I recently got into both a paid internship that relates to my potential major (electrical engineering/computer engineering) and a well-known research program. Which one would look better on my college applications? Money is not that big of a problem for my family.
Paid internship: https://www.iol.unh.edu/stem/hightech-bound
Research program (costs around $5000 for 7 weeks): https://www.cpet.ufl.edu/students/summer-programs/sstp/
The question about which looks better is irrelevent. Which experience would you find more valuable?
Hands down the paid internship.
@blueblast - You should think about what you are trying to get out of the program rather than which helps me to apply for college. Ultimately, think about which one helps you show your focus, curiosity, interestest, and future plans
Absolutely go with the one that is the most genuinely interesting to you. And if/when you use the experience as part of an essay, start from there and weigh your experience against your expectations and how it as affected subsequent actions.
Be aware that the “well-known” research program will be viewed in some quarters as basically summer camp for big kids. Yes, you have to be reasonably academically able to get a spot, but the key differentiator of who goes is who can afford to go. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good program- it is. But it makes the ‘why’ even more important.
Why on earth would you pay $5k instead of earning money? That makes no sense to me at all!
On the face of it, these are equivalent opportunities for learning. However, one is pay-to-play which makes it a kind of fancy summer camp and cash cow for the university. It also looks like you will end up with college credits that you will have to keep track of for the rst of your life whenever you have to send out transcripts. The other you get paid to do, so it really is something you can put on a job resume when you are looking for future paid work and internships.
Thanks for the responses everyone. I honestly think both would be really beneficial to me. With the paid internship, I could get a realistic preview of what a job in a CS/engineering field would look like. The research program is interesting because I’ve never done any research before, and I may not do any research ever (depending on what school I go to/ whether I go to grad school). However, I’m heavily leaning towards the internship right now. Thanks again!