Q&A with Command Education Senior Mentors: What Students Interested in STEM Should Be Doing This Summer

Jen: Searching for summer academic programs can be challenging because of the sheer volume of available options. Parents should know that there are generally two types of summer programs: rigorous, merit-based programs and pay-to-play programs. The latter are less competitive and cost more—while they can be valuable for freshmen and sophomores as they get a feel for what they want out of a college, they won’t stand out on a student’s college applications.

Merit-based programs, on the other hand, tend to be highly competitive, and most offer scholarships and other means of alleviating the financial burden for accepted students. These programs are academically rigorous, well-respected, and very much worth your time and investment.

One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between these two types of programs is to ask: is there a rigorous application process? Do they accept most students if they are willing to pay or is there a competitive screening process? The more selective the program is, the more likely it is to be more valuable and reputable.

I also tell parents that the amount of detail and description provided on a program’s website can tell you a lot about how rigorous it is—rather than simply stating that the program is in robotics, does the informational material list subfields that students will be engaging with? Deliverables and outcomes that they will produce? Teaching schedules or pedagogical approaches that will guide their learning? Reading the fine print is key.

Steph: It is also worth mentioning that firsthand experience is the surest way to determine whether a program will be beneficial for your student—so if you have friends, family members, or know of other students at your school who have attended a program you are considering, you should absolutely seek their feedback about the experience.

The benefit of working with a Senior Mentor is that we have a whole cache of previous students who have gone through the application process and attended a number of prestigious summer programs. I rely heavily on that data set when recommending programs to my students.

Charlotte: By the summer after 11th grade, you should try to set yourself apart through research experiences. At this point in your high school career, you should have already engaged in some extracurricular learning opportunities and you should now shift your focus to applying your knowledge. Putting your STEM skills to work in a lab or other demonstrable research outlet shows colleges that your knowledge of the field is more than just theoretical, and that you will come to campus with tangible know-how.

These experiences will further benefit your learning, allowing you to discover more about the applications of the scientific method, develop professional acumen in a STEM environment, and improve your scientific writing skills by contributing to lab reports or publications about your project’s results. Contributing to a published paper is also an impressive accolade to include on your college applications.

Steph:Time management is key, especially for high-achieving students juggling multiple ideas or responsibilities. As a Senior Mentor, I work with students to dice things up into manageable chunks as they prepare for competitions while managing other personal and academic responsibilities. Additionally, preparation for STEM competitions entails a lot of ideation and focused brainstorming. The summer offers the time away from school, making it easier to nail down one’s hook and come up with creative project ideas to submit to prestigious competitions.

With this in mind, students should be diligent about taking thorough notes as they conduct research. For example, if you’re entering a competition focused on inclusive sports design, research adaptive sports and fitness centers, like the one at the University of Michigan, to gather insights and inspiration.

Reaching out to professors or experts in the field can also help you to refine your vision and ensure your project addresses a genuine need. If you are interested in biomedical engineering, reach out to a professor developing cutting-edge artificial limb technology and ask about the current state of the field, advances they are working on, and the developments they expect and hope to see over the next five to ten years. Doing so can give you insights into your field of interest’s current direction, as well as information about the needs that you may be able to innovate solutions for as a competitor in major competitions, college student, and future professional. 

Charlotte: Narrowing down one’s interests within a broader field like biology or chemistry can be hard as a high school student—and even as a college student! I often encounter students who claim to like STEM or science in general, but are not yet knowledgeable about the various subfields that they could pursue. In these cases, participating in certain pre-college courses in summers following 8th or 9th grade, finding a MOOC, or taking an online class can help a student discover what’s out there and chart a more definite course for themselves. Some STEM summer programs are formatted as a broad introduction to many different STEM fields for this exact purpose: to help students narrow down their interests.

Charlotte: The summers after 8th and 9th grades are the perfect time for students to explore interests in STEM, develop their interests and narrow their hook within a STEM field through pre-college courses, online courses, or shadowing opportunities. Then, students should devote the summer after 10th or 11th grade (depending on the student) to a competitive program, ideally one that will allow them to conduct some sort of research.

I tell students and parents that research is one of the most critical ways for a STEM applicant to set themselves apart when applying to colleges. Selective STEM summer programs such as MITES or RISE can be a great way for students to get hands-on research experience; they can also source research opportunities by cold-emailing or leveraging connections to conduct research with a professor at a local community college or state university.

