<p>Summer is coming up and applications are soon due for most summer programs. I am debating between working at a nearby university lab or volunteering at a local hospital. I am enthusiastic about both programs, but I will not have time for both. </p>
<p>In terms of colleges, which program would look better? Also, will either of the programs be useful for college admission at all?</p>
<p>Definitely research. It looks more professional. Anyone can volunteer, but not everyone can do research</p>
<p>i see. I’ll probably do research then 
any other opinions?</p>
<p>If you’ve done research before, I would recommend doing volunteer work. If you’ve done a lot of volunteer work, do the research at the university.</p>
<p>There is a fairly large chance that you won’t do anything fun or interesting at the hospital, so I would choose research.</p>
<p>Research! I’ve done both, and at least at my hospital, we weren’t allowed to do any huge things due to safety/responsibility/etc. You get a lot more independence as a researcher…though that, too, depends on the lab.</p>
<p>If you like the research, you could also consider Intel ISEF/STS/Siemens.</p>
<p>Research if you enjoy research. If not, ditch the hospital (where the volunteer work is often quite boring due to liability issues) and volunteer at a public health clinic instead. The latter is likely to be short-handed and the population often has many unmet needs. Bonus points if you speak a language that is spoken by the clientele or are computer savvy.</p>
<p>S spend two summers at a local public health clinic: The first he spent in the clinic, giving his high school Spanish a work out while he was helping to triage patients, and the second doing independent research on their patient population that lead to improvements in how they handle obesity. He’s going to medical school next year.</p>
<p>And yes, anyone can volunteer - but not every volunteer makes an impact. Be the one that does.</p>