Why do internships in high school?
Before we jump into a long list of psychology internships for high school students in New York, it is important to understand why these opportunities could matter for your future. According to PRISM, a consultancy, 70% of students attending a US News top 50 University have completed at least one internship while in high school. These opportunities serve as a way to distinguish yourself in the admissions process by showing that you have gone out and verified your future goals through experience. Doing internships will help you enter college with a clearer idea of the professional environments you enjoy or don’t enjoy, which will make it easier for you to recruit into a job you love after graduation. Students who have done at least one internship in high school also typically have an easier time recruiting into college internships and pre-professional organizations such as finance or pre-law clubs.
How to Find Psychology Internships for High School Students in New York
The best way to find psychology internships for high school students in New York is through online search tools and lists. The StandOutSearch database provides the largest free resource that lists almost every internship program for the high school age group and allows you to search by interest area. MIT Admissions also provides a helpful list of High School Internships.
However, official programs tend to be very competitive, so if you are serious about finding a summer internship in high school, you should also prepare a cold outreach strategy. You can read more about how to form a cold outreach strategy to find a high school internship at the end of this article. We also include email templates to make finding an internship or research position through cold outreach less daunting.
10 Psychology Internships for High School Students in New York
Most of the psychology internships for high school students below have an acceptance rate of 20% or lower, given that there are many more high school students looking for internships in New York relative to official programs that provide them. We recommend choosing at least five opportunities to apply to. If you see an opportunity that excites you, take a moment to write the deadline on your calendar!
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
StandOut Connect is a program created thanks to investment from UChicago’s Polsky Center for Innovation that matches high school students with internships in their interest area. Students interview with potential mentors who are leaders and innovators within their area of interest until they are hired for a two-month internship. Many students then receive optional return offers to continue with their internship for as long as they would like.
Ages: Rising Junior or Senior
Location: New York City
Timeline: Fall
Deadline: January to August
BRAINYAC provides high-schoolers with an immersive, hands-on summer research experience in a Columbia laboratory. Each student is matched with a Columbia neuroscientist, a mentor who guides the student through a research project. Interns come away from the experience with an enhanced understanding of how laboratory research leads to transformative discovery, exposure to a professional academic environment, and a stronger connection to science as a career.
Ages: 16 - 18
Location: New York City
Timeline: Spring and Summer
Deadline: January
The Lab Jumpstart program aims to ‘jumpstart’ the development of research skills and exposure to laboratory culture. During the after-school portion of the program, which spans March through June, students participate in small-group laboratory experiments in the RockEDU teaching laboratory to develop content knowledge and scientific skills in preparation for their summer mentored research experience. The after-school program culminates with an oral presentation demonstrating their research and scientific skills.
Ages: 16 - 18
Location: New York City
Timeline: Spring and Summer
Deadline: Contact for Deadline
The STEM Research Academy is a two‐semester program consisting of a spring pre‐college science course and the opportunity to conduct hands-on research with CUNY faculty members in a summer research experience. The Academy is designed to provide students with an opportunity to build essential literacy and numeracy skills by engaging in ‘authentic inquiry’ activities.
Ages: Sophomore or Junior
Location: New York City
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: June 12
The College Now STEM Research Academy at Lehman College is a two-part program designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop the essential skills to be strong scientific thinkers by engaging in authentic inquiry based research activities. Students can take an Intro to Psychology course: a survey of the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Topics to be covered include research methods and applications in Psychology’s significant areas of study: thought, memory, learning, personality, social processes, human development, psychological disorders, and the biological bases of behavior.
Ages: 16 - 17
Location: New York City
Timeline: Fall
Deadline: June
The NYU Collegiate Seminar Program offers high school juniors the opportunity to experience college-level classes at a top-tier research university. Selected students will participate in one or more two-hour seminar-style classes taught by leading NYU faculty in a variety of academic subjects.
Ages: 16 or older
Location: New York City
Timeline: June 24 - August 2
Deadline: March
For a truly immersive college experience, students who will be 16 years of age or older at the program’s start are eligible to reside on Columbia’s Morningside Campus: a serene academic community where they will always be mere steps away from classrooms, libraries, amenities—and New York City. Students interested in psychology can enroll in courses such as “Psycholinguistics: Understanding Language & the Mind” or “The Science of Psychology,” spending about four hours in class every weekday with a two-hour midday break. Classes are taught by expert instructors who will challenge students to think independently, critically, and creatively, with both open-mindedness and precision.
Ages: Rising Junior or Senior
Location: New York City
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: April
Precollege students get to experience the dynamic, intellectually rigorous atmosphere of an NYU classroom. With various psychology courses to choose from, available in person on campus and online, you can follow your curiosity as you discover new ideas and build practical skills. Get inspired by NYU's award-winning faculty and benefit from NYU's unique access to leading New York institutions and professionals.
Ages: Juniors and Seniors
Location: New York City
Timeline: Summer
Deadline:
Psychology students enroll in one 3-credit course, Introduction to Psychology, taught by Kathleen Taylor, a member of Barnard's world renowned faculty. This course is held on campus, runs for 7 weeks, and is fast paced and rigorous. Outside of the classroom students are part of the Barnard community and will explore New York City, participate in college readiness workshops and career exploration panels. In addition, all students will be matched with a Peer Academic Leader to foster collaboration and community engagement among enrolled students.
Ages: 16 and above
Location: New York City
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 15
The Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP) is a two-week course for NYC public high schoolers led by Rockefeller graduate students. Participants take a look at ongoing neuroscience research in an effort to understand how the brain works and how it relates to our daily life. The program aims to introduce students to modern neuroscience, while empowering them to explore in their own unique ways the mysteries that remain. Students will even get to dissect a brain!
Cold Outreach Strategy for High School Internships
If the opportunities listed above don’t turn out to be a fit, the next step to finding psychology internships for high school students in New York is to launch a cold outreach strategy. This may seem intimidating at first, but the guide below should make it much more simple. As an added note, please exercise caution when reaching out to professionals you don’t know. It is always safest to interview or meet virtually.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School Internship
Use LinkedIn to find small companies where you can help with skills such as social media, coding, content/grant writing, or graphic design. Smaller companies that need more hands on deck will be the most likely to hire high-school-aged students. Try to find personal connections with the professionals you reach out to, such as being from the same state originally or liking the same sports team.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research Position
You can use online university staff directories to find professors to reach out to for research positions. Note that if you are looking for a remote research position with a professor, you should be aware that these opportunities tend to be harder to come by. Professors typically have high school students help with more manual laboratory tasks such as washing beakers or running equipment and usually do not have very much use for interns at a high school education level within a remote setting. The exception is if you are doing computational research, which generally requires introductory knowledge of Python or R to parse large datasets. You should be able to learn Python or R on your own for free within a few months using resources such as Coursera’s R Programming Course or Python for Everybody.
How to Structure and Send Outreach Emails
For a successful cold-outreach strategy, aim to send at least 50 emails to potential internship providers. Be sure to include a link to your resume, which should be no more than one page while you are in high school. UChicago provides a helpful free resume template and guide. We recommend including your resume as a Google Drive link because including it as a PDF will sometimes negatively impact the deliverability of your email. However, be sure to check that the sharing settings on the document allow anyone with the link to view its contents. It can also be a good idea to include work samples in your resume, such as the link to a website you designed, a social media account you manage, or your GitHub profile.
Email Template for Finding a High School Internship
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.
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].
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,
[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].
I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
Whether you are applying to established programs or launching a cold outreach strategy, the name of the game when looking for a high school internship or research position is perseverance. These opportunities can be extremely difficult to secure, but most high school students find it worth it in the end to get a head start on building their careers. If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to save it for later or share it with a friend. Good luck on your internship search journey!