Summer internship vs research

[CSallday]

I am a Masters student at a top-4 CS school and I am currently doing research here. I have internship opportunities at Microsoft and Google, but I also have the ability to stay here over the summer and do research. Would taking the internship negatively affect my chances of admission compared to doing the extra research here over the summer? I will be applying to the PhD program here as well as other top places next Fall.

[Adamah]

It depends on what you would be doing at Microsoft or Google. If it's a regular software engineering internship (which I'm guessing is the case) then it won't really help you in your admissions chances. However, if there's a research component and you will be working with well-known researchers in your field at Google or Microsoft, then you might be able to get a letter of recommendation from that person and it would be extremely helpful.

Basically, it comes down to which would give you the better letter of recommendation from a more influential person. If there's a shot at a publication, that would also be a big factor.

[Mutualimpedancewaffle]

I think it depends on what you think the weakest part of your application will be. If your current research has results (publications, notable contributions) and you can count on a good letter of recommendation from your current institution, go for the internship if that's something you really want to do!