Is there a difference in prestige? I am a high school student conducting research at Columbia University this summer with a PhD student. The person’s background in research is very impressive, but it feels like when people talk about summer research they usually refer to that which is conducted with a professor, so idk if this will be viewed as “lesser”. I’m looking to apply to Columbia and similar schools.
Is the project related to the work of the professor who is advising the PhD student? So you are all working on a project in the Professor X’s lab? If it is a big project, then it makes sense that the PhD student would be directing your work. Hopefully you will get to know the others on the project.
It’s the professor who you want to write your LORs, so hopefully you will have some contact with the professor. I don’t think it matters much that the Phd student is the one providing direct supervision.
You are a high school student worrying that working with a PhD student (that is, somebody who has at least 6 years experience on you, and almost certainly more) is beneath you? Or that Columbia will look at your summer research experience and sniff ‘well, it was at our university- but look, s/he was only working with a grad student not a real professor, so let’s choose somebody else to admit’?
Having a HS student intern takes a lot of work on the part of the supervisor- no matter how clever and helpful the student is. Imo, your energy would be better spent appreciating that, and working to justify your supervisors decision to take you on than on trying to decide if s/he is worthy of you or if the post is prestigious enough.
Yes, there’s a difference in prestige, but at your level it doesn’t matter. It would be very uncommon for a professor to work directly with a high school student. Generally speaking, with a HS student you get less work than you put out to train and mentor the student, and anyone taking a HS student into the lab knows there’s a significant investment of time. It’s more a mentoring program than expecting real assistance at that level.
Do realize that the PhD student - particularly if they are quite advanced - is very well equipped to train and mentor you in science and probably has more time, energy, and patience for you than the professor. Also, most HS students don’t do summer research at universities, so any summer research will look nice.
A big lab might have one professor in charge of it all, 2-3 post docs, 8-10 PhD students and a handful of undergrads.
None of those people get that much face time with the professor.