<p>Which looks better- a summer program run by a college or an unpaid internship over the summer?</p>
<p>That is too vague. What is the specific summer program, what type of internship would it be, what do you want to major in when you get to college, and what level of colleges/type of colleges do you have in mind?</p>
<p>Ok here is more detail: I want to major in neuroscience.
I found an internship at a local neuroscience lab for this summer an already talked to the person in charge.
There are no or very few summer programs in neuroscience specifically but there are quite a few related to biology which is a close discipline.
I want to attend a top or second tier college.</p>
<p>I think you would be better off with the internship. Colleges know that if you “pay to play” for a summer program, all it means is that you can pay. And maybe that you are interested in the topic. But your internship will show that, and you could gain some experience that would be valuable. Unless you can get into a science program like RSI (tippy top one), I would say go for the internship. Maybe add an online course or two over the summer if you want to (for example, last summer my D took a statistics course over the summer because she could not fit it in her regular schedule and it is related to her possible major.).</p>
<p>Ok thank you!</p>