ASE General Information Example Position Descriptions Volunteer with ASE Mentor Info How To Sign Up Mentor Forms and Resources Mentor Calendar Student Info Student Calendar Program Fees How To Apply Preliminary Application Final Application Part 1: Transcripts Final Application Part 2: Adult Recommendations Final Application Part 3: Online Application Essay & Interview Skills Workshops Student Resources Info Sessions 2012 Position Descriptions By Title By Location By Discipline By Institution By Pos. Number

How To Apply If you would like to be added to our email list, please click here. If you would like more information on other summer opportunities, please visit our Student Resources page. IMPORTANT: You will receive a confirmation email after you've completed each portion of your application (including submitting your transcript).  If you do not receive a confirmation email, after checking your junk email box, please contact ASE immediately by phone 503-200-8561 AND by email ase[at]saturdayacademy.org. OPTIONAL ASE Information Sessions: November - December Thinking about applying for ASE?  Come to an information session in your area.  We are continually adding new sessions on the website through November and December. Step 1 of 2: Due January 20, 2012 Preliminary Application Students complete a basic application form and write three short answer essays. Please note that you may only apply via online form.  Applications will not be accepted on paper, unless approved in advance. If you have difficulty accessing a computer, please contact ASE staff. Students who turn in the preliminary application on time are eligible to complete the final application. OPTIONAL Essay and Interview Skills Workshops: February - March Each winter ASE conducts essay and interview skills workshops taught by local professionals.  These are FREE workshops and are valuable for learning how to write application essays and how to conduct interviews. Step 2 of 2: Due March 5th, 2012 Final Application (3 parts) Part 1 of the final application: Official Transcript Transcripts must be postmarked or hand delivered into the ASE office by the due date above.  WE DO NOT ACCEPT ELECTRONIC TRANSCRIPTS. The official (hard-copy) high school transcript should be signed or stamped by an administrator, AND sealed with a signature, stamp or label over the envelope seal by a school administrator.  Please contact ASE before the deadline if you foresee any difficulties with meeting the deadline. Mailing Address: Saturday Academy, University of Portland 5000 N. Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR 97203   Part 2 of the final application: Adult Recommendation Form Two letters of recommendation submitted by the recommender via online form. Part 3 of the final application: Online Application 1. Three position specific essays targeted to those internships that the student prefers 2. A generic essay (optional) 3. A $25 application fee (waived for those eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program) More Detailed Description of the Final Application Part 1 of the Final Application: Official Transcript See above for description of official transcript process. Part 2 of the Final Application: 2 Adult Recommendation Forms ASE applicants must submit two (2) adult recommendations as part of their final application via online form. The recommender can be a teacher, counselor, coach or some other non-relative that knows your intellectual interest, academic ability and character.  We strongly suggest that at least one of your recommenders be a science, math or computer teacher. You must give your full name, ASE ID#, email address, the recommendation deadline and the recommendation form URL to your recommenders.  We strongly suggest that you print out and use our recommendation request handout to give these details to your recommenders. Your email address will be used to send you a confirmation email, letting you know the recommendation has been successfully completed.  If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact your recommender first to confirm that the letter was submitted, then contact the ASE program.  Please contact ASE before the deadline if you foresee any difficulties with meeting the deadline for your recommendations. Please give the person recommending you at least 2 weeks or more to complete the form.   If your recommenders submit their forms late, and you did not give them a 1 week notice, we will not accept their recommendation. Part 3 of the Final Application: Online Application Selecting & Ranking Three Positions ASE will post the internships available on the ASE Position Description page after the Preliminary Application deadline.  More may be added, so check the website regularly for updates on positions and stipend amounts.  Following are details about choosing ASE positions and submitting your application. Disciplines ASE positions will fall under one of the following general disciplines:  Archaeology, Biology, Biomedical, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, and Social Science. We have done our best to categorize each position.  However, many positions are interdisciplinary and involve knowledge of many subjects.  We suggest that you scan through all position descriptions before deciding on your three choices.  You may discover that a specific position in a category that you might not otherwise have considered appeals to you. Technical Language in Descriptions Don’t be intimidated by technical language in descriptions.  Technical professionals generally describe their work in technical language.  If you are selected as an intern, you will know what the language means by the end of the summer. If you’re really curious, we recommend you do an online search of the words/phrases to gain a basic understanding. Prerequisites For each position description, notice specific background, skills and course work that are either suggested or recommended.  If something is required it will be noted at the end of the description, under the heading “prerequisites.”  If a particular course or group of courses is required, that means those courses must be successfully completed by the end of this school year.  If age or grade requirements are listed, you must be of that age or have completed that grade before the internship begins.  Don't decrease your chances of getting an internship by applying to positions for which you do not meet the qualifications.  Most of the positions have suggestions or recommendations, rather than requirements.  Mentors will expect you to learn both content and skills while in the internship.  If a course or other background is suggested or recommended, the mentor may still choose you based on your other qualities even if you don’t have all of the suggested or recommended attributes. Stipends Note that not all positions offer a stipend. Stipend levels can change during the application period (usually they increase). Please let us know if you are eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program.  