<p>Hey everybody,</p>
<p>I am a rising junior planning on traveling to another country for a pretty cool internship during the winter (roughly towards the end of December, though not during winter break). I've always been pretty big on international relations/affairs and figure that this would be a good opportunity for me to get my foot in the door.</p>
<p>My plans aren't finalized yet, because there is one issue with the fact that I would have to miss two weeks of school in the month of December to do this internship. After all, I will be a junior and my grades will really matter. I don't have finals during this time, but I don't really know if all of this is worth missing two weeks of school.</p>
<p>Any feedback would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Go for it, but work hard to keep your grades up! If you are planning on pursuing international relations in college, this will really look great on your transcript, and will probably make a fantastic essay.</p>
<p>What could you possibly get out of 2 weeks internship as a high school junior, other than taking 2 weeks off to experience another culture? How would it help you get your foot in the door, which door? College or a job? If I am to guess, this internship sounds like it is through personal referral. If so, then why not do it when you are not in school.</p>
<p>Junior year is a very important year for grades. I would check with your high school for their policy on missing classes. At my kid’s school, if it was an excused absence then teachers would allow you to make up your work and give you assignment ahead of time, otherwise you could be doing it at your own risk. Another thing to remember is that you may need to take time off for college visits and interviews. You really need to manage your time very carefully. Both of my kids were very good students in high school (top 1-5%), and they both thought junior year was a killer year. There was no way they would take 2 weeks off from school.</p>
<p>If you were my kid, I would say no. Over a major school break and missing few days of school, maybe. But not two weeks of school, it would be too hard to make up. Once you are in college, you wouldn’t be able to just take 2 weeks off either. Many professors wouldn’t let you make up your exams even if you were sick.</p>
<p>This internship wouldn’t show up on OP’s transcript because it is not school sponsored event.</p>
<p>Two weeks would not be allowed in our school district.</p>
<p>Go for it.</p>
<p>I missed 12 days in late Nov-early Dec while I was in South Africa and I still managed to get all A’s for the quarter and semester.</p>
<p>Get some of your work in advance if possible.</p>
<p>edit: and I did this during Junior year, while taking 2 APs and 2 Honors courses.</p>
<p>Try to get ahead in work before you leave so that you don’t fall too behind. Then make the most of your break to catch up. I think you should be find. Two weeks really isn’t that long. And it seems like a great trip</p>
<p>Eh, I’ve missed school for all kinds of stupid stuff and my grades are fine. If they allow it, go ahead. You can do your work when you’re not busy during the absence.</p>
<p>Check your school’s policies, but if you can make up work and some quizzes/tests ahead of time, it shouldn’t be a problem really.</p>
<p>Try not to miss school for the rest of the year though.</p>
<p>As a teacher I come at it from another point of view. Yes there are times when students must miss classes due to family situations or illness. But planning to miss 2 weeks junior year…it’s risky. And what if you do have to take time off later? For college applications, academics – not internships – come first. Why don’t you talk to a teacher or other faculty member before finalizing your plans?</p>
<p>IMO, it sounds worth it. you might not get this amazing opportunity again. it really helps reflect your interests on your app as well. just let your teachers know about it beforehand so you can get a head start on the work you’re going to miss. talk about when things will be due for you</p>