10 Neuroscience Internships for High School Students
- Estelle Reardon
- Aug 29
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 5
Topics We Cover:
Why Do Internships in High School?
Before exploring neuroscience internships for high school students, it’s worth understanding why they matter. According to PRISM, 70% of students at U.S. News top 50 universities completed at least one high school internship. These experiences help you stand out in the admissions process by demonstrating that you’ve actively explored and validated your future interests.
How to Find Neuroscience Internships for High School Students
Online search tools and lists are a well-established method for discovering high school neuroscience internships. The StandOutSearch database is a great place to get started—it’s the largest free online collection of high school internships. Another helpful resource is a list of high school internships collected by MIT Admissions.
Landing an official internship can be challenging—there are often more students seeking these opportunities than available positions. If you’re serious about finding a neuroscience internship in high school, you should also prepare a cold outreach strategy. A cold outreach strategy is proactively contacting potential internship providers without a prior connection to them.
Many high schoolers find the prospect of cold outreach daunting. Don’t worry! At the end of this article, we share some tips for developing a cold outreach strategy, as well as email templates for connecting with prospective internship hosts.
10 Neuroscience Internships for High School Students
The majority of the internships below have acceptance rates under 20%. Given the competitive nature of these programs, we recommend applying for at least five opportunities. If you see an opportunity that interests you, write the deadline on your calendar, so you don’t miss your chance at an experience that excites you.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
StandOut Connect helps motivated and high-achieving high school students secure online internships in fields like:
Arts
Engineering
Finance
Law
Math
Medicine
Science
Technology
The program is powered by StandOutSearch—the largest free database of high school internships—and has been featured in Forbes. StandOut Connect was developed with support from The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Ages: 16 and above
Location: New York City, NY
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
This program for NYC public high schoolers introduces them to ongoing neuroscience research and provides a deeper understanding of how the brain works and how it relates to daily life. During the two-week course led by Rockefeller University graduate students, participants will:
Engage in an interactive lecture series
Present a scientific article
Design a neuroscience experiment
Visit research facilities
If that wasn’t enough, participants even get to dissect a brain!
Ages: Rising Junior or Senior
Location: New York City, NY
Timeline: Fall
Deadline: TBD
BRAINYAC provides high schoolers with an immersive, hands-on summer research experience in a Columbia laboratory. Participants are matched with Columbia neuroscientists, who serve as mentors and guide them through a research project. Interns develop a deeper understanding of how laboratory research leads to transformative discovery. Interns are also exposed to a professional academic environment—forming a stronger connection to science as a career.
Ages: Juniors and Seniors
Location: Baltimore, MD
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 1
JHIBS is a summer program exposing high school students to careers in neurological sciences. Participants engage in hands-on, mentored research, receive educational support, and are encouraged to pursue careers as researchers or clinician-scientists. The program is offered in two formats: a nationwide virtual research opportunity and an in-person internship for local students in Baltimore.
The program aims to increase participation of people from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds in the neurological sciences.
Ages: Rising Senior
Location: Boston, MA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 31
This neuroscience internship opportunity pairs high schoolers with mentors in the MGH Neurology labs, where they work on ongoing research projects. However, before beginning their research positions, interns receive training to prepare for the program’s demands—including research and clinical training, skill-building sessions, and networking.
In addition to research, students engage in weekly workshops led by professionals to expand their knowledge of neurology and connect with leaders in the field. The program concludes with a presentation, where interns showcase their experiences to peers, mentors, and the MGH Neurology department.
Ages: 16-17
Location: San Francisco, CA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
Participants in this eight-week paid summer internship conduct biomedical science research alongside a scientist who also serves as a day-to-day mentor and teacher. Examples of past research topics include:
Infectious disease
Neuroscience
Molecular biology
Immunology
Cancer
Stem cell research
Developmental biology
Interns leave the program having enhanced their science communication skills and grown their professional network through interactions with other interns and scientists. Interns also engage in writing workshops—to develop a personal statement for use in college applications—and meet with college counselors to review transcripts and learn about colleges.
Ages: 16-17
Location: Boston, MA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 14
The RISE program is a six-week internship/practicum offered by Boston University for domestic high school juniors passionate about STEM subjects. The program consists of two tracks: Internship and Practicum.
