So I have many contacts with people who are all willing to give me an internship ( I already discussed with them), but I am having a hard time choosing between the three. Keep in mind, these are for 2016 as I am already doing two internships now. Okay so from the options which one would you do? A wildlife sanctuary and earth conservation internship in the Amazon, a presidential campaign intern, or an Intern at the Science Center in California? Plus, which one looks best on the common app ( I am undeclared, so I just mean in general not pertaining to a certain major). Thanks 
Internships are not like Chuck E Cheese tokens that you collect a bunch of and then turn in on your college app for an admissions prize. It matters not in the slightest which anybody on CC would choose. What matters is which one fits in best with who YOU are and what YOUR interests are. What’s more, the colleges you apply to aren’t going to be particularly interested in any of them on their own: it is what you do with them, how you pull them together in your narrative that has a possibility of making a difference- and even then it will depend on how competitive the college is to start with, and how your academics stack up relative to the applicant pool. I noticed on another thread that you were upset that a former schoolmate ‘padded’ her resume with things she was barely involved in. Be careful that you aren’t doing the same thing.
Trust me. I am not padding anything. I truthfully enjoy working on these internships. They’re extremely fun and help the community
I did 120 hours as a senior center intern, no padding truthfully.
I only have done 20 hours at a food bank agency as an intern, but I plan to do at least 50.
In fact, I had to calm myself down a bit because I am doing too many ECs and even my principle has noticed.
But still, that hasn’t stopped me because I love doing it, I love working for non profits.
PS: Thanks for the advice.
Also, my friend did pad her app, I still enjoy her company but told her she should not pad things in the future. I get angry at those who do so because its wrong, and my parents taught me how to make moral decisions. 
The main part of my post stands: the one that will “look best” on a college app is the one that fits with you and your story. The hours you put in are less important than what you take from the experience: they don’t check you against a chart and say, ‘oh, this one did 200 hours and that one only did 100, so we’ll give the place to the one that did the most’. IF the adcom gives weight to ECs it will be b/c it shows something about you, whether that is personality / specific skills / leadership / self-awareness / commitment to a specific thing / etc. Colleges generally prefer to see fewer and deeper ECs than many scattered ones. Look at the ones that you have done for some common threads, and build from there.
I have too many and it really frustrates me. I am trying my best, thank you for your advice
AdComns are well tuned to how these deals are purchased experiences for rich kids, rather than experiences that take any real initiative on your part, like volunteering in a local homeless shelter.
I’m not rich. I started a lemonade stand in 9th grade to help pay for my grandparent’s hospital bill, and financial struggles my family deals with. This lemonade stand has made over 1,000 dollars. I make less than 55,000 dollars a year. I did not include this information because I hate pity, but don’t judge someone by their “willingness” to do anything they can to have life experiences. I wish I was rich so I can get tutored for the SAT so I can get a tutor to help with my essay, so I can magically get to have this internships but I am not. I am part of the LGBT Community, and I am Hispanic, I do what I can do to help not only my people but just people in general. I don’t want to go to into depth about myself, but I get my contacts because I do things in my community. I was literally starving when I was in 3rd Grade, yeah 1/6 people in my community does not know where their next meal is coming from, so don’t make any stereotype. FYI my councilwomen gave me recommendation letters for helping my community.
PS: I will work hard in order to get to this sanctuary, I don’t care if it takes 10,000 lemonade stands, I have a strong worth ethic.
Wouldn’t this wildlife sanctuary in the Amazon be better served if u just gave them your lemonade stand money, rather than u spending it on expensive airfare and accommodations for yourself to distort the local economy by providing your unskilled, unpaid labor to displace indigenous underprivileged, would-be-paid, entry-level workers from scarce jobs to feed their families?
Or give the lemonade stand money to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen, instead of padding your resume w this ostensible amazon piety/ self-serving eco-tourism.
You can ponder the morality of it… Kumbaya.
Santacru2323, my decision would be influenced by net cost & other feasibilities and what I likely would be doing as a career or what would most help me make the decision on what to do as a career.
I certainly don’t have a negative reaction to someone in your position asking that. Obviously, it’s good that people anticipate the effects of their choices on their subsequent well-being. It’s a worse world when people don’t take care of themselves, and, overwhelmingly, what the economy operates on is people taking care of themselves. It’s fundamental.
But the value of anticipation is also to be experienced in knowing that people can be offended by evidence of a person’s self protection/development efforts and wording things in communications so that unpleasantness can be avoided and you accomplish what you want to.
I’m glad you have these internship choices, I hope you enjoy what you end up doing and that it is useful, not only to others, but to you too. I’m old, have tried taking on others’ guilt trips, have no apologies for giving that up. Just determine for yourself what is right and follow it.
Thank you so much, you are defiantly right! You’re response is a very positive one unlike many in this forum. My respects to you sir
Hmm. Okay obviously you do not know what this internship is and are just making assumptions. Airfare is around 250 dollars to Peru, at least for me. My friend’s aunt works there and she can give my a discount. Secondly, accommodations are made for you. You pay 60 dollars for your accommodation and food, which then goes to help the animals. It is a non profit organization, thirdly I am not taking jobs away. This organization relies on volunteers, year round all ages. I love indigenous people as I am half indigenous half Mexican. You seem like someone who likes to belittle people’s ambitions. Thirdly, my lemonade stand was to help pay for grandparent’s hospital bills and have only used it for that, nothing else. Lastly, I help out at my FOOD BANK as AN INTERN, and I am trying to help others who were in the same position as mine. I never have traveled anywhere, except Mexico to see my family, sorry for trying to get some life experiences and worry about my college application. I would be a first generation and hope I do get accepted to somewhere.