High School Internships: A Comprehensive Guide to Launching Your Future

In today's competitive landscape, high school internships offer invaluable opportunities for students to gain professional experience, explore career paths, and enhance their college applications. These experiences provide a head start in developing essential skills and distinguishing oneself in the admissions process. According to PRISM, a consultancy, a significant 70% of students attending a US News top 50 University have completed at least one internship while in high school.

Why Pursue Internships in High School?

Internships serve as a way to verify your future goals through experience. By participating in internships, students can enter college with a clearer understanding of their professional interests, making it easier to recruit into a job they love after graduation. Furthermore, students with high school internship experience often have an easier time recruiting into college internships and pre-professional organizations.

Benefits of High School Internships:

Career Exploration: Internships allow students to explore different career fields and gain insights into various industries.
Skill Development: Interns develop essential skills such as teamwork, organization, professionalism, and written communication, which are highly valued in both academic and professional settings.
Networking Opportunities: Internships provide valuable professional connections that can open doors to future opportunities, regardless of career path.
College Admissions Advantage: Completing internships demonstrates initiative and commitment to future goals, enhancing college applications.
Resume Building: Internships significantly enhance resumes, making students more competitive for future placements, programs, and roles.

Finding Internship Opportunities

There are several avenues for finding summer internships for high school students, including online search tools, official programs, and cold outreach strategies.

Online Search Tools and Lists:

StandOutSearch Database: Provides a comprehensive free resource listing internship programs for high school students, searchable by interest area.
MIT Admissions and IvyWise Blog: Offer helpful lists of high school internships.

Official Programs:

Official programs tend to be very competitive, with acceptance rates often below 20%. It is recommended to apply to at least five opportunities to increase chances of acceptance.

Cold Outreach Strategy:

Preparing a cold outreach strategy can be an effective way to find a high school internship, especially given the competitiveness of official programs.

Read also: Your Guide to Nursing Internships

Featured Internship Programs

Numerous internship programs cater to high school students with diverse interests and locations. Here are some notable opportunities:

Programs That Match You With an Internship in Your Interest Area

StandOut Connect

Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
Description: Matches gifted high school students with online internships in sectors like finance, STEM, medicine, law, and arts.

Government and Public Sector Internships

Department of State’s Pathways Internship Program

Description: Offers opportunities for students from high school to graduate level to explore Federal careers.

City and County of San Francisco Internships

Ages: Rising Juniors and Seniors
Location: San Francisco, California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
Description: Various internships and summer programs through different city departments.

San Antonio Summer Internship Program

Ages: 14-17
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
Description: Paid, part-time internships for middle and high school students to build career opportunities and goals.

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program

Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 10
Description: Stipend-paid summer internships for upper-level high school students to work on cutting-edge research and technology.

USSS Pathways Program

Description: Students gain insight into the nature and structure of the Secret Service while gaining valuable personal and professional skills. Students must be at least a junior in high school, have a minimum 2.5 GPA, and be in good academic standing.

STEM-Focused Internships

Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program

Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 26
Description: An eight-week paid summer internship and mentoring program focused on fisheries and aquatic science.

NSA Student Programs

Timeline: School Year
Deadline: TBD
Description: Allows students to learn more about NSA and deepen career field knowledge.

TECH360 Summer Bootcamp

Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Varies
Description: An intensive, 3-week program where students learn how to code through web design and web development.

Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

Timeline: Summer
Deadline: November 1
Description: Places high school students in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories to participate in Naval research.

HOPP Summer Student Program at MSKCC

Ages: Juniors
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 6
Description: An 8-week, biomedical or computational lab-based internship at MSKCC.

Zuckerman Institute’s Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC)

Ages: 15-17
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
Description: Provides high-schoolers with an immersive, hands-on summer research experience in a Columbia laboratory.

BioBus

Ages: Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: School Year
Deadline: TBD
Description: Creates immersive laboratory environments for hands-on scientific exploration.

Biorocket Research Internship Program

Ages: 16-18
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: School Year
Deadline: TBD
Description: A 6-month science research internship experience focused on genetic engineering and biology laboratory skills.

Hk Maker Lab

Ages: Juniors and Seniors
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: December 5
Description: A six-week summer program to learn the foundations of design, focusing on addressing a health problem.