In the Internship track, students will work on research projects under the mentorship of postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and distinguished faculty for 40 hours every week. Students in the Practicum track follow a set syllabus focused on computational neurobiology within a structured research environment led by a BU instructor.
Ages: 15 - 17
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 17
The Research Mentorship Program is a competitive, immersive summer program that introduces participants to hands-on, university-level research. Participants work on a project in STEM, humanities, or social sciences under the guidance of a mentor, experiencing all the stages of the academic research process.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Cambridge, MA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 22
The Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP) is a summer program that invites highly motivated high school students with a strong interest in science to spend six weeks at the Broad Institute. Participants are paired with Broad Institute scientists to conduct original, cutting-edge research projects in areas such as:
Cancer biology
Psychiatric disease
Chemical biology
Computational biology
Infectious disease
Participants also explore careers in science, attend scientific lectures, present their research to the Broad community in a scientific poster session, attend a college fair, participate in fun social events, and meet like-minded peers.
Ages: Juniors
Location: Stanford, CA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 17
This five-week program is focused on science and medicine to foster the next generation of health leaders. Participants are mentored by medical professionals, faculty, and current college students as they engage in research, lectures, professional development, and networking. Participants also learn about preparing for college and potential careers in medicine.
Cold Outreach Strategy for High School InternshipsÂ
If you don’t discover a high school neuroscience internship that’s the right fit for you, you’ll want to develop a cold outreach strategy. Many high school students find the idea of cold outreach daunting, but the guide below should make the process considerably more straightforward and less anxiety-inducing.
Remember to use caution when reaching out to professionals you don’t know. Meeting or interviewing virtually is always the safest option.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School InternshipÂ
Use LinkedIn to find small companies and labs with potential internship opportunities. High schoolers can help with tasks like social media, coding, content/grant writing, and graphic design. Smaller companies are often shorthanded, making them more likely to hire high-school-aged students.
When reaching out about possible neuroscience internships, try to find personal connections with the professionals you contact—for example, being from the same state originally or having a passion for the same sports team. When it comes to neuroscience specifically, make sure to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the work or research of the company or professor you’re reaching out to, to be able to articulate why you want to work with them.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research PositionÂ
You can use online university staff directories to find professors to reach out to for research positions. Keep in mind, landing a remote research position with a professor is challenging. Professors typically want high school students to assist with manual laboratory tasks, such as running equipment, which requires them to be in the lab.
Computational research is the exception. Computational research internships generally require introductory knowledge of Python or R to parse large datasets. Luckily, you can learn Python or R on your own using resources such as Coursera’s R Programming Course or Python for Everybody for free within a few months.
How to Structure and Send Outreach EmailsÂ
For an effective cold-outreach strategy, aim to send at least 50 emails to potential neuroscience internship providers. Include a link to your resume—kept to one page while you’re in high school. Don’t have a resume? Our high school resume template and tips are an excellent resource for getting started. The University of Chicago also offers a useful free resume template and guide you can use.
We recommend sharing your resume as a Google Drive link rather than a PDF, since attachments can sometimes affect deliverability. Just make sure the sharing settings allow anyone with the link to view it. You can also strengthen your resume by linking to work samples, such as a website you built, a social media account you manage, or your GitHub profile.
Email Template for Finding a High School InternshipÂ
If you are unsure how to structure your outreach emails to potential internship providers, here are some basic templates you can customize to your needs.Â
Template for Finding an Internship
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Mr./Ms.____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I read about your company on LinkedIn and found the concept quite interesting. For context, [briefly state how the company relates to your interests or experience].Â
I was wondering if you might be looking for interns. I know I would have a great deal to learn from working with you, and I would love to contribute in any way I can. I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,Â
[Your name]
Template for Finding a Research Position
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Professor/Dr. ____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I recently read your paper on [restate the abstract] in [name of publication] and was quite intrigued by [part you found interesting]. I was wondering if I might be able to intern for you over this summer. [Elaborate on your relevant skills and experience and why you are passionate about the field].Â
I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!Â
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter whether you’re applying to established programs or engaging in cold outreach, perseverance is key when pursuing a neuroscience high school internship or research position. These opportunities are often extremely difficult to secure, but most high schoolers find the chance to build valuable skills, gain real-world experience, and get a head start on their careers with the effort.Â