Hi! I am a rising senior (so current junior). I got accepted into UCSB SRA for Quantum Intelligence and I got accepted into SIP for my pick between 5 CSE related projects (I’m leaning towards one on Decentralized Deep Learning). I’m not sure which one to choose. I also did UCSB SRA last summer for but a for a track that was more CS-adjacent rather than directly CS (which is what I am going to be doing this summer if I were to choose Quantum Intelligence track). SIP is rolling for project acceptance so any help would be appreciated (specifically for computer science)! Thank you!
I would encourage you to pick the one that interests you most! This is your last summer of high school—you should enjoy it!
Also from a college admissions standpoint, admissions officers really want to see kids that are true to themselves and take advantage of opportunities to explore and build on prior experiences as they work towards future goals (this works into your application theme). Would one of these programs support your application theme better? Only you know this.
I’m sure you know … SIP is more difficult to get in, because it requires prior research (such as completing SRA). SIP is a longer program which allows for more in depth research. However, choosing SIP over SRA is not likely to be a reason you get into the college(s) you like. So … choose the one you will enjoy.