Laboratory Learning Program at Princeton University

Ages: 16-18
Location: Princeton, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 15
Description: A full-time, free research experience in the sciences or engineering.

Sandia National Laboratories Internship Program

Ages: 16-19
Location: Livermore, CA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Various Deadlines
Description: Interns work on real-world, challenging projects that contribute to Sandia’s mission.

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Ages: Juniors and Seniors
Location: Stanford, CA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 21
Description: An eight-week program in which high school students perform basic research with Stanford faculty.

Tufts University Biomedical Engineering Research Scholars (TUBERS) Program

Ages: 16-17
Location: Medford, MA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
Description: Provides hands-on experience in biomedical engineering research.

Aspirnaut Summer Research Internship Program at U-M

Ages: 16-18
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 15
Description: A six-week program that aims to increase interest in basic science research.

MITES Summer Program

Ages: Juniors
Location: Cambridge, MA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 1
Description: A six-week, on-campus program that immerses US high school juniors in rigorous mathematics, science, and humanities courses.

Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) Student Research Internship Program

Description: Students will work within the program to complete a research project, encapsulating it in a final presentation to faculty.

Arts, Culture, and Humanities Internships

Georgia Aquarium’s Beginner Environmental Leadership Program

Ages: 15-17
Location: Atlanta, GA
Timeline: School Year and Summer
Deadline: Various Deadlines
Description: Empowers teens to become tomorrow’s leaders in environmental conservation.

Adler Planetarium Teen Programs

Ages: 13-18
Location: Chicago, IL
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Various Deadlines
Description: Offers various opportunities for teenagers to participate in STEAM-based programs.

New York Historical Society Internships

Description: Interns use the resources of the New York Historical Society to conduct exciting research and share their scholarship through creative projects.

Smithsonian Internships

Description: The Smithsonian offers a wide variety of internship opportunities, ranging from centrally funded opportunities that place interns throughout the Smithsonian to specific opportunities available at each of the Smithsonian’s various museums, research centers, and other units.

Carnegie Museums Internships

Description: Unpaid in-person internships are available at all four Carnegie Museums-Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum-allowing high schoolers to work in either public-facing or behind-the-scenes positions.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Internship

Description: Rising juniors and seniors from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut can connect with professionals in the fields of art, museum, and creativity at one of the world’s finest museums-The Metropolitan Museum of Art-with this awesome in-person paid internship. Over the course of this program, students will develop professional skills, build a network, and gain work experience in various departments of the museum.

NMNH Summer High School Internship Program at the Smithsonian Institution

Description: The NMNH Summer High School Internship Program at the Smithsonian Institution supports current high school attendees, ages 15 to 18 (grades 9 - 12), who are interested in learning about what it is like to work at a museum. Internships will be available to work with various departments throughout NMNH, and many interns will be able to explore both science and non-science museum work.

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Internships

Description: Every year, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage involves over a hundred interns in our various activities.

Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education

Description: Awardees of the Brown Internship are appointed based on a demonstrated interest in the field of education and museum leadership.

Healthcare and Medicine Internships

MGH Youth Scholars Program

Ages: Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
Location: Boston, MA
Timeline: School Year and Summer
Deadline: Various Deadlines
Description: Supports students by promoting educational attainment and increasing interest in science and healthcare.

High School Foundations Summer Internship Program

Ages: Juniors and Seniors
Location: Lebanon, NH
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 11
Description: A highly competitive and rigorous program designed for high school students to gain real-world experience and insights into various careers.

KP LAUNCH Internship Program at Kaiser Permanente

Ages: 16-19
Location: Across California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 9
Description: Offers young adults a variety of paid internship opportunities in healthcare environments.

Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) at Fred Hutch

Description: The Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) is a competitive, eight-week, full-time paid internship for students between 11th and 12th grade. The program is specifically designed for students who haven't had extensive research experience.

Indiana University’s Biomedicine and Behavioral Science Internship

Description: This awesome internship opportunity offers exposure in biomedicine and behavioral science to students from underrepresented populations. On Indiana University’s campus, students will learn from faculty, fellow students, and researchers to gain experience and knowledge in biomedicine and behavioral science and begin their path toward a career in these fields.

