Congratulations on finishing your research internship! You should feel incredibly proud of learning so much at such a high professional level. Many high school students forget about their internships after they complete them. However, it is important to follow up on your internship with a few final tasks. Here are my tips as to what you should do after finishing your research internship:
- Take stock of what you learned. Like I have mentioned in other articles, spend time reflecting on everything you have learned. Make sure to store your notebook and notes from the internship in a safe place where you can easily reference them in the future. Write down which concrete, industry-specific skills, such as research techniques, lab etiquette, and proper PPE, and soft skills, such as communication, adaptability, and responsibility, you developed throughout the course of your internship. By taking stock of what you learned, which skills you honed, and the contributions you made to the lab during your internship, you can see how you are now prepared to make similar contributions at future internships and possibly even jobs.
- Update your resume. If you have not already created a resume, make one! Resumes are extremely helpful in the long run, and it is a good idea to get started on creating your resume early. Add your newly-finished research internship to your list of accomplishments on your resume. Participating in professional research as a high schooler is no small feat, and your resume should reflect that.
- Keep in touch with your mentor and lab. It is a great idea to maintain a strong relationship with your mentor and lab. They are some of the first professional connections you have made in the research field, and you never know when you may need to call upon them for a letter of recommendation or as a reference for a future internship/job.
- Make a scientific research poster. If you want to take your learning from the internship one step further, consider creating a scientific research poster. There are several benefits of creating a research poster: one, you are preparing yourself for the future when you create research posters and write papers as a college student; two, you can compete in highly prestigious science fair competitions and potentially win; three, creating a research poster can greatly deepen your learning and interest in the field you studied; four, you can submit your research poster as a supplemental piece of information to your college applications — colleges love to see students go above and beyond, and that is exactly what you did through your research poster. If you want to learn more about research posters, read my article about how to create a research poster as well as my personal experiences creating a research poster.
Completing these final few tasks after finishing your research internship is just as important as preparing for the internship or working during the internship.