How can I find internship opportunities as a freshman?
How can I find internship opportunities as a freshman?
MEDICINE
Pursuing medicine as a Harvard undergraduate is a rigorous process that begins early with core coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and math, often including labs and expository writing. Many students take advanced biology or related classes to demonstrate academic depth, while also ensuring they meet varying medical school requirements. Beyond academics, extracurricular involvement is critical. Admissions committees look for clinical experiences that expose students to patient care, as well as research that shows intellectual curiosity. Leadership in student organizations or community initiatives further highlights collaboration, initiative, and interpersonal skills. Summer programs and internships provide additional opportunities to explore healthcare. Options like the Harvard-Amgen Scholars Program, global health NGOs, or policy internships deepen experience and clarify career interests. Applying to medical school is demanding, requiring thoughtful reflection and mentorship. Students who build a balanced portfolio of academic achievement, meaningful service, research, and leadership are well-prepared to compete for spots at top medical schools.
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Freshmen/Sophomore Year
Begin taking foundational courses in biology, chemistry (general and organic), physics, and math (including statistics), many with labs—these will fulfill most medical school prerequisites. Explore academic and extracurricular interests, and choose a concentration by the end of sophomore year. Your concentration does not need to be in the sciences, as long as core pre-med requirements are completed. Begin clinical and community service experiences, research, or other medically relevant activities. Toward the end of sophomore year, consider creating an MCAT study plan and identifying potential letter writers. Establish relationships with mentors, advisors, and professors who can support your application.
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Junior Year
December – April: Notify your House Premedical Committee of your intent to apply. Begin compiling your activities list and drafting personal and secondary essays. Continue requesting letters of recommendation (most schools require 3–5).
January – April: Take the MCAT no later than April to ensure timely application. Some applicants choose to take it earlier, especially if they plan to study abroad or need time to focus on other application components.
May: AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) opens in early May. Complete all sections, including coursework, personal statement, activities, and letter requests.
Late May – June: Submit your AMCAS primary application as early as possible after submission opens (usually in late May or early June). Early submission improves your chances in rolling admissions.
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Senior Year
June – August: Complete secondary (school-specific) applications. These typically have 2–4 week deadlines after receipt.
August – February: Attend interviews. Interview formats may vary (MMI, traditional), and some may be virtual.
February – April: Admissions decisions are released.
April 30: Final deadline to select and commit to one medical school offer.
Summer: Complete pre-matriculation requirements. Orientation and matriculation occur between June and August, depending on the school.
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INDUSTRY PATHWAYS
01 CLINICAL PRACTICE
The most traditional path for those with a medical degree is direct patient care. Physicians in this route diagnose and treat illness, often specializing in fields like surgery, internal medicine, or pediatrics. It offers high financial reward and strong emotional fulfillment, especially for those who value human connection and hands-on problem-solving.
02 ACADEMIC RESEARCH
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This path combines clinical care with teaching and scientific research. Physician-scientists often work in universities or teaching hospitals, advancing medical knowledge while training future doctors. Financial rewards are moderate, but intellectual engagement and long-term impact can be deeply satisfying.
03 HEALTH POLICY AND GLOBAL MEDICINE
For those drawn to systemic change, this route involves improving health outcomes at the population level. Physicians may work in government, NGOs, or international organizations. While compensation tends to be lower, the work can offer high emotional fulfillment through service and advocacy.
04 MEDICAL INNOVATION AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
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Some physicians choose careers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, or healthcare startups. Roles may involve product development, strategy, or investment. This path often provides high financial returns and appeals to those interested in innovation, though it may offer less direct patient impact.
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
"MEDICINE AS A SECTOR IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY SPECIALIZED DUE THESE EVER-CHANGING FACTORS. THUS, WE ARE IN NEED OF INDIVIDUALS WITH VARIOUS INTERESTS ENTERING THE FIELD OF MEDICINE-ADJACENT FIELDS INCOMING ECONOMICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION"
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MEDICINE
BRINDA EMU '94
What first pulled you toward healthcare/medicine, and what moments (at Harvard or after) clarified your niche—clinical care, biotech/pharma, devices, diagnostics, public health, or digital health?
I was first pulled into health care during travels abroad. The stark differences in health care in countries like the US and in rural areas in Asia and Africa made me choose medicine as a profession early on, with an eye towards public health. Except for an uncle who was a village doctor in India, there were no physicians in my family and I had very little knowledge or exposure to the breadth of possibilities for graduates of medical school. In addition, during my time at Harvard, the HIV epidemic was killing many young people around the world, and further fueled my interest in medicine.
