My lab was studying sleep and anxiety disorders and I found this information to be extremely interesting. I was able to help process and analyze data as well as help recruit subjects. I was able to hear very accomplished researchers talk about their work during weekly department events. Boston is also the perfect location to explore possible graduate schools and shadow professionals.
What I wish was different
A lot of clinical lab work is completed on computers, which I wasn't 100% prepared for. Be prepared to feel somewhat sedentary.
Advice
Be as social as you can during internships. It's not just about the knowledge and skills you gain, but also the connections you make with other professionals, which could help you down the road after graduation.
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Inpatient physical therapy intern
June - August 2017 • Boston, MA
What I liked
How much knowledge I learned about acute care.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Undergraduate Researcher
June - August 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I enjoyed the opportunity to work independently on multiple research projects. I also appreciated the many networking experiences within the department at social events, talks, poster sessions, and the departmental retreat
What I wish was different
I wish I could have stayed longer to see my projects through to the end
Advice
Full-time research is so much different than working part-time during the semester. Mentorship can make or break a research experience.
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Research Assistant
June - July 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
The group of people I worked with was lovely and the research topic was very interesting. I also loved living in Boston!
What I wish was different
I wish I had more jobs within the lab. I remained mostly on the computer.
Advice
If you find a lab that you’re really interested in don’t be afraid to just email the PI! It can’t hurt even if it seems like a long shot
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Administrative Assistant
June - August 2018 • Westwood, MA
What I liked
The company's treatment of employees and the hourly wage.
What I wish was different
n/a
Advice
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Medical Research Scientist
June - September 2020 • Charlestown, MA
What I liked
Massachusetts General Hospital is doing cutting edge research on chronic pain therapies as well as developing the first-ever neuro-muscular junction using human iPSCs to run ALS tests on. I experienced no hassles in being incorporated into the lab remotely and have had purely positive experiences here.
What I wish was different
I really disliked the commute that I had when I worked here two years ago, but COVID solved this by making my internship remote. Granted I likely could have gotten more out of the experience were it to have been in person, but I believe that the trade-off of having more time to complete my work at home instead of sitting in traffic was worth it.
Advice
When I did background research to prepare for the internship, I believe I should not have done such specific research into chronic pain treatments as that is what I learned about in my internship, but rather learned about basic genetic/basic molecular biology that was presumed I knew coming in.
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Research Animal Specialist
July - August 2019 • Charlestown, MA
What I liked
The work was all very routine which was nice, as I went in and was out by the same time everyday. Discounts on lunch next door was great.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Research Technician
May - September 2020 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I enjoyed gaining real world experience in a famous vaccine lab.
What I wish was different
Advice
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MIBRC Summer Digestive Disease Intern
June - August 2018 • Boston, MA
What I liked
It was a really good experience in basic science research. I had my own independent project and got to learn a variety of techniques.
What I wish was different
I wish it had been a little more organized. I had more free time than I would have liked
Advice
Research takes patience and it can be frustrating sometimes. I spent so long on some experiments and in the end the data did not turn out very well.
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Digital Marketing Intern
June - August 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
The work environment is good, people are friendly
What I wish was different
More responsibilities
Advice
Do your research about hospital basic terms and structure
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Research Intern
July - August 2018 • Cambridge, MA
What I liked
The research was very applicable to my major at school and I got a lot of experience in industry research.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more time to work there.
Advice
Don't be afraid to make mistakes and try something completely new to you. You will eventually get the hang of it and people are usually very supportive!
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Clinical Research intern
September 2018 - August 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I loved working in a team with doctors and research coordinations across multiple studies.
What I wish was different
I wish that I had more time to dedicate towards patient interactions.
Advice
I highly recommend working in a hospital or clinical environment with doctor and patient interactions, especially if you are interested in pursuing a healthcare field. There is so much that goes into the daily runnings happening behind the scenes.
