Finding Science Internships

Planning and Resources

The time to plan your application for a summer internship is now. Application deadlines, which vary, are usually from January to March with most on February 15 and March 15. Some applications require résumés, transcripts, references, and cover letters but most are no more difficult to complete than any other job application. First year students and students who are not US citizens should apply to 15 or more internships to be sure of getting one. Use your contacts, those of other students, and those of MHC faculty to find internships.
Remember, faculty members of every college and university and medical school as well as staff members of companies who are looking for summer interns are eager to talk to you. Call a professor and ask her if she is looking for an intern. Don't be afraid to send an e-mail to a professor, most can remember many ways in which mentors helped to jump-start their own careers and will be happy to offer help and advice.
Web pages are gold mines of information on the programs. Use search engines such as Yahoo or Infoseek, and try combinations of keywords such as "summer undergraduate research internships or fellowships" or "minority summer research internships." Try the search function on the home pages of colleges, universities, companies, institutions, programs, and government agencies that interest you. Most professional organizations have listings of internship opportunities. Your department office also has postings of internships.
The NSF's Web site explains the REU Program and has application information and links to lists of all REU sites around the country. NIH has similar information on its student training Web site. Howard Hughes Medical Institute HHMI has information on many disciplines.

Useful books can be found in the science library, career resource center or department offices:

  • American Chemical Society Directory of Graduate Research 1998. Lists the faculty, their research area, current publications, education, email address, and phone numbers for departments of chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and polymer science. In the science library and the chemistry department office.
  • Peterson's Engineering, Science , and Computer Jobs. Lists all companies hiring in these areas. Many of these companies offer summer internships or you can ask them to create one for you. Many MHC students have started internship programs at companies by using their initiative. In the Career Development Center (CDC).
  • National Society for Internships and Experimental Education, National Directory of Internships. In the Science Library.
  • Research Centers Directory and International Research Centers Directory, both 1998. The listings are organized by research area, with indexes by subject, geographic location, personal names, and personal names. In the CDC.
  • Internship Bible, 1999. Indexed by interest area. See "science" for a list of their science categories. In the CDC.

* MHC Career Development Center

Along with the student comments on this web site, hard copies of student interns' final reports are available in the CDC Library. Your department office also has postings of internships. ADD Internship opportunities received by the Career Development Center are listed on INTERNCENTER. Also try Intern Exchange (put together by a consortium of schools in the Southeast & Midwest) and WCIN Internship Exchange (West), as they are produced by small consortiums of schools with different geographic focuses. These are all being constantly updated. The CDC is adding several links to their Internship web pages. Keep an eye on these pages.

Receiving Transcript Notation:
Mount Holyoke awards academic notation on a students transcript for a successfully completed internship. This indicates official recognition by Mount Holyoke College that your work has met the general standards for college internships, and that it has been endorsed by our faculty. The requirements are designed to help support you at your internship site and are fairly simple. They are:

1. The internship must involve substantive and supervised work related to your academic major, minor, area of concentration, or to the liberal arts experience.
2. The experience involves a minimum of 240 hours of work.
3. You must devise learning goals for the internship and complete both a mid-term and final evaluation of your experience.
4. Your supervisor writes an evaluation of your performance (often used as a letter of recommendation down the road).

Stop by the CDC to pick up the internship forms (Internship Learning Proposal & Sponsor Confirmation) to get this part of the process in gear.

Scholarships:
Students doing an unpaid intenship at a nonprofit organization are also eligible for scholarship money through the Mount Holyoke College Career Development Center. Several alumnae in the sciences have given funding to support such endeavors. Applications are due to the CDC by March 31st, and will be available by the end of February.

Staying in Touch with the CDC:
Fill out the green LyonNet card, available at the CDC front desk, to be put on the internship mailing list and receive information about scholarship deadlines, internship updates, alumnae sponsored internships, and more.

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