Should I take a half day schedule to do internship?Answered
My school has 7 periods in a given day and there is an option at my school for seniors to do 4 periods in school and the remaining 3 periods at an off-site internship. I have an offer from a pretty prestigious government organization, but I am worried about how taking a half-day schedule may look. To be clear, on my transcript it would show my four in school classes and then three sets of a class called "internship" which is still weighted the same as an AP class at my school. I would also be giving up the chance to take AP Euro if I do it, meaning I have some stake in both options and am completely 50/50 on this issue. My main concern is what it will look like to admission officers and if this could negatively impact my profile.
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3 answers
I would say take the half day and do the internship. You would only be losing three classes, and honestly, those classes probably wouldn't have as big of an impact as the internship. AP Euro is one of the easier AP's, and would not really help in the eyes of admission officers. Your GPA would also benefit, as having 3 periods weighted as AP's should increase/maintain your WGPA. The internship would give you great experience and could provide some stellar letters of recommendation, both of which are very beneficial to your academic profile. There is no need to worry about course rigor (especially if the 4 classes you take are the hardest available) as a prestigious government organization is a lot better than any class you could take with those 3 hours (unless those classes are graduate school college courses). This internship could only benefit your profile in the long run (and if you are still worried 4 classes isn't enough, there is the option to take a 0-hour [if your school allows that] or self-study for an AP Exam). In short, take the half day and do the internship, as it is a much better deal than taking a full day, as the internship will make more of an impact than 3 classes. Lmk if you have any questions!
Definitely choose the internship. It'll not only look great to the admissions officers since you are doing classes and an internship, but it'll provide opportunities to connect and network with people in that industry. Taking good classes and getting good grades is important, however in order to succeed after college, you need to have those connections with people.
Having an internship with a government organization is much more impressive than AP Euro, especially since you're going to be getting a GPA boost from working. It's not like you're taking a half-day schedule and doing nothing (some seniors do that), you're working! Don't feel bad about that, just remember to explain what your "internship" period is when applying.
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