Are you a Magnet junior who needs guidance on how to be successful next year in Research and Internship (aka R&I)? Well, lucky for you I have tips and guidance so you can do well when it is your turn to go through the LAST requirement(s) of the Magnet Program.

First, let us talk about what is in store for you. R&I are two separate classes (either 1^st and 2^nd OR 3^rdand 4^th periods) that are taught by Ms. Dennis and Dr. Hunt (respectively). Ms. LaRoy is in charge of your scheduling, if you have any concerns about your schedule. For example, if you are in band, more than likely you will be placed in the spring semester (unless conflicts arise). This can be changed during the first couple of days, but you MUST request a change early.

Now about the schedule: it is a little tricky. If you are in the morning shift, you will usually be interning from 8:00 to 12:00 (or somewhere roughly around those hours), and afternoon shift will work from 12:30 through 3:30. However, the afternoon shift will be dismissed the same time that 2^nd period ends (even during iBlock days). This is a good opportunity to say that you must try to not get iBlock (especially the morning folks) as this will impact your required hours. You must make 9 hours a week, and this will go on for about 13 weeks.

Once a week, you will not go to your internship, and you instead will go to your R&I classes. For morning kids, you will have your class day on Wednesdays (if they do not change this) and afternoon kids can either choose their class day on Tuesdays or on Wednesdays. Dr. Hunt oversees this, and she will change your desired class day if the class day can be switched (such as for kids who have practice certain days, transportation issues, or if your office is closed on certain days).

The first two weeks are widely referred to as “The Two-Week Tussle”, and this timeframe is when you should have your internship and paperwork ready for when you start working at your internship. There are a LOT of notes, tasks and quizzes during the Two-Week Tussle, so a scientific notebook will be needed for when you start R&I. YOU MUST LOOK FOR AN INTERNSHIP NOW AND DURING SUMMER BREAK, as most people will already have interns, or will no longer be accepting interns in the fall. Pro-tip: getting a doctor office internship is hard due to HIPPA and other ethical/safety concerns that may arise, but a dentist office internship is much easier to achieve. Try to get an internship in a company or field you have interest in already.

Now the hard part: your research question and investigation. Yes, this is a little bit challenging (I am understating this), so you must plan everything accordingly and use your time wisely. Recording information in your notebook everyday will help you combine all your information and knowledge so that you can pick a research question. This research question must be relevant to modern issues involving companies, people, the nation, the world, et cetera and your question cannot be answered with a simple “yes or no”. The research question is the foundation of your whole research investigation, so please plan everything out and take time building the foundation of your research.

The final research paper will be finished towards the end of the semester (November/December OR April/May) and Ms. Dennis is the teacher in charge of this. First, you will compose a problem statement in which you give background information about why your topic is important and what you plan to do. You will later submit a rough draft of the problem statement for a grade. Then, you will go on and do the 5 chapters of your final paper. Of course, you do one chapter probably a month, and you will submit a rough draft and a final draft FOR A SEPARATE GRADE. I cannot express how much time and effort you should put into these classes, because by turning in work on time and working diligently, you can avoid failure and avoid losing your Magnet Seal. All things considered, R&I is challenging but is a great opportunity for networking and getting career experience that can benefit you greatly in the future.

This, of course, is not all the information you need, but I have summarized what you will see when you are in R&I. Don’t be intimidated, Be successful. =)