<p>Hey all, I was wondering if you had any advice for me. I had agreed to work with Stanford in an internship on the weekends, but then now they told me that two days a week is not enough to train me. I am unable to go on the weekdays, since I am taking Differential Equations (2 days a week) and Calculus Physics light and heat (also two days a week). They want me to work Monday - Thursday from 4 - 7. Should I drop both these classes? But I am doing so well in them, and I really enjoy math and physics. I have also already been in them both for a 5 weeks. In the internship, I will have to spend the first few weeks just learning the stuff, and then I can actually program for them. </p>
<p>I already did an internship at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab over the summer for two months programming machines, and am applying for early caltech and mit. Will choosing to take diff eq and physics hurt my chances instead of taking the internship?</p>
<p>Which one is better? classes or internship?</p>
<p>Shoudl I explain this situation in my essays and interview, or will colleges look down that i choose classes instead of programming internship? But I really like physics and math.</p>
<p>But I am already working on a C++ physics simulation of objects in free fall in my own time, so will that demonstrate my passion for physics? will that make up for not taking an internship? Will my physic simulation be as impressive as an internship/</p>
<p>This is so stressful, I hate making this choice, i just got the news yesterday.</p>
<p>If you’re already in the middle of the courses, and you’re enjoying them, I think you should stick with them. It’s not a matter of impressing colleges; it’s a matter of a sure thing (courses you really enjoy and are doing well in) vs. a not-so-sure thing (training that will take a while to pan out, if it ever does). Moreover the
Ws are going to have to be explained, even if the explanation is innocuous.</p>
<p>The best option, if you can negotiate it, would be to keep doing the internship but have your supervisors rethink their expectations for you, since the time allotted doesn’t suffice for what they have in mind. That’s something people in supervisory roles have to do all the time. Perhaps you can participate in the project in a somewhat reduced role, without dropping the internship entirely.</p>
<p>If you do have to drop the internship, don’t worry too much, since you already have had a prestigious summer opportunity. It should be obvious to admissions committees, whatever you do, that you’re working at an advanced level.</p>
<p>My understanding from your brief explanation of the internship situation is that you’re being asked to spend more time by the lab managers so as to come up to speed. Until then you aren’t in a position to make significant contributions.</p>
<p>The value of the internship to your college application is not that you’re doing an internship. Getting trained is not an accomplishment. What really matters is that there are results from your internship. The measure of those results needs to be something tangible – such as a recommendation from a senior person in the lab, a publication, etc. It seems that you’re far from getting either a recommendation (after all you’re in training mode), or tangible results.</p>
<p>So given that the college application timeline is pretty far along, and because you’re still in learning mode, the internship can’t help your application. The courses that you’re taking instead might. So drop the internship.</p>