HGHS-SR - Junior Tips

Finding A Mentor

Follow a structure in your emails.

Include an overview of the program so that they know what they are signing up for and whether they have the capacity to take you on. In fact, you can attach a link to this very website!

Attach your résumé, with science-research-related skills included.

Consider attaching your Somers Science Fair Poster. This can set you apart from other high schoolers and highlight your research-related skills, especially if you won an award for your poster.

Show them that you know them.

If you are particularly interested in a scientist's research, make sure you read up on what they have accomplished and what they are working on. Reference their work in your email.

Send, send, send!

Just putting yourself out there by sending emails is the most important part of the mentor search. Even if no one is responding, keep trying. The worst they can do is say no, in which case you acknowledge it and try someone else.

First and foremost, use your personal connections to your advantage. In the case that you can't find a mentor, consider collecting data from an online database.

Try to speak face-to-face with them! In-person meeting or Zoom call, this kind of connection is always helpful to establishing rapport.

Keep an open mind!

If you’re not finding anything in that obscure area of science you’re really hoping to land a mentor in, broaden your expectations. Any mentor you end up collaborating with is going to have interesting research to share with you, so don’t limit yourself to unattainable scientists.

When I was a sophomore and couldn’t find anything in neuroscience, I ended up learning all about cardiology and that’s where I found my mentor!

Use the Blind CC (BCC) email feature.

Compile a list of people to reach out to, and BCC them all together in a single email to get your message out quickly.

I sent out multiple mass emails, each with around 50 potential mentors BCC’d, and got quite a few responses!

If you secure a mentor, congratulations!

This is a great success that you should take pride in.

The Mentor-Mentee Relationship

Keep your mentor in the loop.

Inform your mentor about your plans for the rest of the program. What competitions are you applying to? What do they need to do, if anything, in preparation for your competitions?

My mentor was a super accomplished scientist, which means she was also very busy. I'm so glad that I reached out early, telling her the specifics of what I would need from her in the coming months. She was grateful for that, too.

Keep asking questions.

Your mentor is a valuable resource as an established teacher/scientist/whichever position they employ. They are the primary source for the research you’re conducting! They have a plethora of knowledge about their topic. It can be frustrating when you don’t understand something, but there is an easy remedy: ask for help.

Preparing For Your Research Experience

Understand your research.

Be able to explain it, answer questions about it, and do those things with confidence and enthusiasm.

Do not let any part escape you, even if it is minor.

Understand the background behind the research. You never know when that supplementary knowledge about your field will come in handy during questions in judging, as well as to help you comprehend your own research better.

Stay organized.

Keep a document of mentor notes, your notes, general information, links, and future plans.

Create a loose research plan. This usually includes an initial research question, a hypothesis, a list of necessary materials and where to get them, a few links to important background research, and some sort of schedule.

The competition forms can be confusing (especially for WESEF). Look through them, sign them, and get them signed by your mentor early on in the process. This will save you from so much stress in senior year.

Make a science research folder on Google Drive, complete with subfolders, and actually use it.

My mentor constantly shared documents with me. Having everything organized was a huge help while writing my competition papers; I did not have to confuse myself or waste time sifting through unimportant information.

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