Jen: Additionally, as Command Education Senior Mentors, we coach students to develop a passion project, and summer is the ideal time to begin crafting a STEM-focused passion project! Ideally, students should hone their unique STEM hook (the authentic intersection of their passions and skills) by early- to mid- 10th grade, develop a STEM-based passion project by the end of 10th grade, and scale or finish the project by the end of 11th grade.

Based on this timeline, the summers after 10th and 11th grades are critical for passion project development. Students who begin the process after 10th grade can still create and execute a project, but should consider a project of a smaller scale.

Jen: Additionally, as Command Education Senior Mentors, we coach students to develop a passion project, and summer is the ideal time to begin crafting a STEM-focused passion project! Ideally, students should hone their unique STEM hook (the authentic intersection of their passions and skills) by early- to mid- 10th grade, develop a STEM-based passion project by the end of 10th grade, and scale or finish the project by the end of 11th grade.

Based on this timeline, the summers after 10th and 11th grades are critical for passion project development. Students who begin the process after 10th grade can still create and execute a project, but should consider a project of a smaller scale.

Steph: When looking for research opportunities, it’s best to go through a university rather than a private corporation or public agency. I encourage students to identify professors whose interests overlap with their own, and then reach out to post docs or graduate students to inquire about the projects they are currently working on or propose a project of their own.

When it comes to pitching to potential research collaborators, it is best to be specific about one’s interests while remaining open and adaptive enough to dive into whatever project the professor may be working on. Students should have a clear and defined understanding of their area of interest and a strong ability to communicate it to others in the field. It is particularly beneficial if they carve out a unique niche for themselves or find a creative way to combine their enthusiasm for multiple fields.

For instance, a student I’ve worked with was interested in the combination of AI and aerospace engineering. While both of these fields are independently well-dominated, she brought a creative perspective to the mutual relationship between the two that made her stand out, both to professors she wanted to collaborate with and to the colleges to which she applied.

Jen: The “Research News” section of a STEM program at a local or state university can be an invaluable place to identify research projects or professors that you may want to collaborate with. Students should also keep in mind that tenured professors are incredibly busy, so graduate researchers, assistant or associate professors, or postdoctoral fellows are more likely to respond to cold emails.

Charlotte:There are a multitude of volunteering opportunities that students can engage in during the summer. For instance, if you are interested in pre-med, you should consider volunteering at a hospital; if you are interested in ecology or environmental engineering, volunteering at a local park/environmental protection agency could be a strong option; if you are interested in computer programming, you might consider volunteering at a community center or library teaching elementary coding to other students in your area.

Steph: A passion project is a great way for students interested in STEM to not only get their feet wet in their discipline, but also use their knowledge to benefit their community—something that aligns closely with the missions and values of many top colleges.

For instance, I worked with a student interested in computer engineering, who created an app that allowed people with hearing loss to generate closed captions on their phone screens from conversations in loud restaurants or crowded spaces. Inspired by his younger sister who was born with a hearing disorder, he created a user-friendly platform that made life easier for differently-abled people in his community and beyond.

Charlotte:During 8th and 9th grade summers, breadth is totally okay! You are still trying to figure out what you are passionate about, and STEM is a wide field with lots of possibilities. However, by the time you reach the summer after 10th grade, it is good to narrow your focus to one STEM area, like medicine, chemical engineering, robotics, or computer science, for example.

This will allow you to spend the valuable summer months delving deeper into your field of interest and preparing to conduct research in that field during the summer following your 11th grade year. At that point, depth rather than breadth is critical because it will make for a more compelling, specific hook—and thus, a more compelling and cohesive narrative for your college applications.

Charlotte: One of the best ways to demonstrate self-motivation, initiative, and leadership skills is continuing to develop the projects and skills you start during the summer throughout the school year. I encourage students to think about how they can turn every initiative into something tangible and deliverable—if they do research over the summer, they should write about it on a blog or in an academic paper when the summer ends.

If they ideate or launch an independent project, they should create manageable milestones to maintain momentum throughout the school year. If they participate in a summer program, they should find creative ways to apply their learning in the classroom once they go back to school. The learning they accumulate over the summer should translate into demonstrable leadership in and outside of the classroom after the summer ends.