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How a 16-Year-Old Worked at a Stanford Lab
Topic
Internship Strategies
Key insights
- Spent entire summer cold emailing professors from top universities
- Received 99.9% rejections due to being a high school student
- Kept emails under five sentences and got straight to the point
- Sent follow-up emails for two months after initial contact
- Expressed genuine interest in exploring virtual and paid internships
- Cold emailing 900,000 professors led to a 99.9% rejection rate, highlighting the challenges faced by high school students in securing internships.
Perspectives
short
High School Student's Approach
- Cold emails to 900,000 professors demonstrate persistence
- Faced 99.9% rejection rate due to being a high school student
- Emphasizes importance of concise communication in emails
- Followed up persistently with additional emails for two months
- Expressed genuine motivation to secure an internship
Neutral / Shared
- Highlights challenges of securing internships for high school students
Metrics
rejection_rate
99.9%
percentage of rejections received while cold emailing professors
High rejection rates indicate the competitive nature of internship opportunities for students.
I got a lot of rejections, 99.9% for all rejections because I'm a high school student
emails_sent
900,000
total number of professors emailed
A large volume of outreach demonstrates persistence and effort in seeking opportunities.
900,000 professors from like top 20 universities
follow_up_duration_days
60 days
duration of follow-up emails sent after initial contact
Consistent follow-up can increase chances of receiving a response.
I kept sending follow-up emails for like two months.
Key entities
Timeline highlights
00:00–05:00
Cold emailing 900,000 professors led to a 99.9% rejection rate, highlighting the challenges faced by high school students in securing internships.
- Spent entire summer cold emailing professors from top universities
- Received 99.9% rejections due to being a high school student
- Kept emails under five sentences and got straight to the point
- Sent follow-up emails for two months after initial contact
- Expressed genuine interest in exploring virtual and paid internships