The McNair where I am at consists of a summer program where you develop a research proposal in conjunction with McNair faculty. You also take courses on methodology and GRE prep. You then present your research at a conference as a capstone. This gives you “Scholar status.”
The year long program is where you conduct the research you have proposed with a faculty member you choose. This is the part I was ineligible for.
Career goals is what I’m still unsure of (ik that’s not great for a PhD student). Most likely I want a job in the federal government either in research or administration.
So ranking isn’t big for me. I want to be happy in the location I’m in and have funding. Additional opportunities to gain exp in the surrounding area as well.
As for timing, I really want to be able to focus on family life at some point. And I don’t want to wait until my 30s to do that. So sticking to my timeline is preferable for that purpose. Like I feel like I’ve spent most of college working on Academics too much and not on experiencing life and so I’m ready to finish a PhD and then have a better work/life balance (which is probably asking a bit much).