How to Apply for an NIH Summer Internship

The type of mentoring you require will depend on your interests and level of education.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offer a Summer Internship Program (SIP) for students from high school to Ph.D. candidates. While you don't need prior research experience at the lower levels, the competition is tight. You'll need excellent grades and to present yourself professionally.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Internet
• Letters of Recommendation
• Email address

1. Visit nih.gov for the list of institutes.Decide what type of research you would like to participate in. The NIH is made up of 27 institutes, ranging from the National Cancer Institute to the National Institute on Aging to the NIH Clinical Center and much more in between. Within a particular institute, you will usually find laboratories that concentrate on clinical or laboratory research, so you'll need to decide which interests you more.

2. Explore the websites of the institutes that interest you to familiarize yourself with the work they do. Be aware that while the majority of the National Institutes of Health are located in Bethesda, Maryland, just north of Washington, DC, some institutes are located in Baltimore and Rockville, Maryland, and some are located as far away from Bethesda as Arizona.

3. Compose an email expressing your interest to the different Primary Investigators (PIs) who head the labs of your choice. This is a very important step. Students who have contact with their top labs of choice are more successful in actually getting an internship. Consult the NIH Training & Education website for "Thoughts on Choosing a Research Mentor."

4. Complete the online application. The NIH SIP application period opens in mid-November of the year preceding the summer you are applying for and closes the following March 1. The sections you fill out will require personal information, academic information -- school, GPA, major, etc.-- prior coursework, a copy of your CV/resume, cover letter, areas of scientific interest and which Institutes you are most interested in.

5. Select two people to write letters of recommendation. You will input their information into the application, and they will receive instructions on how to submit their letters online.

6. Visit training.nih.gov/student/sip/ for additional information, FAQs, program coordinators' contact information and access to a document on how to submit a successful application.

7. Follow up with any PIs who expressed interest. Let them know that you applied, and that you are still interested in doing research in their lab.

8. If you are chosen for an internship, you will receive a call at some point and will then receive a packet of information asking for additional information. You have the internship at this point. Internships last for at least eight weeks and pay a stipend of $1700 to $3100, depending on where you are in school. Check the website for specifics.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact those you would like to write your recommendation letter before adding their names to your application. Otherwise, they will be notified before they hear from you.

• Some Institutes choose summer students well before the application deadline, while others wait until after the deadline has passed. It's best to apply as early as possible.

• Don't carpet email the PIs in one institute or several institutes. They tend to appreciate an interest in their subjects but don't appreciate spam.

• Follow the website guidelines for writing a professional email. Assume the person you are contacting has the title of "Dr." unless you know otherwise.

References

• NIH; Office of Training & Education; Training Programs in the Biomedical Sciences