Hi! i am a junior in high school and i am trying to figure out what i could do over the summer to boost my resume for college as well as give me some experience in the field of health. I want to major in the sciences in college and currently my dream is to go through medical school and become a doctor. I have two options (maybe ill find more idk but these 2 are important)
- An institute that allows you to research cancer and develop this research project for 8 weeks of your summer with a final presentation at the end. Its everyday morning to 4 pm and if i progress in this summer institute i may even be able to publish my work (which i know is great to publish before college)... clearly this option focuses on the healthcare field and it allows me to dive deep into medicine. I get to be in a lab and have a hands on experience with cells and medical technology. I will have hands on experience with studying cancer and i will be introduced to research before college (which i know colleges like research in high school...but i will definitely do that in college so is it needed now too?) this next option is an option of passion.
- I could study abroad in South America. This is a prestigious scholarship that is awarded to a couple students, and they get to go to South America for free to study culture and public health. I would have to go through a series of interviews and really show them i am passionate about traveling abroad. I have always wanted to travel abroad and study, whether it was in college or high school. In terms of boosting my resume, i think i have read somewhere that students doing different and outstanding things in high school like traveling abroad really catch the admissions officer's eye. I skipped a year of french and went directly to AP french b/c i was so into language and culture and i take on big leadership roles in school like being class president for 3 years... so idk.. am i just attracted because its abroad? ( i feel like its very special and good for resumes)
So i am torn between both options. Both are free, and both are prestigious and will take hard work to get in to. The cancer research is rigorous and deeply focused in the field of medicine while the traveling abroad is a passion of mine and it also focuses on medicine but more of a general view with “public health.”
Idk if you can see how i’m leaning towards the traveling but i am afraid i will miss a big opportunity with the cancer research and that lacking it may cause my resume to not look complete or weak. Its a difficult decision. Both applications are not open yet so i have time to think about and then also i have to see if i get into both or one or another.
Please help me weigh pros and cons for both!
Thank you!