This internship was an amazing opportunity for me to study what I love and learn more about what a job in the psychology field would look like. I was able to see that being a psychologist was more than just talking to others about how they feel and why they feel like that. It is a field where you can just sit at an office and collect data, analyze datawork, or be around others and pick at their minds. Working with patients and psychologists I was able to see the diverse field that psychology is and even changed my mind on what I want to do with my life in terms of continuing a degree in psychology.
What I wish was different
I wish that I had been able to have the same time doing different tasks. I noticed that for the majority of the internship I was doing interviews and at the very end of the internship I was able to actually do some work with the paper they are going to release.
Advice
I would say to be well prepared to work long hours and be able to work really well with people.
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Research assistant
May 2021 • Boston, MA
What I liked
Working on a real world problem. What I have learned in the class room finally translated to something tangible in real life. It is a nice feeling that my work will positively impact a large human population and advance science.
What I wish was different
I did a lot of the grunt-work that no one else wanted to do, but 'such is life.'
Advice
Ask for advice when learning and applying to new roles. It comes off less pushy and allows you to engage in conversation with your potential employer.
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Patient Care Associate
May 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Don't feel like you need lots of experience before starting this job! I learned practically everything during the month-long orientation
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Clinical Research Intern
June 2020 • Boston, MA
What I liked
What I wish was different
Due to COVID-19, I have been working virtually. I would love to get more in-person experience, but of course there is no fault to MGH as they are taking all the precautions to protect their employees and the larger community.
Advice
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patient care associate
May 2020 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I liked the flexibility of the per diem position and all the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. I learned so many helpful things that have helped me in my nursing classes this year as a senior.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Nursing Student Fellowship
June - August 2020 • Boston, MA
What I liked
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work one on one with a nurse on two different inpatient oncology units at Mass General. I loved being able to work with a nurse one on one in an area of nursing that I do not get to have experience with in school. I was able to learn so much about nursing in the real world, oncology, and become more confident in my nursing skills. Additionally, I was able to attend shadow days throughout the outpatient oncology center.
What I wish was different
Advice
I would advise all nursing students to apply to summer fellowship programs! This program is just one of many fellowships and they are the best way to advance ones career in school. Having the opportunity to work one on one with a nurse before graduating is unique and extremely beneficial. Having this experience, I now know I want to specialize in oncology nursing and I feel confident to go right into that after graduation because of everything I was able to learn and practice over the summer.
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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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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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Student Research Intern
June - August 2020 • Boston, MA
What I liked
The research team at the Disparities Research Unit at Mass General was very welcoming to me as an intern and they already had plans for me before I even arrived. The coordination between the interns and the mentors was amazing and countless opportunities were aways given to interns to learn new skills or work with other people from the unit. I had goals going into the internship, and they were very much so accomplished by the end of the summer because of the guidance from my mentors at the DRU. I learned so much about disparities, the research process, how to work in a group of people when dividing up tasks, and I enhanced many skills through writing and editing soon to be published works, working with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, and learning new systems such as Dedoose and CommCare.
What I wish was different
While this was not a possibility given COVID-19, I would have loved to work with everyone in person, and while it worked well with everyone using Zoom, I wish I could have interacted with the amazing group of people in the unit.
Advice
One piece of advice I would give would be to go in very open-minded and ready to experience different types of tasks because you will never be doing the same thing every day, and often times you will be hopping around different projects and learning a variety of skills. If you go in not expecting one thing, I think you will better absorb and appreciate all of the opportunities they provide to you, even if they were not in your original plans.
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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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Neuropsychiatric Research Intern
May - August 2020 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I gained indispensable research experience. I was able to conduct research, write and publish papers, and learn statistics.
What I wish was different
I wish it wasn't remote. There is so much to offer on the MGH campus, it is an incredible environment, and I wish I could have been there working in person with the rest of the lab staff.
Advice
If you have a genuine interest in joining a lab or any institution, reach out and ask how! Show your passions and interests.
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Pharmacy finance
June - August 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
Learned so many new things, worked well and advanced my knowledge with excel sheets.
What I wish was different
Nothing at all.
Advice
Work hard and stayed organized.
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Biology Research Intern
June - August 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I enjoyed being exposed to research that combines an academic and clinical focus. I was able to work along side MDs and PhD scientists conducting research on many different facets of mucosal immunology. I liked being assigned to working in a collaborative lab, yet still having the freedom to network with doctors and postdocs from other labs. My internship was coupled with a biweekly seminar focused on immunology filled with about ten other students also partaking in the internship, but where assigned to different labs. This provided a great learning experience and way to connect with other undergraduate students alongside working on a research project in the lab. Overall, I loved my experience at Mass General and just being in Boston and enjoying the beauty of Boston in the summer.
What I wish was different
I wish I had lived closer to Boston for the summer. I stayed at my house, so the commute on the train could take anywhere from ninety minutes to three hours total, depending on the train delays and subway delays. So, the commute just took a lot of energy out of me, but besides that I would not have changed anything about the experience!
Advice
I would try to enjoy every day, the summer goes by fast when you are learning and having fun!
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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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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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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 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 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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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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Administrative Assistant
June - August 2018 • Westwood, MA
What I liked
The company's treatment of employees and the hourly wage.
