I applied to a couple of summer programs:
YYGS - waitlisted, but I’ve already written that off
Research in Science and Engineering at Boston College -rejected
Bank of America Student Leaders - rejected
Biomedical Research Academy at UPenn - accepted
A Volunteer Program in Costa Rica - accepted
Environmental Leadership Academy in Brooklyn - accepted
The problem is that I want to stay home and do an internship at the place where I usually volunteer at, which I think will show that I am dedicated and that I’m “moving up the ladder” so to speak, even though it’s just for the summer and I’ll be volunteering there next year as well.
My parents say that I need international experience, so I agreed to go to program in Costa Rica, but now they’re saying that I also need to get out of the state and to either go to UPenn or Brooklyn. I absolutely DID NOT want to go to the program at UPenn, so I declined and told me parents that if they forced me to go I literally would not get on the plane.
I’m fine with the program in Brooklyn, but I would honestly prefer to stay home and do the internship. So should I do the program in Brooklyn or the internship? Am I being irrational? My parents had been pushing me to the UPenn Program because they like that it’s at UPenn, and I had just gotten so frustrated with them.