<p>My son has been accepted into a selective academic internship program for Seniors. In lieu of traditional classes, he would participate in a year-long series of five 5-week internships. In addition to the outside work, there is classroom instruction and assignments associated with each internship rotation. Students work the equivalent of two class periods 2-3 days per week and meet periodically as a group with the program director. For each internship the students are expected to complete an in-depth interview with the employer and write an in-depth paper about their experience. The final project (exam) is a comprehensive term paper about all five sessions. </p>
<p>If he did not participate in this program he would take two additional classes - most likely AP classes. </p>
<p>Which path will serve him better in preparing him for college? Which path is likely to be better received on college applications? Are different colleges likely to appreciate the internship differently - for instance, will a state university be more or less impressed than a private liberal arts college? </p>
<p>It may help to know (then again it may not matter at all), my son is carrying a 3.5 unweighted GPA, is in the top 12% of his class, is highly active in extra curricular activities, both sports and academic clubs, he holds multiple leadership positions (like varsity captain of two sports and National Honor Society President) and he has both community service and work experience. He has an outstanding resume - not exactly Harvard material, but definitely above average. </p>
<p>Any insights are appreciated!</p>