What to do this summer?

[gummybear9]

What do people typically do in the summer before going to graduate school?

I'm not eligible to apply for REUs since I'll have graduated undergrad by then, but I also don't just want to sit at home all summer. I need to make money anyway, and I don't have a car at home to get around to a minimum wage summer job or anything.

I was thinking of applying to industry internships, but since my experience is only in academic research, I don't know if I could find one. My field is biomedical engineering (interests in tissue engineering and experience in materials characterization).

Does anyone here have any advice?

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

2 hours ago, gummybear9 said:

What do people typically do in the summer before going to graduate school?

I'm not eligible to apply for REUs since I'll have graduated undergrad by then, but I also don't just want to sit at home all summer. I need to make money anyway, and I don't have a car at home to get around to a minimum wage summer job or anything.

I was thinking of applying to industry internships, but since my experience is only in academic research, I don't know if I could find one. My field is biomedical engineering (interests in tissue engineering and experience in materials characterization).

Does anyone here have any advice?

I would try to get an industry internship. I think it would be a good experience to have alongside your experience with academic research. Money plus experience is always a good combination in my opinion. I don't know where you live, but you could try contacting start-ups in your area related to tissue engineering or materials characterization.

[laveritecestla]

Personally, I’d only advise working if you need the money, and I wouldn’t really recommend doing something in your field (I was a camp counselor) if you’re doing your PhD. You’ll be working basically nonstop for the next six years and this is the last summer you’ll really ever have off - enjoy it! 

[Victorious Secret]

I'm doing an internship at Genentech. I want to work for them after PhD so it is a good way to squirrel away some money, survey the lay of the land and network for the future. I think that academic research makes people well qualified for certain industry internships, especially in biotech. But feel yourself out now. If you are burned out already you may need a couple months to decompress before school. Also, be mindful of internship deadlines, many of them have passed (Novartis NIBR, Genentech, DOE SULI, and Illumina, for example). Good luck!

[gummybear9]

I decided to go for a summer job! I'm decently far into the application process for a STEM Camp Counsellor position, which I'm really excited about because I love teaching kids. So I'll be able to have a good time and hopefully make a few bucks