<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I'm an upcoming senior. Last week I talked to a hiring manager at a tech startup. He was impressed, but didn't know I was 17 - I think they were expecting grads. Since he liked me, he said he'd contact chief of staff and see if he is flexible on the business development internship position and if he'd be willing to open it up to me. The hiring manager contacted me this week saying chief of staff would like to meet me in a coffee shop.</p>
<p>The meeting is next week. I feel I have a decent chance if the Chief is willing to be flexible on the internship for me. The thing is, I'm not done with SAT/ACTs yet and I really want to study a lot for them to do well. I score in the 2100's for SAT, and 32/33/34 ACT range. I want to consistently score 2200+ and 34+, which I am not quite doing yet.</p>
<p>Do internships look really good on college apps? Or am I better solely prepping for SAT/ACT? I am going to apply as a comp sci major and this is a business development internship at a tech startup. </p>
<p>Should I really try to fit both things into my schedule? Do tech/business internships look really good, or should I solely prep for SAT/ACT? I need advice. Thanks guys. </p>
<p>Not sure of hours/pay for internship yet. Just trying to see how I should best spend my summer time as an upcoming senior.</p>
<p>It’s a bit of a tossup as to which one would matter more, although I’d lean towards the internship. But if you’re choosing between them, I would definitely take the internship; the work experience will be much more helpful in your future career than getting into a marginally better school.</p>
<p>What looks better of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>2100 SAT / 32 (2130) ACT + Business Development Internship</li>
<li>2200+ SAT / 33/34 (2190/2260) ACT equivalent with no internship</li>
</ul>
<p>I really want to go to a good college, I can always get work experience in college.</p>
<p>Like I said, it’s a tossup. They’re both close enough that there’s no way to tell which one gives you the best college chances; given that, the one that helps you more in the future is best. (Especially since there’s no guarantee that studying more for the tests will get you a 100/2 point boost.)</p>
<p>Take the internship and then study when you can. You can always find time to study if you’re determined, but you can’t always get an internship immediately</p>
<p>I’d say the internship. That’ll definitely help in the future when you apply to better jobs. Also, no one cares about your SAT/ACT score after you’re admitted into college.</p>
<p>Take the internship! Maybe you won’t have as much time for SAT prep, but you’ll still have <em>some</em> time… You’ll just have to learn how to study/prep more efficiently… Do that, and you get the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>I agree with wilsun007.</p>
<p>Do the internship. You can find time to study independently.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the help guys, it’s really appreciated. I’m going to give it my all for the interview, I really like the internship. Any tips for the interview?</p>
<p>Interview tip: Do your homework. Read up about the company. How are they doing financially? What products do they offer? Who’s their competition? What is their biggest concern right now? </p>
<p>If you can’t find answers to these questions, then they are good ones for the interview. It shows that you are interested not just in selling yourself, but in understanding what your employer needs and is thinking about.</p>
<p>And be prepared with your ‘elevator speech.’ That’s the 30-60 second speech you give when someone says, “Tell me about yourself.” It’s an opportunity to sell yourself and what you have to offer. </p>
<p>And by the way, I agree with the others. Do the internship! You can’t study productively for 8 hrs a day anyway. If you do 2 hrs of practice per day for a few weeks, that should be more than enough to prepare you for your SAT.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help M’s Mom! I’ll be sure to research the company thoroughly and have a few prethoughout responses to common questions.</p>