If you are accepted for an ASE Position and qualify for free/reduced lunch, you will receive a $1,000 stipend regardless of the position, even if the position says that no stipend is provided.  ASE wants all students who are selected to be able to participate in the program, regardless of family finances. Locations and Commuting The ASE Program does not provide housing or travel to and from the workplace. Therefore, you should only apply for positions for which you can arrange your own housing and transportation. If you apply for positions that are greater than 50 miles from your home, ASE will ask for details on where you will live and how you will travel to and from your internship.  You will be asked to provide all of the contact information for the person that you will be staying with during your internship in the summer.  We will also ask if you have your parent or guardian's permission.  You may also choose to describe your accommodation arrangements to the mentor in your application essay.  Otherwise, the mentor may think you have made a mistake in applying for his/her position. Writing the Position-Specific Essay •    ASE Essay Writing Guide Note: Please place a ^ where you would like a paragraph to appear in your essay.  If you omit the ^, your essay will not have paragraphs.  To type a ^ first hold down the Shift key and then press the 6 at the top of your keyboard. Write an essay for each of the three positions, describing to the mentor why you are interested in and well-suited for the particular position the mentor is offering. Your essay should be brief (no more than 500 words). Address your reasons for being interested in that particular position, and describe how your skills, background and interests match what the mentor is looking for as indicated in the position description.  In 2008, several applicants wrote a general “I want this job” essay and all went unselected.  This essay, unlike those in the Preliminary Application, should address the mentor’s specific concerns as described in the Position Descriptions.  Be honest and straightforward.  For example, if you haven’t had a burning desire to be an engineer since you were in third grade, don’t say that you have. Because a mentor may want to interview you, your essay should specifically state when and how s/he can get in touch with you.  Indicate when you are available after school and during spring break (include dates), what time of day is best for you to receive calls or messages, and any other information that will help the mentor contact you.  Keep in mind that most mentors will want to contact you during reasonable business hours – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you have a particular free period in your school schedule that can be used to return a mentor’s call, your essay should give the time of day for that free period. Remember: a mentor doesn’t know what “3rd Period” means. If you have definite plans established for any time during the summer, mention this in your essay.  For some positions it may not matter if during one week you will be gone for a family vacation, camp or any other event.  But for other positions this may matter a great deal.  If you do know the exact dates you will be missing, please be sure to talk these plans over during a personal interview or phone interview with the mentor.  It is best to be up front about your time commitment.  If you cannot meet the time requirements of 8 weeks, the equivalent of “full-time,” and both conferences, please do not apply for ASE this year. If you indicate in your essay that email is the best way to contact you, be sure to check your email frequently in March and April, and make sure your email address is professional.  Addresses like “hotbabe” or “hotdude” can give mentors the wrong impression. The Generic Essay You may increase your chances of getting a position by writing and submitting a generic essay (also 500 word maximum).  If mentors join the program after the final application deadline, we select applications from students that match the requirements for the new position and submit generic essays to the mentor.  In other words, if you submit a generic essay, you may be considered for more than the three positions for which you applied.  In your generic essay, specify the scientific fields types of positions that you are interested in (such as all biology and engineering internships, etc.) as well as your academic strengths, special skills, previous work experience, relevant or volunteer activities, or personality traits that would make you a strong candidate.  For example, if you are interested in computer science, include the programs and computer languages you know, classes you have taken, etc.  In the online Preliminary Application you will have a chance to indicate which disciplines interest you in so that ASE may match newly arrived mentors with your interests.   Selection Process All students who complete the preliminary application are eligible to submit their transcript and final application.  ASE does not correct or take out student applications (unless they use inappropriate language).  After the final application deadline, ASE staff collates all of the application materials and sends them to the appropriate mentors of the positions.  The mentors select their interns based upon the paper application and also possibly interviews.  Do not be discouraged if you are not called for an interview, many mentors do not conduct interviews.  The mentor then gives their selections to ASE staff and ASE staff notifies the students if they have received an internship.  This process takes until mid-May.  Please call ASE staff, not the mentor of the position if you have questions about this process. Student and Mentor Interviews •    ASE Interview Guide Some of the mentors decide to conduct either phone or face-to-face interviews with applicants.  Don't worry if you aren't called in for an interview, many mentors pick their interns based upon the paper application only.  It is in the student's best interest to be responsive to phone calls and e-mails at this time to accommodate mentor's interview requests. Starting the Internship Students who are accepted are invited to an orientation in late May or early June. Paperwork formalizing the internship and the $250 program fee is due in late May or early June and most internships begin in mid to late June. Other Information Use of Animals in Research Some positions involve using animals as research subjects.  We have tried to indicate where that is the case, but if the mentor did not tell us, we’re not in a position to know.  If you are applying for a position that sounds as if animals might be used as research subjects and you are opposed to using animals in research, you should state that in your essay for that position.  Any intern accepting a position in which animals are used as research subjects should support animal research for moral, educational, humanitarian and medical reasons. Please contact us at ase[AT]saturdayacademy.org if you have any questions or would like to be added to our email list.