Undergraduate Summer Internships for Aspiring Genetic Counselors

images of four summer interns from 2022
2022 Genetic Counseling Summer Interns

The Warren Alpert Summer Scholars Genetic Counseling Program at the University of Pennsylvania is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in careers in genetic counseling.

 

Summer 2024 Internships

  • Full-time, paid summer internships (40 hours per week for six weeks)
  • From mid-June through the end of July 
  • Shadowing with genetic counselors at Penn Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Exposure to a broad range of clinical genetics specialties
  • Seminars, conferences, and case conferences
  • Research and laboratory work
  • One-on-one interactions with genetic counselors and current students
  • Networking opportunities with genetic counseling interns at the five AID-GC schools

 

Applicant Qualifications

the four 2022 summer interns
2022 Genetic Counseling Summer Interns Andrea Rodriguez, Alex Rohr, Jocelyn Knight and Kimberly Rojas
Applicants must:
  • Be undergraduate students (rising sophomores, juniors and seniors)
  • Have a keen interest in health professions and genetics.
  • Have a GPA of at least 3.0 and have completed some college-level coursework in biology, chemistry and genetics.
  • Be able to successfully complete criminal background checks and provide the immunization records (including for COVID-19) that will be required for clearance by the clinical sites.
  • Have access to housing in Philadelphia for the in-person components of the internship.

Summer Internship Timeline

December 1, 2023 Applications Open
February 1, 2024 Application Deadline
Mid-March 2024 Results Announced
Late March 2024 Interns Apply for Clearances    
Mid-June 2024 Internships Begin
Late July 2024 Internships Conclude

 

Internship Application

Four parts are required:

1.  An online application form 

  • You can view the application at any time, but you will need to have all three attachments ready to upload when you complete and submit the form.  
  • Throughout the application there are boxes to drop/upload your attachments.

2.  Response prompt 

  • Please explain your interest in a career in genetic counseling.  How would participation in this internship be impactful to you?
  • 500 word maximum  

3.  A current résumé or CV

4.  An unofficial transcript from your college or university


2022 summer genetic counseling interns
Summer 2021 genetic counseling interns, Briana Brown, Maya Powell and Maurice Wade.  

 

The Undergraduate Summer Internships are a project of the Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling which is funded by a grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation.