Gemstone work vs. reward

<p>I've been accepted into Gemstone, and I'd like to do it, but is there much of a boost at all on my resume vs University Honors? And what is the comparative workload between them? I don't want to be stuck doing Gemstone research all of the time when I could be working at an internship or doing some studying/independent work. For some background, I plan on getting a computer science degree (jobs in this field generally value experience over research). Any input is greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Will we be able to put GemStones on our resume before the completion + presentation in senior year?</p>

<p>You can always write it on your resume if its relevant. The thing is that no one knows what Gemstone, so you can look intelligent explaining what it is and what you do in it ;)</p>

<p>However, you might end up with a project that doesn’t have a lot of computer science (sometimes no one proposes a comp sci project). Mine doesn’t (and I’m also a comp sci major) so I might quit and do a co-op or something. You can quit anytime your first year without letting any team members down (since you don’t form teams until the end of the year) and you would have only taken one extra credit that doesn’t go towards anything. I’m a bit in a rough spot since I’m in my second year and I don’t want to let anyone down, but hopefully I’ll get the Co-op I applied for and use that as an excuse. I still feel kinda bad, but if its not for you, don’t stick with it.</p>

<p>How would you word it on a resume?</p>

<p>Like “Part of the Gemstones Program at UMCP, a research program that…”?</p>

<p>Honestly, I would probably wait until you actually DO something in Gemstone before writing it on a resume. You don’t actually do anything in Gemstone related to the team project until semester 2.</p>

<p>D1 turned down Gemstones because she knew she’d want to pursue more individual research options. It worked out well for her personality and plans, and as it turned out her individual research and internships were far more important than her Gemstone research project likely would have been for her particular post-undergrad plans. She had some group-projects-from-hell in high school that haunted her, which probably played a role too. You just have to figure out what will be right for you, but the Gemstone program IS a great avenue for you to do “more” in college than just attend classes.</p>