Meta Internship for High Schoolers (Meta Summer Academy Program) - 6 Reasons Why You Should Do It
As a high school student, wanting to gain valuable work experience in areas like technology, engineering or mathematics, the Meta Summer Academy program is an incredible opportunity. The Meta Summer Academy program, or the Meta Internship for High School Students, is a paid 6-week summer program where students can intern at Meta, get paired with mentors, work on real projects, and participate in professional development workshops.
What is the Meta Summer Academy Program?
Meta Summer Academy is an internship program open to high school students, who are self-driven and passionate about the tech industry. Hosted at Meta's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, the program provides students the opportunity to work on real projects at Meta alongside career mentors and develop skills that will benefit them in higher education and their future careers.
Interns are matched with Meta employee mentors based on shared interests and skills. Over the next six weeks, interns will spend 30 hours a week working on their project, developing skills that are currently relevant in tech, such as AI, and developing close relationships with mentors and fellow peers. In addition to gaining valuable experience, interns receive a generous stipend and opportunities for networking. The program aims to make careers in technology and mathematics more accessible to high school students from diverse backgrounds. Meta Summer Academy looks for motivated students eager to learn, contribute to a fast-paced work environment, and develop skills that will provide a competitive edge for college applications and future jobs.
Is Meta Summer Academy Prestigious?
The Meta Summer Academy program is a prestigious internship opportunity for high school students. Interning at one of the largest technology companies in the world, Meta, demonstrates passion, talent, and competence that will impress college admissions committees and future employers.
Working directly with Meta engineers, researchers, and product designers allows interns to build skills and gain insights into career paths they may never access otherwise. Meta Summer Academy also provides a network of like-minded peers interested in mathematics, problem-solving, and pushing the bounds of technology—connections that often lead to lifelong collaborations and friendships.
Overall, Meta Summer Academy offers an unparalleled experience to launch students into fulfilling college studies and careers in the technology field. The program has a competitive admissions process, so gaining acceptance exemplifies an intern’s abilities, work ethic, and potential to thrive at a company like Meta. For these reasons, Meta Summer Academy is considered one of the most prestigious internship programs available to high school students.
Who is Eligible to Participate?
Unfortunately, the eligibility requirements for the Meta Internship program are very strict, thus be sure to check if you fall under each requirement, as the program does not make any exceptions. You must be a current sophomore, and living full time in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, or Redwood City, which only makes few students eligible for the program. However, if you do live in any of these regions and will be a sophomore in the next academic year, be sure to take your chance to apply!
Timeline and Structure of Meta Summer Academy
Meta Summer Academy takes place during the summer over the course of 6 weeks. Interns work 5 days a week, for 30 hours each week. The program dates are typically in June and July, to accommodate high school summer breaks. Meta requires that you will be able to commit for the full duration of the program.
For the first week, interns undergo orientation where they receive training, learn about different teams and roles at the company, meet their mentors, and start discussing potential projects. By the second week, interns begin working on their assigned project in areas including software engineering, data science, social technologies, and more.
Interns also participate in periodic seminars and workshops ranging from presentation skills to building a strong resume. These sessions aim to facilitate professional development and provide guidance around communication, leadership, and career planning.
Interns are paired with mentors who meet regularly with them to provide feedback, career coaching, technical guidance, and advice for maximizing their experience. Mentors also evaluate interns' progress to determine if they will receive an invitation to return for another summer. Strong performance and contributions to impactful projects significantly increase the chances of being invited to participate again.
At the culmination of the 6 weeks, interns present their projects to colleagues and managers. Successful completion of Meta Summer Academy results in not only a final presentation but opportunities for networking and letters of recommendation from mentors. Interns leave with valuable experience, new skills, professional connections, and mentorship to apply to college and their future careers.
