u/Business_Source_7723 — reddlx

yo wsg for some context ima sophomore and have a pretty big aero spike

i applied to a lot of program but in the end i got two 8 week research programs at a local uni and one for the government.

I need help deciding where to go:

local internship (UTD):

working w mech e professor, free, treated as a researcher, use the research in conferences and competitions, ok connections, can do my other extracurriculars (FRC team captain, etc) because I live in dallas.

Government Internship (navy):

Working with aero professor, living in monterey california, research is less publishable, but internship itself is really prestigious, its free but theres a chance itll have a fat stipend, im not sure how easy it will be to take this research and put into competitions after. Also cali is expensive asf but will probably never forget the experience.

I NEED HELP DECIDING I CAN SEND STATS ASW
thx in adv

Would appreciate advice. Aiming for t20 engineering schools. Stanfords the dream.

Height: 6'3 dont mess

Grade: Sophomore

Major: Aero or physics

School: comp public hs

Hooks: Hell nah

GPA: UW 3.96, W 5.115 out of 6.0

Rank: Top 9%, 29 out of 316 (Will go up by end of this yr)

APs: AP HUG 5, World, Seminar, Precalc, Stats, Physics 1

ECs: (not in particular order)

Thrust Nozzle Research under MIT prof mentorship. Presented at regional conference.
Independent Airfoil Research (won award)
FRC Team Captain
Shadow ceo at aerospace start up
NASA CSLI team member
Civil air patrol Aerospace officer
Aerospace club pres + founder
Sci oly officer
Internship at aviation museum

some more mid shi

(doing mechE research at university this summer, or sum defense research in cali, fingers crossed, making sum start up or biz, joining solar car team, some more stuff but better to take action than to speak yk)

Awards: (pretty mid)

bunch of sci oly, national honorable mention, frc awards, deca states, competed at regional science fair

if you had any advice as to how i can improve my ecs or competitionsi could compete in, or any other ideas that I could do, i would appreciate it. Lmk if im on track schools like UT, Gtech, Cal, Mich, USC, JHU, UF. The dream is mit, stanford, caltech, etc.