US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Biomedical Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

I learned a lot about what role the FDA plays in many aspects of the world. It was cool seeing how many different departments there were and what all went into the company.

What I wish was different

I wish it was more hands on. I did research on LVADs and looked at a computer most of the day.

Advice

Make sure you take advantage of every opportunity possible. You never know where it may take you.

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Pathways Student Intern

May 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

During my time at FDA I was able to learn and practice skills that will benefit me with any career I may have. These skills include administrative management, time management, customer service, accountability, and professionalism. I also liked my coworkers, they challenged me to think critically and balance multiple projects at one. I was great working on campus.

What I wish was different

One thing I wish had been different is the on-boarding process and the orientation for pathway students. Some things wee a bit unorganized when it came to paperwork and some parts of orientation were not geared toward interns.

Advice

One piece of advice I would give is to never be afraid to ask questions. In the beginning I was afraid to ask questions when I did not understand something because I was working with professionals who have been working at FDA for years. However, your supervisor and coworkers are more than willing to help you understand something and want you to be successful during your time at FDA.

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Economics Intern

July 2021 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

I've loved the support and flexibility of everyone on the team that I've worked with. Everyone has been open and trusted me to run with the projects and tasks that I'm assigned. I feel really privileged to have the chance to assume some independence and control over a task, while also knowing that I have a supportive team that is willing to help at any point when I might have a question or concern.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Nanotechnology Database Project Intern

May - August 2017 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

I liked all the lectures I could attend at the FDA and learn about different studies going on

What I wish was different

I was mainly working on a computer for my internship while others worked in the lab. I would recommend working in a lab because all the other interns seemed to love it.

Advice

Ask questions and learn as much as you can even if it doesn't pertain to your job

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Rotational Summer Intern

July - August 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

The work, the location and the cafeteria

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time

Advice

Get your badge

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Summer Research Intern

May - August 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

The people

What I wish was different

The research was at at standstill while I was there

Advice

Take advantage of your time there

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Student Trainee

July - September 2019 • Irvine, CA

What I liked

I enjoyed working within a community of caring, supportive co-workers and mentors who were dedicated and passionate about protecting the public health and treated me as an equal despite my young age and lack of experience coming in. My co-workers and supervisor were very attentive and understanding of my needs (for learning as a trainee, and in terms of work-life balance) and made a great effort to provide me with a well-rounded, immersive, and educational experience that transformed my view of the FDA (I, like many, had many misconceptions and little knowledge of the agency prior to joining). I built many meaningful relationships and had a chance to observe the proactive management mindset and strategies of top officials in the agency.

What I wish was different

Because I only worked during the summer and started my internship later than expected, my time working at the agency was short; I would have liked to spend more time getting to explore FDA operations more in-depth and build closer connections with people. I joined meetings and attended company-wide events, but most of my time was spent sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer screen, which I found did not suit me personally.

Advice

Enter the job with an open mind, don't be afraid to ask questions, reach out, and seek opportunities to connect with people and learn about what they do. Many of the people at FDA have worked in the agency (or some related government agency) for a long time, or have worked in related industries/careers and can offer a lot of valuable insight from their experiences.

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Biomedical Engineering Research Intern

June - August 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

Great experience in data mining, formulation projects, networking

What I wish was different

More structured project with deadlines

Advice

Utilize the resources and connections at your disposal at the FDA. Lots of people to talk to about virtually any field

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FDA Contractor

October 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

Very flexible, many projects and events to attend, always busy

What I wish was different

Hard to find affordable housing, commute can be challenging

Advice

Stay busy and sign up for everything!!!! There are so many unique opportunities here if you take advantage of special events.

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Data Quality Analyst

July - August 2018 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

The team was great and helped me however they could. The fda itself has a positive culture. I wanted to do some hands on statistic coding and get experience working with larger data sets and that did happen.