Center for Precision Medicine Summer Internship 2024 FAQs
Q: Is the summer internship program open to international students? A: Yes, it is open to international students. You will need to work with your school for any visa/paperwork requirements.
Q: What majors are acceptable to apply? A: Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics, Anthropology, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, and Engineering are generally considered. We will also consider Health Science and undergraduate nursing majors. Similar majors are considered, if you have a question you can contact Cynthia Van Horn at cvanhorn@wakehealth.edu
Q: How are applicants evaluated? A: Evaluation is based on quality of coursework, relevant advanced courses taken, and lab/work experience. We evaluate your past experiences, coursework, your motivation for spending a summer in our program, and how you think participating in our program will contribute to your career goals. The selection process includes selecting a diverse group of interns including research interests, career interests, your college/university location, etc.
Q: Are college First years/Freshman eligible to apply for this internship? A. Yes; however, most students at this level do not have sufficient science coursework to be competitive.
Q: Can graduating seniors or alums apply for the internship? A: For insurance and intern stipend purposes, we do not accept College/University graduates. We can only accept students who are enrolled in a college or university and defined as an undergraduate.
Q: How many students generally apply for the internship each year? A: Our program is competitive with more than100 applications per year. Of these, 8-10 interns will be selected for our 2024 summer program.
Q: Can I apply for multiple internships if I apply for this internship? A: Most students apply to several different internship opportunities.
Q: What formatting should be used in the 1-page letter? A: Single spacing is preferred.
Q: What should the 1-page letter contain? A: The letter should include the reasons why you’re interested in the internship, what you hope to gain from the experience, and how the experience is relevant to your career goals. We specifically want to know how this internship will benefit you personally and professionally.
Q: Are unofficial transcripts acceptable? A: Yes.
Q: Are letters of recommendation required? A: No.
Q: The application asks if I have had any previous research experience, are you referring to summer research or does research done during a class also count? A: All laboratory research is relevant. Please specify, in your application letter, whether your experience was part of a laboratory class or an independent research project working with a faculty mentor.
Q: The application asks for the “total number of months of previous, full-time research experience”. How do I convert my part-time lab experience into full-time months? A: We realize that students may have either full-time or part-time research experience, or both. Please convert all experiences to full-time months. For example, if you worked 10 hrs per week (25% of full-time) for 9 months, that would be 0.25 x 9 = 2.25 full-time months.
Q: What type of work experience is considered relevant to the CPM Summer Research Internship? A: All work experience is relevant and often provides insights into a candidate’s skills that are relevant to scientific research, even without research experience. We value work experience as well as research experience knowing that some students need to generate income while in school.
Q: Will there be an interview? A: Yes, interviews for finalists are done by Zoom/Webex. Interview invitations for selected finalists will be sent out 2-3 weeks after the application deadline. Please check your email regularly for an interview request, as our turn-around times are short. If you do not accept your interview by the deadline (usually set for a few days after the email) you will forfeit your spot to the next finalist.
Q: What is the approximate timeline for notification of acceptance into the program? A: Applications are due January 31, 2024. The selection process will occur around the end of February. Interviews for selected applicants will begin around the last week of February. Please check your email regularly for an interview request, as our turn around times are short. If you do not accept your interview by the deadline, you will forfeit your spot to the next finalist. All applicants will be notified of their application status by email in March 2024.
Q: Is housing provided? A: We offer summer housing on the Wake Forest University campus and a daily shuttle service for transport to your assigned lab on the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (AHWFB) campus. We cover the cost for housing and shuttle transportation between campuses. This housing arrangement allows interns to build networks with other interns in our program as well as interns from other summer programs in our institution.
Q: Will this program be held online or in-person? A: We expect the 2024 program to be held in person as it was in 2022 and 2023.
Q: Is transportation provided during the internship? A: We offer a free daily shuttle service for transport to your assigned lab with pickup and drop-off between the WFU campus and the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (AHWFB) campus. Shuttle schedules will be handed out during orientation.
Q: How are students assigned to projects? A: We evaluate your background and the potential research projects in participating mentor labs, and match accordingly.
Q: Do I have to work on weekends? Am I allowed to go home on weekends? A: Weekends are generally free as long as there are no outstanding work obligations in the lab (i.e. experiments running). You will be expected to work full-time first shift M-F (8am-5pm or 9am- 6pm; 40 hours/week) in your lab including all intern specific activities (seminars, etc). You will not be able to maintain separate employment, school classes or other daytime events during the summer internship.
Q: Am I allowed to take vacation days during the summer? A: Time off for vacation is not allowed during the program. Your time commitment is important, since you’ll be contributing to ongoing research projects and your absence could detrimentally impact progress on the project. This is the reason we do not allow vacation time.
Q: What would a typical day look like in this program (in terms of work schedule)? A: The program is research-focused. About 90% of your full-time work day will be spent on your assigned project, including lab work and/or data analysis. You will work with your primary mentor, personnel in mentor’s lab, and a high school student who is also assigned to your research project. Full-time participation in the 9-week internship is expected. Work times will depend on the schedule in your lab, but usually will be standard working hours (8am -5pm; 9am-6pm) and will be full-time work. You will also be expected to attend all scientific seminars, group tours and outings.
Q: What type of research project will I be doing during the program? A: This program is a full time, immersive research experience with interns mentored by faculty and members of faculty research teams. You will be assigned a faculty mentor based on your interests, coursework, and what we think is the best fit based on our faculty mentors for the summer. You will be conducting research on ongoing projects in your mentor’s lab. You will not be doing canned projects that have been done and the outcome already known.
Q: Can I take a summer classes or work a part-time job during the internship? A: No, you will be working a 40 hour work week and the internship takes priority. The full-time internship schedule does not accommodate taking summer classes or having other jobs in parallel.
Q: Will we participate in social events? A: Some social events will be scheduled for the Center interns only. Additional events will be offered that include interns in other WFSOM programs.
Q: Will we have mentorship, manuscript writing, and data presentation opportunities? A: Mentoring: Each intern will be paired with a high school student who they will work with on their assigned research project. A: Presentation of Project Results: Mid-summer you will present a lightning talk which is a 1-3 min non-technical description of your project. At the end of the summer, you will present your research project and your findings in a formal presentation format. You will also create a formal poster of your project and results. Interns will be able to keep their posters for display at their undergraduate university/college.
Q: What activities are included besides research and mentoring? A: The internship will cover various aspects relevant to a potential research career that will include career development, Graduate and Medical School information sessions, panel discussion and seminars presented by CPM faculty to gain a broader view of research opportunities and make research connections. On Fridays each week, we have CPM intern specific activities, typically discussing successes, challenges, and questions during the week.