Congrats on getting a research opportunity as just a high school student!! You should be so proud of yourself for putting in the work to find this incredible internship and extremely excited for the possibilities of research that await you.
However, there are a couple steps between getting the research opportunity and starting to work in the lab. In my experience, I have seen that most students find their research opportunity at least 3 to 4 months before they actually start working in the lab — for me, I found my research internship in February but didn’t start working in the lab till June. Most students tend to forget about their research internship during these 3 to 4 months, thinking that they cannot do anything related to their internship until they actually get to their first day in the lab. This is not true! Your research internship starts the minute you get a “Yes” response from the lab, not the minute you set foot in the lab.
There are several important things you can do in preparation for your research internship that not only prepare you for the technical work you will be doing, but also establish a good relationship with your mentor. So, here are my tips:
- Thank your lab’s PI and your mentor for accepting you as an intern. The very first thing you should do after you get a positive response from a lab is immediately send them a thank you. Profoundly thank them for giving you the opportunity and express your excitement at working with their team and in their lab. Remember that the lab’s PI is doing you a huge favor by taking you on as an intern, so make sure to acknowledge and thank them for their help. Specifically cite projects or opportunities that you are looking forward to doing in the lab to show your PI and mentor your genuine interest and passion for working in their lab. By sending this short email, you are creating a good impression of yourself in the eyes of your PI and mentor.
- Identify your research project. In the same thank you email, ask your PI and mentor to set up a short Zoom call or in-person meeting with you so that you can talk to them about which research project you would like to work on. Most often, your PI will assign you to shadow the research project that your mentor is working on. Sometimes, though, your PI may ask you to voice your own thoughts on a research project, so be sure to come prepared to the meeting by reading up on the lab’s previous projects and thinking about what you might be interested in.
- Ask your PI and mentor for reading materials. Once you have chosen a research project, you can start to familiarize yourself with the technicalities and basics of the project, even though you may not be able to directly get to work. Send an email to your PI and mentor and ask them to send you scientific research papers, videos, and other articles related to the research project you will be working on. By doing so, you are not only showing your PI and mentor your genuine passion and interest in the research project, but also you are taking initiative of this opportunity and creating a positive impression. Your PI and mentor will appreciate that you are willing to learn as much as possible from the research internship and will most likely be happy to provide you with some learning materials.
- Thoroughly understand the reading materials. By the time the start date of your internship rolls around, you should completely understand every word of the reading materials that your PI and mentor had previously sent you. You want to show up completely prepared and ready with all of your knowledge so that your mentor doesn’t have to spend time clarifying concepts with you and you can instead jump straight into the research. Some strategies for properly understanding the materials are to analyze the scientific papers thoroughly (if you need help with this skill, check out this article), take notes on videos and articles, and search up and/or make note of any terms or phrases you do not understand.
- Continue to check in with your PI and mentor. Sending check in emails to your PI and mentor can be a great way to remind them that your internship is nearing and show them your eagerness for starting the internship. You can do a couple of different things in these check in emails: one, you can ask for more reading materials, if you are done with the previous set they had sent; two, you can check in about any formal documentation that needs to be filled out, such as lab/university paperwork (more about this in tip #6).
- Ask about lab paperwork. It is crucial to check with your PI about paperwork because almost all labs will have elaborate paperwork for you to fill out to properly establish yourself as a research intern in the lab. This paperwork may include things like HIPAA (privacy laws), training instructions, legal documents, etc. You may also have to get a keycard or badge made so that you can physically enter the lab once you start working in the lab.
- Go to your first day of the internship prepared. Show up to your first day of the internship on time (preferably early) and with all your materials prepared. Bring your laptop, notebook, pens and pencils, reading materials, keycard and/or badge, and anything else your PI and mentor may have mentioned. Being prepared, organized, and neat will make a strong, positive impression on your PI and mentor, and it will set the course for a great internship.
So, now you know how to prepare for your time working in the lab without actually being in the lab. These 7 steps are absolutely crucial to complete before your research opportunity as it will help you create a good impression on your PI and mentor as well as prepare you for your upcoming internship. Get excited — your research internship is going to be a whirlwind of fun and learning!