Research with a software engineer

For college apps, is it better to do individual research projects or should I do it with a software engineer. I know generally it looks better to do it with a professor, but how would it look on my app doing it with a professional software engineer. Does it add more credibility to my project?

Better not individual.

Better yet for college apps, get a part time job and don’t worry about the research.

Good luck.

Yes.

That’s confusing as a response. Are you saying any part-time job is better than doing research with a software engineer? I would say that research is generally well-regarded by AO’s. When my kid saw her admissions file, reviewers specifically highlighted her research. She was doing a lot of EC’s and didn’t have a part-time job. Any part-time job she could have held with no degree would have been low-qualification and low pay. If one’s family needs their kids’ financial contribution, then absolutely part-time work is a good idea. But if they don’t, it is not necessarily a good investment of time, and is not necessarily going to make you stand out.

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I’m saying if you do research, to do with a professional vs on your own.

But you 100% don’t need research. A very low percentage of high school kids do reputable research. It’s not needed.

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I disagree with this. You can definitely stand out by being a higher SES kid who shows up and works hard day in and out at a “low-qualification and low pay.” A lot can be learned from that kind of responsibility and the interactions you have.

Neither job or research are particularly good if its clear the motivation is checking a box.

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In the end, what % of future software engineers did no research in hs. Probably 98% plus and I’m guessing that’s an under estimation.

Box-checking of any kind will not help. But if you were advising your own kid – do research in the area that you hope to pursue with a professional in that area or work at McDonald’s (same hours), I wonder what you’d recommend? Research is just as hard as working at a fast food place if you are doing it right (although hard in a different way) and if it fits in with one’s long-term goals, it will literally inform your future choices in valuable ways, improve your qualifications for subsequent positions and, as a ancillary benefit, help you craft an application that tells a story relevant to your goals. I worked in a fast-food place as a teen so it is not that I do not value work or customer service. But if time is limited and software engineering is your dream, and you have the opportunity, I’d get experience there and see what it’s all about.

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Your argument is that 2% of future software engineers have research in hs and a higher percentage have a low pay job in high school. So which will help the person stand out more when they apply, something that more people do or something that fewer people do?

If you’re applying for a program where admission is based only on grades, it won’t matter. But programs in software engineering have gotten very competitive; even in Canada the top programs admit 5% and look at field-relevant EC’s instead of just grades.

I would not tell my kid to pass up the opportunity to do research in the field they hope to go into because they’ll learn more from working in a mall, even if working in a mall would teach them some useful things. But if you would, OK.

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I am simply saying - you don’t need research to get into a great school for software engineering.

I am not saying not to research.

That was my point.

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