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How to spend your summer is an annual question for high school students, especially as the summer before your senior year is increasingly seen as key to impressing admissions officers with a capstone accomplishment. Some summer programs offer exactly what colleges want to see; disciplined, high achieving, and impressive, while others are lackluster.Ìý In this article, we’re going to explore one top-notch program: Duke’s (STAR). We’re going to explore what this program is, what it offers to students, and who might benefit from taking part in it. We’ll also cover how you can apply to it, as it is a rather competitive program. Let’s jump right in!

Understanding Duke’s STAR Program

As the name (Summer Training in Academic Research) suggests, the point of this program is to introduce students to academic research in a serious and hands-on way. This is a five-week in person program, hosted at Duke’s Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina. 

Students are each partnered with a Duke faculty member, and spend their time working on a hypothesis driven research project, originating as a proposal and culminating in a full research paper. One of the core goals of the program is to have every student who participates qualify for co-authorship credit on a peer-reviewed manuscript related to the work they do during the summer. 

The program is free to attend, and provides a stipend to participants. This is to increase access to the program, so that even students who would normally need to work during the summer may consider this as an option. The stipend is $4,000 for high school students. Note that housing is not provided by the program, and students are required to secure their own housing for the five-week duration. This may make this more attractive to students who already live in the area. 

The program is specifically for students who do not have prior experience with the research process. While you are permitted to apply if you do, all students receive training on both laboratory research and on how the research process works as a whole. Students learn from a faculty member on the lab work, a medical writer on how to craft a manuscript, and a statistician on how to analyze the data they have collected, all building to the final research results. 

This program is specifically aimed at students with an interest in medicine, and both undergraduate and medical students may apply, alongside high school students. High school students not interested in medicine may apply as well, but they may get less out of it. Students attend multiple lectures on topics related to medical research over the course of the program. 

How to Apply to Duke’s STAR Program

The application dates and deadlines vary by participant group, and each has their own form to fill out to apply. We will be focusing on high school students in this article, as they are the primary group of students we work with, but we will include details for other groups as well. Here are the application deadlines for the STAR program: 

• Medical Students: October 1-November 15
• College and High School Students: November 17-January 2

All applications must be received before midnight Eastern Time.Ìý

Applications must be submitted online. All applications require the application form (which consists of academic and biographic information), a school transcript, and two letters of recommendation from non relatives. These must be submitted directly by the letter writer to the program. We suggest getting these from current math or science teachers, or a previous research mentor you have worked with.

In addition, all applicants must submit a 500 word essay answering the following prompt: 

• What I want to be, and how I’m going to make it happen.

This is a very open prompt, so we’re going to spend some time discussing how best to answer it. The first, and most obvious thing, is that your answer should relate to the program and what you will gain from participating in STAR.Ìý

This is true regardless of your end goal, though certain end goals work better than others. Students interested in research, medicine, bioengineering, and related fields have the clearest path; as these are the students this program is designed to serve, this does make sense. Students interested in other fields should focus on how research skills themselves will aid in pursuit of their goal, and how learning these methods from the STAR program will benefit them.

You can cover your motivations, but this shouldn’t be entirely about them. You can also cover what you’ve done previously; past research experience is not required, but it can show your interest in the field; for example, if you have the goal of being a doctor, then past work you’ve done related to medicine is worth discussing. 

You can also cover non-research experiences you have had (or which you plan to pursue). There should be a clear narrative, where the STAR program is a clear intermediary step which helps set you up for your long term goals. You want to show authentic passion and enthusiasm in this essay, as that’s what they’ll be looking for most. 

Eligibility

The program is intended primarily for rising seniors, but rising juniors can apply, and are admitted in some cases. You are allowed to apply if you are younger than eighteen, but students who are below eighteen at the start of the program will not be able to participate in shadowing faculty at clinics or in the hospital. All applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents. 

If you have graduated from high school and are enrolled to attend college next year, you may apply for the program as a college student. There is no application benefit for the children of Duke alumni.

Should You Apply for the STAR Program?

This is an excellent program, but that doesn’t mean it is the right choice for all students. This particular program is best for students with a strong interest in both research and medicine, especially those who have not been able to explore it up to this point. It is also well suited for students who already live in and around Durham, North Carolina, though the stipend means other students can benefit more easily than otherwise. 

This is what we generally classify as an A-Tier summer program. It is a program which substantially and meaningfully adds to your college candidacy, but on its own will not get you into college. It offers a hands-on experience, and the kind of training and experience you will not otherwise be able to get in high school.

It is not the only program of its sort; there are a significant number of opportunities for students to complete laboratory work at a college, in a number of STEM fields. That this program offers a stipend is not unique, but is exceptional, and is another thing to recommend it. 

This is on the shorter end for research internships at only five weeks; many similar programs run for eight-to-ten. This can be helpful if you are looking to do other things over the course of your summer, but means you won’t be able to dive as deep into the material you are learning at the program. Five weeks is what we would generally call the minimum for this kind of program, enough time to really sink your teeth into what you’re learning and doing, and to gain a genuine appreciation for research.

Students who do not enjoy science or math, or who don’t want to pursue research in undergrad or beyond will not enjoy this program. Students interested in being pre-meds, and those interested in BS-MD programs will benefit more from this than some other similar programs, due to the focus this one has on medical research specifically. 

This is not a uniquely excellent program, but it is a wonderful way to spend your summer. Since all of these on-campus research programs are competitive, we encourage students to apply to multiple. If you are looking to spend your summer before senior year pursuing research, especially research aligned with the medical field, then we do recommend applying to the STAR program. 

Final Thoughts

There are many possible ways for high school students to spend their summer vacations, and colleges know that. Because of that degree of freedom students have, colleges see this as one of the best ways to evaluate students, to see what you care about enough to devote your free time to it. We hope that this article has given you insight into one such option available to you, and let you decide if it is a good use of your limited free time.

If you need help finding the perfect summer program to serve as a capstone to your interests, or want assistance applying to one of these competitive programs, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are skilled at helping students explore and connect with their interests, feeling out their breadth and depth to see how they feel. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help make your summer spectacular, we’re always happy to hear from you.