Science Research: Program v. Independently with Mentor

mjchiu2k
Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:57:10 +0000

I actually went to one of these summer programs (im a Clarkie). If you are just looking for something that will look good on your college apps, I think that staying in your current lab would probably be more beneficial. From what you are saying, you will for sure get an amazing rec as well as end up with an amazing project AND get paid really well. I think that those benefits of your current situation outweigh the benefits of going to any program.

First, for these programs you don’t really know what kind of mentor you are going to get and what kind of project you are going to end up with, so you dont have that guarantee of a good rec/project. I know at clark some people ended up with really great mentors and really great projects and went on to get siemens and intel. But other people who were just as outstanding and qualified as the students who won just didnt get as good of a project and mentor so they werent able to win.

For name recognition of a program, the only ones that will probably be worth it are RSI and maybe TASP (but thats more of a humanities one). Those programs are probably the most well known, but even then I am guessing that not all admissions officers will understand how prestigious these programs are. For other programs like clarks, I am almost positive no admissions officer will know what the heck it is. I mean there are only 12 of us a year so its unlikely anything will stick in their mind.

Although clarkies end up doing really well in the admissions process, I don’t think having the summer program is what helped. More likely the success of people who go to these summer programs is more of a correlation than a causation. I think the type of people who end up getting accepted to RSI and Clark are the types of students that many of these top colleges want. I think by doing your own independent research, you are just as well of if not better off than any student that attends these summer programs, especially if you can get INTEL and siemens recognition.