Summer advice please... Forum

[rundoxierun]

I posted a similar thread to this in the general Law admissions forum a while back but I figured it might be more helpful to put it in the URM forum since the consensus seems to be these things matter more for URM applicants. Im a black male applying next cycle (2010-2011 cycle). Im currently a junior so I will obviously be applying straight from undergrad. My numbers will be 3.6x/177 with a major in Econ. Yeah good numbers, i know, problem is my top choice is Stanford and I have heard they are notoriously unpredictable based solely on numbers. I was hoping to do a bit of service work that connected to my educational background to set me apart. My personal statement will be written about the importance of education and what it has meant to me.

Here is the choice I am confronted with:

1) I have been offered an internship at the corporate headquarters of a fairly large company (40,000 employees). Pretty good position, their coordinator told me I will be doing "root cause analysis" work, helping out with some database stuff, and doing data analysis for something to do with insurance/warranties. Pays very well for a summer position.

2) I am currently a finalist for a summer teaching position for a literacy program with one of the Children Defense Fund's Freedom Schools. This fits well with my background because I am a first-generation college student and many of these children are from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. I also volunteered for the local school system as a math tutor during the 2008-2009 academic year. Problem is, my 3rd(and final) interview isnt until April 7th and my offered internship needs an answer by March 31st.

Will either position actually help me out at all?? Anyone think I should wait on the teaching position and risk losing both??

[patrickd139]

I posted a similar thread to this in the general Law admissions forum a while back but I figured it might be more helpful to put it in the URM forum since the consensus seems to be these things matter more for URM applicants. Im a black male applying next cycle (2010-2011 cycle). Im currently a junior so I will obviously be applying straight from undergrad. My numbers will be 3.6x/177 with a major in Econ. Yeah good numbers, i know, problem is my top choice is Stanford and I have heard they are notoriously unpredictable based solely on numbers. I was hoping to do a bit of service work that connected to my educational background to set me apart. My personal statement will be written about the importance of education and what it has meant to me.

Here is the choice I am confronted with:

1) I have been offered an internship at the corporate headquarters of a fairly large company (40,000 employees). Pretty good position, their coordinator told me I will be doing "root cause analysis" work, helping out with some database stuff, and doing data analysis for something to do with insurance/warranties. Pays very well for a summer position.

2) I am currently a finalist for a summer teaching position for a literacy program with one of the Children Defense Fund's Freedom Schools. This fits well with my background because I am a first-generation college student and many of these children are from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. I also volunteered for the local school system as a math tutor during the 2008-2009 academic year. Problem is, my 3rd(and final) interview isnt until April 7th and my offered internship needs an answer by March 31st.

Will either position actually help me out at all?? Anyone think I should wait on the teaching position and risk losing both??

First off, congrats on hitting for the cycle. (See bolded above.) Enjoy Stanford.

Substantively, I can't imagine you going wrong with either of these internships. The point of this should be two-fold: do something you will enjoy doing and, as an added bonus, you'll have something to talk to interviewers next year when you're applying for summer internships. Helping underprivileged children or proving yourself in the corporate world are both equally good for vastly different reasons. Do whatever YOU want to do.

[merichard87]

Like the other poster said you are pretty much in there and the decision should be based on what you like to do. I'm in undergrad as well and will be doing another industry internship and applying to law school in the fall also. Based off what I have seen here and in real life neither of those are what adcomms will deem stand-out softs but for an AA either one will be icing on your cake. Have you done any industry interns before? If so you might want to choose the Freedom School just for a change of scenery.