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Pursuing research as a high school student can be an uphill battle to take, but it has a great number of benefits, from allowing you to find your career interests early on, to helping your college application stand out. For high school adolescents, research may be a life-changing experience, but many are unsure how to get started. How do I find a research program? What should I do first? Do I have enough experience? And many more questions that you might have in mind. For this reason, we are about to give you a complete guide on the different kinds of research that you can undertake as well as some tips and tricks to aid you along the way.

First and foremost, you need to choose an area of STEM you would like to work in. There are numerous fields out there, from computer science to biology, and even many niche subjects such as nanotechnology or genetics. Once you identify your interests and possible areas of research you can embark on the journey of finding the right research opportunity for you.

1. Research Programs & Internships

Many institutions, including the world’s leading universities, offer their own research programs that high school students can participate in. It's a fantastic place to start your research career as they usually take place over the summer, are just a few weeks long, and provide excellent guidance from university professors and experts in the field. Additionally, it allows you to network with a lot of like-minded peers and gain access to cutting-edge research you wouldn’t have otherwise. However, these programs can get really competitive and sometimes even expensive. That’s where Chance comes in and allows you to choose the perfect program for you based on your personal requirements.

2.Cold Emailing

With the increasing competition within research programs, chances are you might get rejected, no matter how experienced you are, and therefore sometimes you just need to think outside the box. Once you have a specific field of research in mind, look into local universities or maybe even consider a virtual internship and shoot a professor of your interest an email. Chances are they will not reply on the first try but after several attempts success is inevitable and you might end up working as a research assistant, shadowing a professor, and eventually maybe even co-authoring a research paper. Contrary to the research programs, these opportunities don’t have an official application process and therefore you might not have any competition (or very little) for the specific position you are aiming for. So, as long as you don’t get discouraged and are willing to put in a bit more time and effort, the sky is the limit as to what you can work on.

3. Independent Research

If you are only starting your research journey and don’t feel like you want to enter the real world just yet, it is a great time to start with a few independent research projects from the comfort of your bedroom or garage. Anything from building a drone or a robotic arm to chemical experiments in your school’s laboratory, finding a smaller feasible project to work on can showcase your skills and give you an introduction to the world of STEM. If this turns out to be successful, considering publishing it in some of the high school science journals, possibly gaining a lot of recognition. However, in these types of projects keep in mind the costs and the equipment you have access to so you don’t end up getting way over your head.

Lastly, consider the type of research you find suitable. Is it virtual, hybrid, or very hands-on and thus conducted completely on-site? If you live in an area that does not offer many opportunities in your area of interest, we would strongly encourage you to find a virtual research opportunity, possibly with some of the leading institutions in the field. On the other hand, if you want to gain more first-hand experience and learn what it’s like to work in a lab, try the hybrid or on-site ones.

Overall, keep in mind that one door closing does not mean you are not good enough or cannot be a researcher. Maybe you got rejected from an internship or didn’t get a reply from a professor you really wanted to work with but moving past that and acknowledging there are so many opportunities out there is essential for future success. So, if you want to start your STEM research career as soon as this summer: send that email, find a project you can work on at home or just head to our website and apply for the perfect internship and research program.