StandOut Connect Fall
The only global program matching high school students with meaningful internships.
The Structure
StandOut Connect is a two-part online program spanning three months. In the first part, students will participate in a month of interactive weekend workshops paired with collaborative homework. Weekend workshops will occur on Sundays and contain one hour of course material, followed by optional office hours where instructors answer individualized questions. Workshops are non-mandatory and will be recorded for students that cannot attend. Homework in preparation for workshops will take no more than two hours. Students will be taught how to build their resume and story for both college admissions and internship recruitment by alumni from The University of Chicago who have broken into competitive industries such as venture capital. They will also be taught how to incorporate essential modern technologies such as OpenAI into their workflows. Finally, they will interview with companies until they accept an internship offer. Each student in our program is guaranteed an internship placement.
In the second part, students will participate in a two-month remote asynchronous internship at a company sourced from the entrepreneurship ecosystems of top universities (The Yale Entrepreneurial Society, Stanford’s Cardinal Ventures) and accelerators that accept the top 1% of companies (Techstars and Y Combinator). During their internship, they will create a project with real impact and have the opportunity to receive an optional return offer.
Students are generally expected to contribute at most 10 hours per week on average to their internships during the school year.
Student Outcomes
Future Internships
80% of students receive optional return offers. Students also frequently use the network from their internship to find their next internship or start building the network to recruit into competitive fields such as finance during college.
Meaningful Impact
During their internship, students are given responsibility for spearheading a project. Previously, they have created websites, led sales calls, created social media accounts reaching a million+ customers, and helped bring in $5 million+ in investment.
College & Beyond
Our students have gone on to receive full scholarships from local universities and attend top universities globally. 97% of our students say they felt better prepared to pursue their career interests during college after completing the StandOut program.
Curriculum & Dates
Dates are flexible, and we have leeway to work around the conflicts and requirements of individual students.
Weeks 1-5: Professional Training
Sept. 3rd
The first weekend workshop will cover internship and college application strategy (how to pitch yourself with a compelling story and build a college-level resume and LinkedIn presence).
Preparation materials spanning no more than two hours will be given one week in advance of workshops and due before the workshop starts.
Students will be assigned a student partner within their cohort to work with on assignments and support each other throughout the internship experience.
Sept. 10th
The second weekend workshop will cover interview and networking best practices.
Students will participate in mock interviews and learn how to network for various industries they may want to recruit into during college.
Sept. 17th
The third-weekend workshop will cover general professionalism and how to succeed during your internship. Students will learn appropriate etiquette for digital communications and meetings, how to approach problems independently, and when to ask for help.
Students will begin interviewing with companies to find their internship match.
Sept. 24th
The fourth-weekend workshop will cover the software stack used by most innovative companies today and how to integrate tools such as OpenAI into workflows.
Students will receive their company placements. Companies will select students based on their interests and previous experience.
Oct. 1st
The fifth and final weekend workshop will cover how to approach specific tasks students will be given during their internships, such as web design or lead generation.
Weeks 6-14: Internship
Oct. 2 - Dec. 1
Students will participate in a two-month remote, asynchronous internship at their company match.
They will spearhead impactful projects within their organization and have the chance to receive recommendation letters from company founders who have attended top universities internationally.
Most students receive return offers and have the option to continue their internship as long as they would like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
Answer
Who is eligible to apply?
How does the admissions process work?
How much is the program tuition?
Any student who will be 15 or older by September 2023 can apply. International students must have demonstrated English fluency and be willing to adapt to a US time zone.
Our Early Application Deadline is July 1st, with students being informed of their application status by July 3rd. We encourage students to apply early so we can base our company selections around their interests and skills. Our Regular Application Deadline is August 8th, with students being informed of their application status by August 16th.
$1,950. This covers the cost of our program, including instructors, company sourcing & vetting, as well as our scholarship program for low-income students. We will be extending as many scholarships as possible and highly encourage you to apply regardless of your financial status! Please indicate in your application if you will need financial assistance to participate.
How much is the workload?
Students will generally be expected to contribute at most five hours per week during September and at most 10 hours per week on average once their internships start in October. All work is remote and asynchronous, and internship mentors will accommodate students' academic commitments.