Our Review of Stanford's AIMI Program for High School Students

Artificial intelligence is a rapidly growing field, featuring new applications worldwide. The industry is constantly expanding and offering new career pathways for high school students like you. If you’re interested in AI or computer science, you should consider applying for a summer program in AI. These programs will give you a foundation in the field and enhance your academic skills.

You will get the opportunity to work on projects, engaging with machine learning models, programming languages, and real-world datasets. These skills and projects can make a positive difference during the college application process. If you’re interested in the intersection of AI and medicine, one program you should consider is the Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship.

What is Stanford’s Summer Research Internship?

Organized by the Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI), this Summer Research Internship allows high school students to explore the technical and clinical aspects of AI in healthcare. This project-based program aims to refine your technical skills and teach you how to use AI to solve problems in healthcare.

How is Stanford’s Summer Research Internship structured?

The Summer Research Internship is an entirely virtual program. The curriculum consists of lectures that cover the fundamentals of AI in healthcare and mentoring sessions with Stanford student leads and researchers. You can also expect social activities and career sessions led by guest speakers from academic institutions, government bodies, or other industries.

You will work on a research project in a group. Previous students have worked on projects like developing a machine learning algorithm to identify and locate medical tubes in chest X-rays or training convolutional neural networks to examine the position of an endotracheal tube. There is also an opportunity to work on an independent research project, during which you will develop an AI solution that positively impacts human health. At the end of the program, you will leave with a Certificate of Completion.

Here are a few important dates to keep track of:

Applications open: December 9

Applications close: February 28

Program starts: June 16

Program ends: June 27

Who is eligible?

If you are interested in applying for the AIMI Summer Research Internship, you must be:

• A high school student

• Over the age of 14 at the start of the program

• A US resident

• Have strong math/computer programming skills and/or experience with a healthcare project

How much does it cost?

The cost for the AIMI Summer Research Program is $850. With the additional $40 application fee, the program's total cost is $890. Financial aid is available, which covers the entire cost of the program and the application fee. However, you must submit a financial aid application with proof of demonstrated financial need (more details are available on the program’s website).

What is the acceptance rate? Is it prestigious?

The AIMI Summer Research Internship is a very prestigious program, first and foremost since it is offered by Stanford University. Learning from and conducting research under the guidance of Stanford faculty is a valuable opportunity. Additionally, this program only accepts 25 interns from many applications, and its selective nature adds to the program’s overall prestige.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Advanced learning: You will gain in-depth knowledge of AI and medicine. The curriculum will give you practical skills and exposure to research.

Interdisciplinary experience: This internship offers a unique, interdisciplinary perspective that may not be available in other summer programs.  

Project-based curriculum: Having completed projects on your resume offers tangible proof of your abilities, which can be helpful for college applications.

Prestige: As a selective program from Stanford, this internship can significantly boost your college applications.

Networking: You will build connections with your peers and mentors, which could lead to more opportunities or support in the future.

Cons

Niche: By focusing on the intersection of AI and healthcare, the program targets a relatively niche interest that may not match every student’s interests.  

Fully virtual: As an entirely online program, this internship does not offer the benefits of in-person programs, such as lab work, greater access to mentors and resources, and the experience of living on a college campus.

Highly selective: The highly competitive nature of the program can make it hard to secure a spot.

Not suitable for beginners: Since the eligibility criteria include a strong foundation in math and programming, this program is not suitable for computer science beginners.

Our Review – Is it legit?

The Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship is a great program for high school students interested in computer science, biology, math, and medicine. By examining the influence of AI on healthcare, the program offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective. The project-based nature of the internship is another advantage, as you will get hands-on experience and learn how to tackle complex problems.

However, this program’s virtual format means it may not be the best choice for all high schoolers. Compared to an in-person program's resources and networking opportunities, the benefits of an online internship can be fairly limited. Given the program’s selectivity, you will have to be sure to apply to multiple summer programs in addition to this one. 

Despite these downsides, the AIMI Summer Research Internship is a highly valuable opportunity for those interested in the overlap between AI and healthcare. Ultimately, you must gauge your interests, resources, and career goals to decide if this internship is the right fit for you. 

One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.

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