During your formative years, you learn a lot beyond the confines of your classroom walls. High school internships are an excellent way of translating your classroom knowledge and theories into real-world practice. Many high schools are now officially encouraging their junior and high schools to search for internship opportunities. They see it as a means of carving their potential career path, gaining skills on the ground, and familiarizing themselves with workplace contexts. It is considered to be the most ideal way of understanding what it’s like to be out there in the world, contributing to society.
Education experts say that the goal of internships in high school is experience and learning instead of finding a full-time paid job; therefore, internships are a more fun learning experience than a 9-5 ordeal. Navigating through an internship experience can be daunting in the face of new challenges, new people, and facing ground realities. Nevertheless, it is an extremely fulfilling and rewarding experience.
Navigating your first internship experience: A few tips
Here are a few things you can keep in mind if you are about to commence your first internship:
- Consider everything a learning experience. You might not be assigned the most challenging tasks at first, or you may be trained for a considerable amount of time. Do not forget that everything that is served to you is a learning opportunity in and of itself.
- Take on challenges. If you feel like your current task load is below your skill capacity, communicate to your manager your need to take on more challenging tasks. It is always a fulfilling exercise to push your own boundaries.
- Ground yourself. Being exposed to people who are more experienced and wise can make you nervous. It is a good idea to ground yourself in your current situation, know your own position, and approach them with a learning mindset.
- Communicate and network. Your internship is your gateway to building your first network in your academic and career trajectory. Use this opportunity to talk to new people, learn about their experiences, ask them questions, communicate your concerns, and get their feedback and guidance.
Here are some internships you can consider
To make things easier, we have curated a list of reliable and educational internships for you to be on the lookout for:
- The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Science Program: This is an 8-week, fully funded summer research program for students, especially from underrepresented communities. You will get the opportunity to participate in research under the guidance and mentorship under the most talented researchers. You also get a chance to participate in projects, discussions, scientific seminars, and so on.
- Ladder Internships: Curated specially for high school students, Ladder internships allow students to work with top start-ups and NGOs on real-world projects. It is an 8-week program that costs around $1990, including weekly meetings with supervisors from start-ups.
- NASA Internships: NASA’s Pathways Intern Employment Program helps students explore their potential career paths in STEM while they are still in school.
- MET High School Internship: The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers paid internships to students in grades 10 or 11, who either reside in or attend high school or home school in New York City. It is a great place for high school students to connect with arts, museums, and other creative professionals.
- Microsoft Discovery Program: Built specifically for high school students, Microsoft’s High School Discovery Program allows students to receive hands-on learning in which they can explore technology opportunities at Microsoft. It is a 4-week internship in which students can experience the design phase of the product development cycle. Additionally, they also build foundational skills while gaining mentorship from Microsoft employees.
- Scripps Student Research Internship Program: A 10-week summer program for high school students and graduates, Scripps Student Research Program is built with the goal of equipping students with skills to excel in the fields of health sciences, statistics, and computer science.
- Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Intern Program: FPRI’s internship program extends through summer, fall, and spring break for high school students. In this program, they get a chance to connect with people from the foreign relations community and become a part of the prestigious think tank. They also get active mentorship support from professionals in the field.
- Google Computer Science Summer Institute: Google’s Computer Science Institute is an online program that extends for a duration of 4 weeks for students interested in computer science. It helps students learn computer science fundamentals, engage in work to develop skills, and connect with a community of peers and industry experts.
In our experience, internships have been a great way to add extra luster to college applications. It is extremely valuable for developing a student’s whole personality and making them stand out from the many other applicants. Internships and leadership roles are one of the most important features of any aspirational student’s application to international colleges. We have observed innumerable students who have used the networking abilities they acquired from their internships to interact with professors and peers on campus. This is instrumental in launching fulfilling college careers and opening doors from the outset.
If you are considering finding your next internship, we wish you good luck on your learning journey. It is going to be great!