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Intern
May - August 2018 • Boston, MA
What I liked
Hands on patient experiences
Good professional contacts
Exposure to field of health care and research
What I wish was different
Clearer job description
Better communication between me and hiring manager
Advice
Don't be afraid to make suggestions and ask questions. Just because you are an intern does not mean you aren't a valuable member of the team
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Research Intern
May 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I loved getting experience in how the research industry works and being able to conduct research on foot and ankle injuries.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Medical research
June - August 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
The environment at Massachusetts General Hospital was extremely enriching. There were always lectures to attend, and everyone on staff was genuinely smart and happy to help the community. For my research project, I was given a tremendous amount of independence which was a great learning experience for me!
What I wish was different
I wish there had been more collaboration between myself and my PI. Alternatively, had there been graduate students or other undergraduates in the lab I may have felt a bit more comfortable and gotten more out of the experience as well.
Advice
I got this opportunity through cold-emailing a physician-scientist at Harvard Medical School whose research I had been following and was extremely interesting to me. I had never been to Boston nor did I know anyone who lived there, but it was a fantastic experience that I would recommend! I would encourage other students to seek out what they want to do and really go for it!
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Intern
September 2017 • Boston, MA
What I liked
You get to learn a lot about the research process. In my department, Center of Addiction Medicine, all of the employees are very nice. Many of them are also recent college graduates, so you can identify with each other a lot. You also get trained in certifications such as using MRIs and vitals.
What I wish was different
I wish it was paid, and that we were able to be involved in the testing process.
Advice
You can ask to be more involved. They are willing to give you more work/help if you want it.
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Human Resources Intern
June - September 2017 • Boston, MA
What I liked
Everyone was eager to teach me the different areas of Human Resources, I was trusted with a lot early on. It was very autonomous, and I learned a lot.
What I wish was different
I just wish I was able to interact with another intern. There was 2 of us, but we came in on separate days.
Advice
Take responsibility for how much you learn during an internship. Meaning, express your interests to your supervisors and they will be willing to teach you. Be a sponge, soaking up all of the knowledge that you can from experts in the field.
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Feeding and Swallowing Team Intern
September 2017 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I loved the overwhelming amount of exposure to therapy sessions and progressively increasing responsibilities given to me over the time I was working.
What I wish was different
I wish the hours were a little more flexible.
Advice
Be flexible with your time and ask supervisors to be more active and they will be happy to allow you to do more things.
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GI Quality Intern
May - August 2018 • Boston, MA
What I liked
Working at Mass Gen in Boston was a wonderful experience. All the people I worked with were outgoing and nice and willing to teach you as long as you asked questions. My position dealt mostly with solving problems in departmental function and work flow and improving overall patient experience in the Gastroenterology department. I got to work on analyzing statistics of an app that was implemented into an outpatient population to help improve colonoscopy prep. I also got to work directly with patients on the front end of developing an app that would eventually help cirrhotic patients manage their disease. Overall a very fun and worthwhile experience. I had the opportunity to work in medical technology innovation research as well as build a network of doctors at a world class hospital.
What I wish was different
I wish I had reached out a little more to different people at the hospital. Either to get lunch or coffee or just talk so I could really understand the different positions and operations within the hospital.
Advice
Do not be afraid to ask questions and/or open a conversation. It is intimidating especially with highly educated professionals surrounding you, but people love to talk and are human too. So, don't be afraid you never know how far a simple "Hi, how are you?" can go.
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Health Policy Intern
May 2018 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I enjoyed having a close relationship with my boss and contributing to ongoing public health research in an active health policy center within a massive academic research hospital. I also enjoyed the opportunity to network with other researchers, doctors and leaders in the MGH administration.
What I wish was different
Nothing!
Advice
Don't be afraid to ask questions! I was initially intimidated by my boss and was shy about asking questions. When I eventually became more comfortable and asked more questions of my peers and superiors, I learned a lot more than I ever could have imagined.
