Name: Anu Bhimavarapu

Where did you do your F/ASIP internship?

Veterans Affairs Hospital, West Roxbury, MA

Looked into the mechanism by which fVIII interacts with other co-enzymes in the blood clotting cascade.

What different search strategies did you use to find your internship?

I applied to a number of internships that I found were interesting. Having a tailored cover letter and resume for each position and researching the company or lab and knowing about what they do, their strengths and weaknesses is important, especially if you’re trying to convey to them that you’re serious about wanting to work with them. We have a great alumni database and that’s a good place to start.

What made you decide to work there?

Of the projects that I was considering, I found this one to have the most relevance to what I wanted to do in the future and I thought that the skills that I would acquire here would be transferrable to the types of labs I wanted to work in down the road.

What was the "coolest" thing tabout your internship?

It was my first time in a lab, so everything was novel and cool. I loved my mentor and learned a lot over the course of the summer, both in terms of technique but also big picture issues about how a lab is run. It was a good introduction.

Do you have any advice for future F/ASIP students?

It’s very easy when you’re inundated with psets and studying for exams to put F/ASIP assignments on the backburner (trust me, I’ve been there), but I found that the skills that I picked up in F/ASIP have been invaluable, both for when I was applying to internships as a freshman and also for when I was applying to medical school. For one, it’s never too early to start learning how to craft high-quality cover letters and resumes. Despite how fantastic a candidate you are, if your resume doesn’t properly reflect that, you’re unfortunately not going to get noticed admidst the sea of resumes that all look exactly like yours. I also cannot emphasize how important networking is. Although we pride ourselves at MIT on being successful based solely on our merit, in the real world, a good number of jobs are given to people who happen to know someone on the inside who can vouch for them. Interviewing well is also an invaluable skill. Luckily the MIT Career Development Center has mock interviews you can sign up for so that you can keep practicing until you feel comfortable. How you present yourself ends up becoming almost as important as the substance you bring to the table, so do pay some attention to what you wear, how you speak and the image you project. Almost everything I learned or picked up in F/ASIP played a direct role in my internship/medical school application process. These are skills you will end up using for the rest of your lives, so try to pay attention!

In my own words...

"The MIT Career Development Center (CDC) is great and they have fantastic staff. If nothing else, F/ASIP helped me become familiar with their office and all of the resources they have to offer. The CDC was invaluable to me, especially as a junior/senior, so start getting to know them now! "