6 Reasons Why You Should Participate in the Meta Summer Academy
1. Gain invaluable work experience at a prestigious technology company
Interning for Meta provides first hand experience contributing to the work of an industry leader, which will stand out on college applications and resumes. Only 150 people total have ever had this opportunity, thus it makes you stand out as someone who has industry experience, direct tech internship experience, and takes initiative to pursue their passion at such a young age, which college recruiters will undoubtedly look fond upon.
2. Get paid while developing new skills.
Many programs for high schools either cost the family money or costs nothing. Meta Summer Program will actually provide you with a stipend for the completion of the program, thus it is unique in that you will actually be paid to learn relevant technical, teamwork, and industry skills that you will take with you as you progress to your next career.
3. Receive direct mentorship from Meta employees
Each intern is paired with a mentor at Meta who will guide you, give constructive feedback on your work, and support you in setting goals for your future. Mentorship relationships formed can lead to lasting networking connections in the technology field. Doing a good job through this program and maintaining this connection can serve as a jumping board to your career.
4. Build skills in areas like software engineering, data science, and research
Through the program, you will be working on the same features and research that Meta is currently focusing on. Interns have the opportunity to develop technical and soft skills while working on projects in especially relevant fields like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, machine learning, and social technologies. You will have the opportunity to develop a skill set that is absolutely necessary for a successful career at the forefront of innovation.
5. Build close relations with your fellow interns
You will spend 30 hours a week with your fellow interns, thus you will naturally become friends with like-minded peers who are all passionate about technology, innovation, and engineering. This can be a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests to you, and potentially share and learn ideas from one another to serve yourself as another opportunity for growth.
6. Bolster your resume for college applications
Being able to state that you have work experience at Meta, with connections and mentorship from internship professionals will help you stand out from the thousands of other college applicants. Participation in the Meta Summer Academy also is evidence of your talent and intelligence at such a young age, passion for learning, and self-initiative. These are all traits that colleges are looking for, thus this six week program could absolutely be what makes you the next accepted student.
If you're looking for a real-world internship that can help boost your resume while applying to college, we recommend Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective program equipping students with virtual internship experiences at startups and nonprofits around the world!
The startups range across a variety of industries, and each student can select which field they would most love to deep dive into. This is also a great opportunity for students to explore areas they think they might be interested in, and better understand professional career opportunities in those areas. The startups are based all across the world, with the majority being in the United States, Asia and then Europe and the UK.
The fields include technology, machine learning and AI, finance, environmental science and sustainability, business and marketing, healthcare and medicine, media and journalism and more.
You can explore all the options here on their application form. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship.
In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship - the Ladder Coach serves as a second mentor and a sounding board, guiding you through the internship and helping you navigate the startup environment.
Cost: $1490 (Financial Aid Available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: April 16 and May 14
Program dates: 8 weeks, June to August
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates and gap year students!
Additionally, you can also work on independent research in AI, through Veritas AI's Fellowship Program!
Veritas AI focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI a suitable environment to explore their interests. The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship.
These programs are designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni and you can expect a great, fulfilling educational experience. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI scholars program before pursuing the fellowship.
The AI Fellowship program will have students pursue their own independent AI research project. Students work on their own individual research projects over a period of 12-15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest. In the past, students have worked on research papers in the field of AI & medicine, AI & finance, AI & environmental science, AI & education, and more! You can find examples of previous projects here.
Location: Virtual
Cost:
$1,790 for the 10-week AI Scholars program
$4,900 for the 12-15 week AI Fellowship
$4,700 for both
Need-based financial aid is available. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Applications for fall cohort have closed September 3, 2023.
Program dates: Various according to the cohort
Program selectivity: Moderately selective
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit past experience with AI concepts or Python.
Application Requirements: Online application form, answers to a few questions pertaining to the students background & coding experience, math courses, and areas of interest.
If you are looking to do cutting-edge research in STEM, then you should consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Aaron Zheng is a sophomore at Harvard University, studying Bioengineering. He is passionate about biotechnology, business development, and aiding students to get to college, regardless of background. In his spare time, he looks to read, journal, and explore the world.
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