The Jackson Laboratory Internship

Description: This prestigious internship allows students to immerse themselves in genetics and genomic research at one of The Jackson Laboratory’s two campuses: Farmington, Connecticut, or Bar Harbor, Maine.

Other Notable Programs

Ladder Internships

Description: Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars.

NIST’s Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP)

Description: Students interested in science can spend their summers in our labs at the Boulder, CO, or the Gaithersburg, MD, campuses through NIST’s Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP). Students learn from top scientists at NIST and work on your own research project.

Microsoft’s Discovery Program

Description: In Microsoft’s Discovery Program, students will learn a lot about the world of computer science and programming.

Mission Bit

Description: This eye-opening internship allows Chicago high schoolers to engage with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) fields while preparing for a variety of careers. Participants are given space for personal growth and scientific experimentation while connecting with peers from around the city.

YouthWorks Summer Program

Description: This paid internship connects a diverse group of socially concerned high school juniors and seniors with non-profits to serve their communities and build leadership. Participants leave the program with a firsthand look at how non-profits, governments, and businesses collaborate to meet local needs and the skills needed to bring about positive change. The program includes a one-week in-person summit in Washington D.C., where students will congregate and continue to develop their skills.

Global Vision International

Description: High school students 16 years of age or older can participate in this internship and provide front-line support for social issues in India, without having to leave the comfort of their home. Interns can expect to help with everything from writing reports to fundraising to creating content for social media.

Boston’s Architecture Firms Internship

Description: Aspiring Boston-area architects will want to look into this paid internship pairing students with local architecture firms.

Virtual Internships

Virtual internships offer a gateway and a smooth transition into the professional world. They provide flexibility and allow students to develop discipline and independence.

Benefits of Virtual Internships:

Flexibility: Remote internship programs offer flexible full and part-time options to accommodate busy high school students.
Global Connections: Remote internships eliminate international boundaries, allowing interns to create global connections from the comfort of their own homes.
Skill Development: High school students can develop essential workplace skills, such as teamwork, organization, professionalism, and written communication skills.
Career Coaching: Interns benefit from coaching sessions with experienced career coaches.

Types of Virtual Internships:

Entrepreneurship: Provides a strong foundation in the business world, with placements in sectors like green energy, technology, and social entrepreneurship.
Marketing: Delivers key skills in social media, blogging, and design, allowing interns to develop portfolios.
Nonprofit: Offers placements with international nonprofits and NGOs in fields such as human rights, women’s rights, social justice, and animal welfare.

Summer Internships

Summer internships are the perfect way for high school students to gain experience before launching their university careers. Time out of classes means motivated high school students can focus on their personal and professional development. Summer internships for high school students offer a chance to develop applicable skills and knowledge in a professional setting, and to learn about their potential future fields. These placements, whether in-person or remote, ensure students take advantage of a critical time in their careers, regardless of challenges posed in the current global climate.

How to Apply

Application Form: Start by filling out a short application form and submitting your CV or resume.
Interview: Schedule an interview with an admissions officer.
Matching: If accepted, you’ll be matched with a company for your internship.

Placements range from 4 weeks to 6 months, with both full-time and part-time options available. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible, and no later than 3 months before the desired start date. Internships are offered year-round, with regular monthly start dates.

What to Expect During an Internship

An internship is essentially an introductory work experience in a professional career field. It is sometimes paid, though usually at the lowest end of the pay scale, and it is sometimes unpaid. For example, if you get an internship in a research lab, usually you won’t jump right into hands-on lab work. Instead, you’ll start with things like cleaning the lab and entering data into spreadsheets. Before you commit to an internship, you should always make sure that you are clear on the expectations. Have a good understanding of the time commitment, the length of the internship, the responsibilities, and whether or not you’ll be receiving anything in exchange. Some unpaid internships might offer other perks like free classes at related institutions, travel reimbursement, or even housing. Internships are a great way to break into difficult career fields. For students who want to gain experience in research, medicine, law, or other professions normally requiring an advanced degree, an internship is a way to gain some insight and experience without the commitment of a degree.

The Impact of Internships on College Admissions

In general, any internship is beneficial to your application, but some are more influential than others. For example, the more high-profile and selective the opportunity, the better it looks to a prospective school. Similarly, the more responsibility and leadership a student demonstrates in an internship position, the more likely it is to catch the eye of an admissions office.

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