I have just gotten news that I have been accepted into the NIH STEP-UP program for the summer. Prior to this, I applied for a research position in the computer science department at my state flagship university (South Carolina) and was accepted on the same day as well. Both will be full-time and paid. I am leaning towards computer science as a major over biomedical engineering right now. However, my parents say that I should skip the state university internship and do the NIH STEP-UP because it is more prestigious and I can apply for the state university internship again next year. What should I do? Deadline for NIH is April 8.
I believe your parents are correct. The NIH internship is an incredible opportunity for you. Congratulations!
Do you still think that it could boost my resume as a prospective cs major more than the other option?
What year are you in school? Is it possible to do the NIH internship this summer and the USC next summer? Have you reached out to NIH to ask questions about the internship? Perhaps they could put you in a lab with more computational work, such as computational biology. Would that be of interest to you?
11th Grade currently
As you have secured both of these prestigious internships, I doubt you will have any trouble getting into a great CS program. I know many people who work at NIH. It is one of the best places to work in science in the world. You will meet world-class experts and have an interesting peer group of interns. Do you know anything about your housing options in Bethesda? It is quite expensive here. Will you receive assistance locating housing or are you on your own from that standpoint?