More Impressive: Service or Research?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>I have two options for how to spend my summer (summer going into senior year):</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Go to Detroit to play with underprivileged kids and provide them day care/paint murals/garden 4 days per week (4 hours per day) for like 8 weeks (I have a leadership position in this organization)</p></li>
<li><p>Pay $3,300 to go to a 7-week summer science research program (HSHSP) at Michigan State (if I get accepted)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Which one looks better to college adcoms?! Thank you for any input!!!</p>

2

<p>Yes.</p>

<p>10char</p>

3

<p>Which one!?!?!</p>

4

<p>-Facepalm- My point was that I’m not going to answer, since you’re the one who determines which looks better, even to adcoms.</p>

5

<p>You are a college adcom assessing these two ECs on two different apps. Which is more impressive!?!?!</p>

6

<p>One being more impressive than the other shouldn’t affect your decision.</p>

7

<p>do you have other “service” experiences?
do you have other “research” experiences?</p>

<p>what do you want to major in?</p>

<p>which one will you as a person get more out of?</p>

<p>adcoms will find the one you can write more passionately about to be the more impressive experience.</p>

8

<p>Service experiences: yes
Research experiences: no</p>

<p>Major: engineering or premed</p>

<p>More passionate about: Detroit volunteering</p>

9

<p>It’s how you portray them when you decide to write about them in your applications.</p>

10

<p>Will it look bad if I have zero research? (engineering major)</p>

11

<p>Both.</p>

<p>10char</p>

12

<p>Is one a bit better than the other?</p>

13

<p>Don’t do either if you’re doing them solely to impress adcoms.</p>

14

<p>Why don’t you stop worrying about college admissions, and just worry about developing as a person, having fun, and having a fulfilling experience?</p>

15

<p>I think I’ll do the volunteering</p>

16

<p>Good for you!</p>

17

<p>lol aren’t you the guy that applied a week late</p>

18

<p>*girl</p>

<p>yes!</p>

<p>but I’m not doing it. I can’t afford it!</p>

19

<p>Do both. You don’t really need to sleep.</p>

20

<p>If it hasn’t been made clear already, do what YOU love, not what you think others will love. The artificial interest you may have in something will be evident in your application while a genuine interest is just as obvious.</p>