Chance me for RSI

<p>Hi, I'm a rising junior and I'll be applying to the Research Science Institute, and I just wanna' know if I have even the slightest shot :P</p>

<p>PSAT as a sophomore: 68 CR, 71 W, 76 M (argh missed stoopid one hehe) I'm predicting that this score will go up to >220 this year because I've studied a poopload.
My predicted score will be: 72 CR, 78 W, 80 M</p>

<p>SATIIs (does this matter?): 800 Bio M, 790 Chem, taking Math II in a few months.</p>

<p>Rank: 1/ 350-ish
GPA: 4.0</p>

<p>APs:
Freshman: Human Geography (4), Macroeconomics (5)
Sophomore: Government (4), World History (5), Microeconomics (5), Calculus AB (5), Biology (5), Chemistry (5), Music Theory (5)</p>

<p>Junior Year schedule: AP Stats, Calc 2/3 (taken at college), AP Physics B, AP US History, AP Computer Science, AP Language, AP Spanish Literature</p>

<p>At the college level, I have taken 4 courses as of post date: Microeconomics, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Spanish.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Out of school activities: I'm really good at piano. I've won over $6000 in scholarships, and in fact, I'm currently at Eastern, a highly selective 5-week music festival in North Carolina that accepts 21 students in the world from the age of 14-22. I took the AMC this year but I didn't qualify for AIME. I will be competition chair of my school's Mu Alpha Theta society next year, and I plan on co-starting the National Science Honors Society at my school. I don't know if this helps at all, but in middle school (8th grade), I was 25th in the state for Mathcounts (hehe), and I was 1st in the state twice (7th and 8th) for Equations Academic Games. I don't have any research experience whatsoever. I have done various academic competitions during my high school competition but I don't feel like they are substantial enough to be worth mentioning. I started a writing organization for my local church, and it's pretty well-off.
I may be leaving out some stuff, but if I remember, I will add them as this thread goes on.</p>

<p>With respect to essays, I will write to the best of my ability. I think they will be great.
The same goes for my teacher recs.</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian
State: Florida</p>

<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>

<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>

<p>i don’t know much about RSI but wow those are some pretty impressive stats (sat’s, sat II’s, ap scores, rank)</p>

<p>Thanks! I’m just worried about research experience and math/science related ECs and out of school activities ):</p>

<p>RSI is scary hard, making Harvard admissions look like a cakewalk. I doubt you’ll get in but that is in no way a reflection upon your abilities in a grand sense. Still, you don’t seem to have the qualifications that a typical acceptee will have (national olympiad success and so forth).</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your opinion! But is every acceptee a national olympiad per se? Aren’t there some that are not? But regardless, I appreciate your feedback greatly.</p>

<p>Anyone else? :D</p>

<p>I’ve actually also been wondering exactly the same thing about my own chances. </p>

<p>I’ve got 240 PSATs and in the 7th grade I scored 610 (W) 690 (R) and 760 (M) on the SATs to get into CTY, qualifying also for the Search for Exceptional Talent (SET for scoring over 700 before turning 13) and getting a Davidson-Stanley Merit Scholarship to CTY camp (for being among the top 40 worldwide 7th graders on the Math portion)
SATIIs: Chem (800), Math II (800)
Freshman: AP Calc AB (5)
Sophomore: AP Chem (5), AP World (5), and Multivariate Calculus I and II (Fordham University both A+)</p>

<p>I’ve been to CTY camp three straight years, with my fourth starting in two weeks, taking EE, Cryptology, Chem Honors, and Philosophy of the Mind.
I am a member of the Columbia Science Honors Program, having taken Mathematical Methods in the Sciences and Particle Physics there.</p>

<p>I have a 4.0 GPA with honors weighting putting me around 4.4 with unofficial class rank at a semi-selective private school being 1/250 and I’m doing minor research (with nothing really accomplished yet) in real-time physiological data processing with IBM.</p>

<p>I have teachers and college professors who can probably write stunning recommendation letters. </p>

<p>On the other hand your courseload amazes me, and I have never participated in any national or international science or math competitions. </p>

<p>I’ll appreciate any advice :]</p>

<p>Hi, I really dont’ want to be rude, but if you want your own chances, you can and should start your own thread (:
But anyways, if you want my input, you sound like you have a crazy talent for math and science, and I think the people at the Research Science Institute would love to see you take it outside of school. Also I think it’s important that you sell yourself on your resume as someone who has a life outside of school, y’know? I’m sorry but I don’t really know how to give you a percentage chance of getting in since it’s a crapshoot for pretty much everyone.
But uh yeah, once again, I don’t wanna’ be rude, but you might wanna’ start a new thread :P</p>

<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>

<p>Look, your stats are very very good but there are many many many people with the similar stats. That’s why getting in is so hard, I don’t see anything that would put you into the elite research student range like USAMO, USAPhO, research or etc so I don’t think your chances for RSI are that good.</p>

<p>However, I think if you keep it up your college chances are looking very very good. Getting into RSI is just a different game.</p>

<p>Alright, thanks! Should I even bother applying? </p>

<p>And I know this is a Research SCIENCE Institute, but does it help even in the slightest that I’m good in piano? Or does that only pertain to stuff like applying to college?</p>

<p>I don’t think there’s any reason for you not to apply, you never know! But I’d agree that it’s hard to stand out from the crowd given competitiveness of the program. And I’m reasonably sure that a large percentage of the accepted students have qualified, and had success on, the various science olympiads.</p>

<p>Thank you! </p>

<p>I’m still wondering about my earlier question :confused: Does piano playing well count as standing out in the crowd or does it not really matter when it comes to applying to RSI? :/</p>

<p>Also, I’m not trying to justify myself but my school never did olympiads, and we didn’t even do AMC until this year ('10-‘11) ): Guess I shoulda’ done them myself <em>shrugs</em></p>

<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>

<p>Buuuuuuump ):</p>

<p>dont you have to apply to RSI when you are a sophomore?</p>

<p>You must applyto RSI in junior year. Thus, if you make it in, you will spend it the summer before your senior year.</p>

<p>I applied to RSI last year and while I had foolishly built up hope for myself, I was easily rejected. As a rejectee, I think that I can see eye-to-eye with you (both). While my GPA was only a 3.81, I had many state awards in research as well as national awards in debate (which turned out to not matter for RSI). Without research, admission is nearly impossible from what I have heard.
Ironically, one of the two people who I know personally to have gotten into RSI had never researched. On the other hand, he made USAMO every year since freshman year and was national champion in ARML.
Therefore, while you will have a fantastic shot at college admissions to schools like Harvard, MIT, and Columbia, I wouldn’t raise my hopes up for RSI if I were you, though applying wouldn’t hurt - besides the $50 application fee.
Consider some other good programs (you can google all of these programs). Clarks Scholars is nearly as prestigious as RSI while being a bit less selective. Simons Summer Fellows has the second best research in America while being slightly less selective than Clarks. For materials science research, Garcia MRSEC and the Princeton PCCM MRSEC are probably tied 4th on the list. HSHSP is probably next in all categories, and I’ve heard good things about City of Hope and Rockefeller, if you’re interested in biology. If you’re interested in mathematics, PM me, as I know more than I can list here about math opportunities.</p>

<p>Finally, if you are really into music, maybe RSI isn’t for you. If you’re applying for the almost automatic admission into a top-5 school, they’ll see through that and deny you admission.
Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Ur in! OMG if people like you are applying, I got no chance!!! >.<</p>