- Do I need to be enrolled in school?
- Are freshmen and seniors eligible to apply?
- Can I apply if I am not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States?
- Does MSK sponsor visas for the summer programs discussed here?
- Can I apply if I am a US Citizen currently pursuing my bachelor’s at an international undergraduate institution?
- Is there a minimum GPA to participate in these programs?
- Do I need lab experience to be accepted into these programs?
- I currently attend an undergraduate institution on a quarter system, and my spring semester will not finish before the start of the summer program. Am I eligible to apply?
- I have a bachelor’s degree, but I am pursuing a second bachelor’s, can I apply?
- If accepted, can I defer my placement for next year?
- I was a previous participant and I am still actively enrolled in an undergraduate institution. Can I apply to the same program or to a different MSK summer program?
- Are interns allowed to partake in physician shadowing experiences while at MSK?
1. Do I need to be enrolled in school?
Yes, eligible applicants must be active undergraduates enrolled in an accredited college or university at the time of the program. Students that have graduated and/or will receive their undergraduate degrees before the start of the program are not eligible. Individuals who are graduating college in the spring semester prior to the start of the program are not eligible to participate.
2. Are freshmen and seniors eligible to apply?
| Program | Freshmen | Seniors |
ChBSP | Freshmen are not eligible to apply to these programs. | Seniors (students graduating before the summer program start) are not eligible to apply. Non-graduating seniors are eligible to apply. |
IRSP | ||
EISP | ||
MBSP | ||
CBSP | While freshmen are encouraged to apply, they must have conducted research experience or be able to demonstrate knowledge expertise and skill mastery in computational sciences or quantitate sciences. | |
QSURE |
3. Can I apply if I am not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States?
Yes, with caveats. These programs accept applications from non-US citizens enrolled in a US accredited college or university. Those accepted into the internship will be required to provide evidence of their eligibility to work in the US in order to participate in the program.
Applicants that have a student visa (only F-1 or J-1 student visas with OPT or CPT) are eligible to apply. Student Visas (F-1 and J-1) must be provided by the student’s school. MSK is not responsible to obtain the OPT or CPT status- the accepted intern will bear this responsibility.
4. Does MSK sponsor visas for the summer programs discussed here?
No, none of these programs sponsor visas for international students. The intern is responsible for obtaining a student visa through their US undergraduate school.
5. Can I apply if I am a US Citizen currently pursuing my bachelor’s at an international undergraduate institution?
Yes, as long as the applicant has completed the required coursework for the program of interest, is actively enrolled in an undergraduate program, and is eligible under the other eligibility requirements.
6. Is there a minimum GPA to participate in these programs?
While there is not minimum GPA required for these programs, the review committee will value strong credentials in the coursework related to that particular discipline program. In addition, applicants whose GPA has been affected due to extenuating circumstances are encouraged to address it on their statement of purpose.
7. Do I need lab experience to be accepted into these programs?
While lab experience is not required, most interns that have participated in these summer programs have had some laboratory experience/exposure. It is important to address previous lab experience on the application. For CBSP and QSURE, lab experience in wet lab or dry labs is not required, but candidates must be able to demonstrate the technical skills.
8. I currently attend an undergraduate institution on a quarter system, and my spring semester will not finish before the start of the summer program. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes. Applicants that are enrolled in quarter system institutions are eligible to apply. If accepted, the applicant is responsible to fulfill the requirements of the program and any requirements of their undergraduate coursework. Students that are not able to join at the start of the summer program due to their quarter system requirements will still be expected to end the program on the established end date. Extensions are not granted based on delayed start.
9. I have a bachelor’s degree, but I am pursuing a second bachelor’s, can I apply?
Yes, if the applicant is an active student pursuing a bachelor’s degree they can apply, even if it is their second bachelor’s degree.
10. If accepted, can I defer my placement for next year?
No. Accepted applicants are expected to join the summer program on the cycle that they applied to, starting in early June.
11. I was a previous participant and I am still actively enrolled in an undergraduate institution. Can I apply to the same program or to a different MSK summer program?
Students that have previously participated in an MSK summer undergraduate program are eligible to apply to a different program, if they meet all of the required criteria. It is highly recommended that these applicants discuss this with the program directors prior to applying.
12. Are interns allowed to partake in physician shadowing experiences while at MSK?
The primary goal of these summer undergraduate programs is to expose students to research opportunities. Ten weeks is a limited time to make meaningful contributions to an independent research project, and these programs also require time out of the lab to participate in complementary scientific and professional development programming. Therefore, participants are not allowed to engage in clinical shadowing during this 10-week period of the summer.