I got exposure to the health care system, public health, and laboratory research during my undergraduate years at Harvard (1990-1994). I volunteered in the surgical suites of Massachusetts General Hospital during my junior and senior years, helping prep patients for their surgeries. I did my undergraduate thesis in the laboratory of Alfred Goldberg in Harvard Medical School, studying the role of ubiquitin in protein degradation in mice who were exposed to protein deficient diets. I also did a summer doing an HIV awareness project in Salem, India in 1993 where the HIV epidemic in India was raging.
Each of these experiences were critical in shaping how I thought about medicine, and I was already starting to see the many different directions where a medical degree could lead.
Which Harvard experiences—courses, labs, thesis work, ECs, or mentors—most directly translated to your early roles? What do you wish you’d done differently while on campus?
As I stated above, I dove into several different areas of science and medicine during my time on campus. Each of them extolled different skillsets that are important in the field of medicine.
As an undergraduate, I was given the privilege of one-on-one time with patients just as they were about to enter surgery, an emotional and intense time in their lives. As a physician, this is the essence of our profession, the ability to see an individual---to listen, to diagnose, to treat, and to comfort. This full and laser focus with dedicated effort towards their well-being makes medicine a unique field that has profound impact on people’s lives.
One of the most formative was my time in the laboratory of Dr Goldberg. I spent 2 ½ years in the lab. It was the third laboratory that I worked in during my undergraduate years. Being able to focus on a specific question for an extended period of time made me realize that I very much was drawn to basic science research.
It fostered critical thinking, focus, and patience. Importantly, it also fostered a culture where taking risks, facing failure, rethinking hypotheses, and being data-driven were expected and encouraged.
Thirdly, during my project in India, I spoke with villagers and high school students and educated them about HIV transmission risk, means of protection, and clarified the rampant misinformation about the HIV/AIDS. In the public health sector, a different set of skill sets were needed. Clarity, communication, and connection with a community of individuals who come from different backgrounds, knowledge base, and life experience is a nuanced skill that our public health colleagues face daily. Little did I know that 30 years later, I would have similar experiences as an infectious diseases physician during the COVID-19 epidemic.
How did you land your first meaningful opportunity and demonstrate value quickly? Any tactics for networking with PIs, physicians, or venture partners?
After graduated with a Biology degree from Harvard, I obtained my MD at Johns Hopkins, did my internal medicine training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and my infectious diseases fellowship at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF).
In all 4 of those institutions, I did laboratory-based research at the same time that I was seeing and treating patients. After UCSF, my academic career took a bit of a detour, and I joined Genentech, a biotechnology firm that was focused on novel therapies to treat infectious diseases, cancer, and immunologic conditions. Here, the skillsets were communication, the ability to recognize innovative research, and critically assess whether basic science findings could be manipulated to develop novel therapies to improve patients’ lives. This involves critical assessment of unmet needs which then allows for determination of clinical and commercial value. It opened my eyes to a new meaningful career for physicians and physician scientists outside of traditional clinical or academic roles.
As a Harvard undergraduate, I was surrounded by world class research institutions, at Harvard Medical School, each of the Harvard-affiliated hospitals, MIT, and associated joint institutions (e.g. Broad Institute, Ragon Institute, Koch Institute).
Where do you see the biggest opportunities and risks in the sector (AI/clinical decision support, real-world evidence, value-based care, FDA/EMA shifts, reimbursement, global health)? What should Harvard undergrads start doing now to be ready?
Harvard undergrads who are interested in the medical sector have a lot more choice than in the past. Of course, core exposure to basic science research and public health remain the most important to drive scientific innovation and to have large societal impact.
But as the question alludes to, there are huge shifts in the medical sector. Like many sectors, upon entry to AI, we see its imprint on clinical decision making, interpretation of diagnostic radiology and pathology, and assistance with patient record keeping. In addition, we are in a state of flux with regards to reimbursement and definition of “value-based care.” Medicine as a sector is becoming increasingly specialized due to these ever-changing factors. Thus, we are in need of individuals with various interests entering the field of medicine-adjacent fields including economics, computer science, data science and health administration. Ideally individuals in these fields would also have a strong core science and clinical background, as economic principles with lack of understanding of individual patient experience does not drive value.
To get ready, follow the academic passion that pulls you. However, I urge you to find patient-facing opportunities, like volunteering in clinical institutions or doing public health projects.
Which skills and mindsets separate strong entry-level hires (e.g., data literacy, regulatory awareness, ethics & patient safety, cross-functional teamwork, resilience)?
The most important consideration for any medicine-related field is the ability to interpret data and think critically about (a) defining the unmet need (b) data analysis and interpretation (c) evidence of good problem-solving skills and (d) good written and oral communication. The ability to work with teams is a crucial skill that cuts across fields and is an essential part of any hiring process in any field of medicine or affiliated field. Thus, experiences that highlight critical thinking (research projects, publications) will be most impressive.
BRINDA EMU '94 AND COLLEAGUE AT THE YALE CANCER CENTER HIV AND CENTER PROGRAM
