Science Extracurriculars in the DMV
Explore a curated short list of science extracurricular activities in the DMV made with the help of alumni of these programs.
Quick Info
Who
MCPS high school students who will be 16 or older in the upcoming school year
What
From a former student:
"We worked with fellow interns and full-time staff to learn about Montgomery Parks’ various job opportunities and career paths while simultaneously designing various of our own projects, from Nature on Wheels exhibits to a grand finale project of our choosing."
Where
Locust Grove Nature Center, Bethesda, MD. Some sessions will be at different locations, but interns can carpool together from the Nature Center
When
Early October to late May
Cost
Free, hourly stipend of $15.25, program is approximately 150 hours
Ratings
Cost
A.J., '25
P.U., '24-'25
1 being the most expensive, 10 being free with stipends
Value
A.J., '25
P.U., '24-'25
1 being not valuable at all, 10 being extremely valuable
"I was able to learn a lot about project development in regard to our local ecosystems through this internship, which relates to what I want to be doing in a future career. Additionally, I felt that the ability to design projects that actually come to fruition both individually and with peers was really cool!"
"I felt that the program gave me a lot of good information for very niche fields, such as environmental sciences, but this is not what I wanted to do and there was limited information about other opportunities or paths."
Difficulty
A.J., '25
P.U., '24-'25
1 being very easy, 10 being extremely difficult
(Time spent, transportation, break time, etc.)
"This program requires a medium time commitment, as the times we meet are pretty well spaced out - although, I did invest time and effort into various projects outside of these meeting times. Transportation wasn't an issue for me, but I know this wasn't the case for some interns who lived farther away."
"Transportation was easy, as we would meet at a place and they took us to field trips etc. Not very academically rigorous, and we had a large time span for projects and assignments."
Program Qualities
According to Alumni
Peer-based collaborative work
Independent work
Hands-on learning
Lecture-styled learning
Open-ended (freedom of creativity on work)
Rigid scheduling
Low-medium commitment
Mentorship
Research
Flexible scheduling
Instructor-led
Self-paced
High-commitment
Skill learning
Fun
Project building
Alumni Testimonials
​
Quick Info
Who
Rising high school juniors and seniors who have taken a high school-level biology course prior to the start date
What
From a former student:
"The Penn Summer Medicine Program was an experience targeted at students interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. It provided students with oppurtunities that similuated first-year medical school on a miniature level. It also helped students navigate the many different aspects of medical school along side hands on anatomy labs, lectures, and other activities. There was also a fair share of non-medical related, other fun activities, such as bowling, weekend trips to the beach, among other things."
Where
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
When
Late June to late July
Cost
$10,875
Ratings
Cost
1 being the most expensive, 10 being free with stipends
Value
1 being not valuable at all, 10 being extremely valuable
A.R., '24
A.R., '24
"The program was the most impactful thing I've ever done. Not only did I have a great time and make lifelong friends, but I had a great time learning about the medical field, and it reassured what I want to do with my life. It was a great balance of hands-on and fun learning alongside exciting summer activities."
Difficulty
1 being very easy, 10 being extremely difficult
(Time spent, transportation, break time, etc.)
A.R., '24
"This was not for any college credit or anything so it was really only as difficult as one made it. The only challenges were that some of the lecture content was conceptually very confusing as it was anatomy and biology heavy, but if you couldn't understand, there was no penalty or anything. The only real assignment was an open-ended group project which was several hours of the week. We did have quite a bit of free time where there was no need to do any work for the program really, and we mostly could just relax."
Program Qualities
According to Alumni
Peer-based collaborative work
Hands-on learning
Lecture-styled learning
Rigid scheduling
Instructor-led
Low-commitment
Fun
Independent work
Mentorship
Research
Open-ended (freedom of creativity on work)
Flexible scheduling
Self-paced
High-commitment
Project building
Skill learning
Alumni Testimonials
​
Quick Info
Who
All students in grades 9-12 who are not currently enrolled in an undergraduate program at a college or university. Homeschool students are also eligible to apply.
What
From a former student:
"It is a program where lots of people study for a biology test and if you do among the best you move on to the next test culminating in a competition against other counties for team USA."
Where
Various participating high schools
When
January to July, participants keep participating only if qualify for the next stage
Cost
Free for students, schools have to pay a registration fee which may be passed down to the students depending on the school
Ratings
Cost
1 being the most expensive, 10 being free with stipends
Value
1 being not valuable at all, 10 being extremely valuable
P.B., '23-'25
P.B., '23-'25
"It teaches you a lot about biology and pushes you to your limits but the only drawback is that it does not give you hands on lab work and tests unless you qualify for top 20 in the nation."
Difficulty
1 being very easy, 10 being extremely difficult
(Time spent, transportation, break time, etc.)
P.B., '23-'25
"It is very challenging and takes a long time behind the book to study for. You have to memorize a 1000 or so page book front to back about biology and have good memorization."
Program Qualities
According to Alumni
Lecture styled learning
Open-ended (freedom of creativity on work)
Rigid scheduling
Self-paced
High-commitment
Skill learning
Independent work
Peer-based collaborative work
Mentorship
Research
Hands-on learning
Flexible scheduling
Instructor-led
Low-commitment
Fun
Project building