Please help me decide between two internships?

[deleted947805]

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I am a freshman planning on getting an internship for this coming summer. I already got two internships, but I am trying to decide between them. The first internship is going to Shanghai, China for a medical service or helping the poor. It is for about 280 hours for the entire summer where I basically assist poor people in different activities, or maybe shadow doctors (not guaranteed). And the second one is an internship where I volunteer in a homeless shelter for about 280 hours for the entire summer. I am planning on applying to medical school my junior year, so I need both a clinical and non clinical volunteering before I start my senior year. I do not know what is valued more by ADCOMS. I mean, I would love to help the homeless since I was homeless once when I was in high school. But the homeless shelter I am planning on volunteering at is in the state of my college, so I will have plenty of other times to volunteer there. On the other hand, this trip to China is something I would love to experience.

Everything is paid for both internships, so living expense is not a problem. Which one should I do? Any suggestions, considering what would be considered a good and productive experience by ADCOMS?

Thanks in advance!


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[beeboops]

Medical mission trips similar to this internship in China that you're describing have fallen out of favor with adcoms in recent years. There's plenty of service work to be done stateside (e.g., homeless shelters), and service trips to other countries can be viewed as just tourism. Not saying whether that view is right or wrong, but that's the general perception.

Sounds like you have a strong personal connection with the homeless shelter opportunity anyways. If I were you, I would pick this internship.

 

[Toutie]

Do the homeless one here.