.

A few did fancier things, but again many did not. And frankly, I am not sure the ones who did fancier things in the summer really needed to on top of the fancy things they were already doing during the school year.

On the other hand, this is a solid reason to want to do science this summer. I think you should just explore your options and do whatever sounds most fun. And if you put aside your concerns about how this will look to colleges, and just do what you think sounds most fun and rewarding, ironically that will probably help you most with colleges anyway. Again, not necessarily directly, but in the sense of helping you better understand yourself and your interests, which can ultimately be reflected in things like the colleges you choose, and then the essays you write about why you are choosing those colleges, your academic interests, and so on.

1 Like
19

My daughter attended a “highly ranked” public university. She worked in a camp, played sports, was the yearbook editor, student council, peer tutor etc. She had a leadership position in an organization (related to biology). You are doing community service now- great!!! Keep it up!!!

She also loved biology. Majored in biology. Did college research in biology. Will eventually start her career… in a field related to biology. She did not work in a lab or do research in HS.

You are doing a lot already. There is no need to add more. Do what you enjoy without worrying about college. If a lab job comes up, terrific! If not, it’s ok.

1 Like
20

Hello!

It looks like my problem a year ago and I managed to do this, and I will try to explain how.
So, basically, you are right, the thing that helped me the most - cold emails to professors. What I would say, don’t expect very much when writing to professors with loud names. Instead, try searching a lab inside a known institution. For example, do you know UMass? So there are plenty of institutes associated with (I don’t know if I phrased that correctly) it. I emailed one professor who, at some point, helped me a little with my science fair project presentation preparation. After that I have heard a lot from professors that the most valuable is to email the lab holder directly. They really value if the person emails them directly, this shows passion and curiosity and that is what sets you apart.

So try searching online what universities are in your state and the labs that are in it. Better not choose the one which is overwhelmed with people. Pick the one which does what really interests you and email the leading professor, whose name the lab holds.

What can help is the possible relation to a professor. Please excuse me, this is only for an example, say if you are from Brazil, it is more likely that a professor who is originally from Brazil too will help you.

Try researching their lab, read some publications made by them. And when emailing the professor try to show that you know them and really value their work. Write with passion. In a formal tone, but show emotions. We are still teenagers and people really value to see mature thinking with youth sparkle. You see what I mean. If you get interviewed, be very polite (of course) but speak with a “fire in eyes”. The way you are writing it here I see that you are a person of your dream, so do not hold it away when speaking to people. Be as honest, open and outgoing as you feel comfortable.

This is what, to my mind, brought me to the lab where I am lucky to work. And when in the lab, try to give ideas, not only listen. I think you will not have problems with that, this was just a little bit hard for me since English was my second language and I am a bit introvert, but the people are really nice and in the lab I feel like in my second home.

So definitely try emailing professors. A rough plan for the process:

  1. Search for an institution, better some medical school or university (there are more choices there) in your state
  2. Find a lab with not the most loud name but that would interest you
  3. Research this lab, visit their website, read profiles of people that work in it, publications, any info
  4. Find an email of the leading professor. This person you should research the most
  5. Email the professor with the following points:
  • explain you are a highly motivated high school student and show some (not a lot, try to not make it your resume) of your acomplishments, like your said, precollege programs, shadowing a doctor in the hospital (this may be controversional, so think about if you should include this, I really don’t know)
  • say a couple things that stood out to you in their lab, like a discovery or a publication, they always want to know what captured people’s attention
  • say that you would be grateful if they took you for some research if they have places
  • think about anything else that can differentiate you

This will not 100% get you a research, but I hope that my post at least made some things more clear :slight_smile:

1 Like