High School Internship FAQs

Eligibility

No, you cannot. You can apply for the program next year when you are a junior. You may be able to apply for ambassador programs or courses if available.
You are not eligible for our high school internship, but you can wait to apply next year for our Undergraduate internship.
You will need to check with your legal counsel on this type of matter. Based on your visa, sometimes even unpaid internships are not allowed, but service learning experiences can be. Please check first. Websites such as this one might also be helpful in determining eligibility: https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/study-or-work-under-f2-visa--internships-under-f2--1630906.html
You cannot apply for this round, but you can apply next year if you are eligible.

Application Features

Type up a rough list of the courses you have taken, the estimated grades you received, and the name and address of your school. Upload that document as your unofficial transcript with your application. When schools reopen, we will verify with your unofficial transcript, if needed.
Let us know via email, copying the teacher you have requested the letter from. When schools reopen, we will follow up with the teacher, if needed.
You can edit your application as many times as you want before the deadline. We will not review it until the deadline.
January 24 Application process opens. March 19 at 4:00pm Application window closes. March 20 - April 20 Review of applications. April 21 - April 30 All applicants with complete applications receive an email notification of their status. May 1 - May 30 Deeper review with phone and/or in-person interviews. June 1 - June 7 Notification of status and offers. June 29 First day working at ISB for HS Internship. August 3 First day of Carbon's Fate course at UW. August 14 Last day of Carbon's Fate course at UW. August 21, 2020 Last day working at ISB for HS internship.
Additional files include your transcript and resume. This is also where you can showcase any additional work that might strengthen your application.
Yes, the position is at the Institute for Systems Biology which is in Seattle only.
Yes, as long as you are eligible based on your grade level, you can apply to multiple internships.
Yes. On your application, make sure to click the “Service Learning” option. Also, describe in the section asking about “educational benefit” that you’d like volunteer hours. We could help document any needs for your school to accept these as volunteer hours.
Be sure the recommendation letter includes the teacher's name, contact information, and affiliation, the date, and the applicants name along with the letter itself. Encourage your teacher to include information about you that we cannot see in your resume or application. Descriptions of your work ethic, passions, personality and working style, etc. are all useful to include.
They should send their letter to the see@isbscience.org email or mail a hard copy to 401 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109. A PDF version of the letter is preferred.
You should include all available transcripts from high school and beyond. This includes transcripts from multiple high schools, Running Start, and technical schools. Your transcripts should span all years (not just your current year/semester).

Work-Life Questions

Housing is not provided. Students will need to arrange their own housing. This is a paid internship though, and we can offer advice in the process.
There is limited parking available at ISB. Most interns either bus or are dropped off. ISB will provide you with an unlimited ORCA card for bus services.
We offer ORCA cards to high school interns.
During the internship hiring process, we talk with students and analyze their essays so that we can match students with available projects and mentors. The idea is for students and mentors to pick projects together - so yes, in a way you do pick your own project. But that project is aligned with current and/or new projects at ISB. Also, the internship allows for the development of skills outside your project including website design, curriculum development and interviewing. The work you do in these areas is up to you and picked by you and your fellow interns.
No, the HS internship application process is your first opportunity to work with the ISB team. We encourage you to stay connected with us throughout your journey. We offer numerous positions along your STEM career continuum and encourage you to apply again. Also, we are happy to offer advice along the way.
Here are two examples (of many!) from previous interns describing what their typical day looks like: 2019 Interns, and 2018 Interns View other intern webpages for more examples of what a typical day as a HS intern at ISB looks like.
Work hours are flexible based on your particular internship. Interns work approximately 40 hours a week which typically falls between a 9:00AM - 5:00PM M-F work schedule. However, interns can work out specific schedules with their mentors.

Other

Internships based on your area: https://www.pathwaystoscience.org/oceanscience.aspx   These are two very hands-on, laboratory-based experiences (scholarships are available for both if needed): Project Biotech at Shoreline Community College and Camp BioMed through NWABR.   Other internships in the local area include: Seattle Children's Research Institute Internships and Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center Internships.   The TEALs program has a terrific list of compiled internship and summer opportunities: https://www.tealsk12.org/students.   Coding for Medicine offers summer camps for high schoolers.   There is also the WaNIC summer course of which we participate in (find information in mid-March).