Reflection on My Science Fair Journey: Actionable Tips and Life Lessons, Part 1 - Getting into a lab!

In this article, I’ll explain how I got Regeneron STS T300 and ISEF Finalist in detail. Hopefully this is helpful to those wanting to begin their science fair journeys. However, know that my journey and circumstances are likely very very very different from yours, so this advice isn’t necessarily universal. But hopefully it’ll help you get some clarity and help you plan things.

Before I begin, I’d like to point out that the information contained in this series of articles is pretty personal. I’m explaining my journey in-detail in hopes that someone can relate and benefit from hearing about my experiences and perspective. Don’t do anything stupid.

When I was in middle school, I was learning a lot of biology. My dad gave me the idea to do STS in high school, but he didn’t know how to support me to that destination. And I was clueless, because I was just a dumb little middle schooler who thought she was smart because she knew AP Bio. 

In freshman year, I made my first moves toward STS. My first step was finding a research lab (I was targeting for biology wet labs) to work in so I could gain relevant skills. I sent about 70 cold emails to professors (I think I targeted Stanford, Berkeley, UCSF? Don’t quite remember tbh). I either got no response, or a “you’re too young sry.” This was also in the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it even harder, due to protective measures.

The summer after freshman year, I kind of slacked off and took a beginner CS course with BYU. That’s all I did. Kinda wasted.

Sophomore year, I tried again. I was taking some community college bio classes, which I added to my freshman year resume. I also took 3 more AP classes (I had one from freshman year). That was the only difference in my resume from one year to the next. School was also in-person, which meant COVID restrictions were a bit more relaxed. This was the perfect time for me to get into a wet lab, because I knew more bio and could take better advantage of the opportunity. So I got into two wet labs for the summer after sophomore year, and chose one.

Here’s the email template that worked:

Subject Line: Prof. XXX – Internship Opportunity – High School Student.

Hello Prof. XXX,

I hope you are well. My name is Vaishnavi Lastname and I am a sophomore at This High School. I am interested in Broad Field, and I have read your work on Specific Field. I was especially inspired by "Most Recent Paper 1" and "Most Recent Paper 2." I am writing to ask for a summer internship position in your lab, where I hope to learn more about Specific Field Rephrased and gain research experience. 

I am interested in working in your lab over the summer and beyond. Additionally, I am open to working remotely / completing relevant background work until the summer to become more familiar with your lab so I can be more productive when summer comes.

I have always loved scientific inquiry and from a young age have aspired to become a scientist, which is why I am hoping to get into research early on. My strengths include biology, chemistry, math, and programming.

I have completed:

Some courses, grades, and test scores were listed here.

I am currently enrolled in:

Some advanced classes were listed here.

I am planning to take:

Some advanced classes were listed here.

I am taking this course in order to gain knowledge to contribute meaningfully in a potential summer research opportunity.

I have also attached my résumé for your reference.

I am excited to learn more about Specific Field. I am planning to compete in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, which is a prestigious research competition for high school seniors; this internship opportunity will help in that direction. I appreciate your consideration.

Thank you,

Vaishnavi

A few things to note about this email:

Number one is that I am direct. You don’t need to tell them your whole life history and how your grandma got cancer so that’s why you want to study the molecular events of cancer or whatever. I guess that kind of story is nice but no one actually cares. If it’s genuine then include it I guess, but sob stories are overrated in every academic setting (including college apps), in my opinion.

Number two is that I include my accomplishments in the body of the email. DO NOT DO THIS. I screwed up here. You have a resume for a reason. Don’t repeat the info. 

Number three is I openly state my intentions. I tell them about Regeneron STS in our very first communication. This serves two functions: first, it shows you are ambitious and goal-oriented, and second, it gives them an idea of what kind of support you will need. If, for example, the lab was not interested in helping my do my own project, they would reject me. They don’t suit my purpose. It’s kind of like a statement to weed out labs that won’t help you when you’ll need it.

As for the resume, it was kind of trash other than some really nice coursework. I had 2 advanced community college bio classes, one college chem class, and three STEM AP classes. I included my GPA and AP/SAT II/SAT scores. I included some STEM summer programs from middle school, and some random extracurriculars like kung-fu and swimming. Very brief, very lackluster. But that’s okay. They don’t usually care.

Also don’t ask why I chose to put 2 accents on resume bro idk lol

Ok wait sorry for the clickbait but this is getting long, I’ll publish the rest of this article next week sorry <3 I’ll go over the actual STS/ISEF grind next week.