<p>If it really does interest you, I would say put it down. I think it would be better to spend your summer doing research in a field you’re actually interested in than doing something you merely put down because it was “conventional”</p>
<p>True, thanks</p>
<p>@kooshbag: but what if you’re then stuck with a project you don’t have interest in for the whole summer? I’ve seen firsthand that if you don’t like your research topic, your experience will be hella awful.</p>
<p>After looking at the application, I’ve decided to apply. The program sounds really awesome. However, I won’t get my hopes up, as it’s insanely selective. Good luck to you all!</p>
<p>Yeah that’s a good point shinexalive</p>
<p>Hey all! Current high school senior here. I applied to Clark last year and I want to help you keep things in perspective.</p>
<p>I applied last year with excellent test scores, grades, ECs, recs, and awards from science fairs. I didn’t get in (no surprise, really). You’re applying to one of the most selective programs in the country. Nothing will guarantee that you get in.</p>
<p>But that’s OK. I ended up attending Michigan State’s High School Honors Science Program this year, which is almost exactly similar to Clark, RSI etc (but you do have to pay for room and board.) I had an absolutely extraordinary experience. Everyone did incredible research, and we had multiple Siemens semifinalists and one regional finalist. And since I know this is what you’re worrying about right now, my professor wrote me an awesome rec letter which played a large part in my recent acceptance to Yale. HSHSP was no small factor in that acceptance.</p>
<p>So remember that Clark admissions is basically ridiculous, and whether or not you get into Clark I think you’ll end up being pretty successful in college admissions. And look up HSHSP-- if you’re interested in Clark, you really should check it out. It was an absolutely excellent summer. These research programs are all so selective, so cast yourself a wide net. I applied to 4 (RSI, Clark, SIMR, HSHSP) and was just accepted to HSHSP-- and ended up having the time of my life, doing great research, getting accepted to an amazing school, etc. It’ll all work out in the end.</p>
<p>Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Thanks to litotes’ post. My junior son has just started doing an independent science research under a PHD professor in a 4 year university that is not selective but is only 30 min drive from our house . He is applying to RSI and Clark for this summer (he has 4.0 GPA and PSAT is 230.) My question is that knowing most likely he will not get into either program, should he apply and/or go to Michigan State’s High School Honors Science Program or should he stay put and do research under his current professor? The professor has told him that if he goes to a summer research program, he can always come back to pick up his current research anytime. The Michigan State’s HSHSP is more prestigous but we have to pay room and board. The current university research is on his own so no structured lecture and no peers but it’s free and we get to see him. So is it worth to go to HSHSP when he has the current set-up? I welcome any of your input on this situation.</p>
<p>@4beardolls</p>
<p>I was in that exact situation last year. In fact, I’m from Ohio, and I see that you’re in the Midwest. I was rejected at RSI and Clark and realized I had to get my act together and find a backup plan for the summer (something all you Clark applicants should do!) so I met with a professor at state flagship. He offered me a full time research position there. I decided to wait and see what happened with the HSHSP decision, and I was very surprised to see that I got in. (by the way, 4beardolls, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that HSHSP will be a sure bet even if rejected at RSI and Clark-- HSHSP’s acceptance rate is ~10%, which is certainly easier than the former two programs but still very tough.)</p>
<p>At that point I had to decide to either go to the program or stay home and research at the university all summer. One thing that attracted me to HSHSP was the guarantee that I’d be placed in a lab that could definitely accomodate me and give me a cohesive 7-week project. Simply enough, the local professor hadn’t had a high school student in his lab before, and he wasn’t sure off the top of his head if I could have a project all to myself for the summer. Contrast that to my experience at MSU, where (since all professors sign on to accomodate a student for the summer) I received a project all to myself such that the other researchers in the lab actually didn’t even know what my project was. I got a LOT of independence. Obviously this is just one person’s example, but I think this best illustrates the advantage of attending a program over freeform research, and this is an advantage that RSI, Clark, etc all bestow.</p>
<p>The other big advantage for a student that HSHSP, RSI, Clark provide is that it’s a really great taste of independence and preparation for college life. You are afforded a lot of independence-- whenever you’re not in the lab you have an entire college town to enjoy with friends from the program. Just the experience of doing laundry, managing money, and doing all sorts of fun activities with friends is pretty useful in terms of preparation for college.</p>
<p>As far as college admissions: Obviously RSI, Clark are at a VERY high prestige level and help a lot. HSHSP is also quite prestigious, if not at the same level as the first two. Everyone at the program was VERY impressive and we have all done quite well in the early admission round (1 to Brown, Columbia, Cornell, 2 to Harvard, 3 to Stanford, and 1 to Yale). Causation vs. correlation, of course, but I know that for me the rec letter I got from my mentor helped tremendously. This really shouldn’t be your main goal of attending one of these programs, but you will be more likely to make Siemens or Intel semifinalist if you attend RSI, Clark, Simons, HSHSP than local research just because these programs and professors have a track record of having self-contained, independent research projects for the students. Of course, it is absolutely possible to win these awards with local research too, and many students do so. The awards depend largely on motivation and dedication. At HSHSP, the student who returned to his lab for hours after dinner every day is the one who ended up winning Siemens Regional Finalist, to the surprise of no one.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for the value of HSHSP in terms of the cost of attending; that’s up to your family to evaluate depending on your circumstances. I know that financial aid is pretty generous. Anyways, I’d hate to monopolize the Clark Scholars thread into one about HSHSP, so if you have more specific questions about HSHSP itself please PM me and I’d be happy to answer. </p>
<p>To spin off a topic I described here in a way that does benefit all Clark applicants: please figure out a backup plan! Now is a great time to either find a local university that offers classes you could take, or email a TON of professors at a local university expressing interest in research. To find my one position at a local university last summer I had to email like 50 professors, but that’s probably because I held out until March. If you do it now you will be thankful should you not hear the best news from Clark and the other programs you applied to. By the way, here’s a pretty comprehensive list of other programs you can check out in addition to Clark: [Juniors:</a> MIT and other summer programs | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/juniors_mit_and_other_summer_p]Juniors:”>Juniors: MIT and other summer programs | MIT Admissions)</p>
<p>litotes, thank you for your comprehensive view on my question. I can tell that you are a smart, mature, and thoughtful young person. By the way, my son has had many national and international summer camp experiences so the ‘training to be independent’ benefit is not as important to us when it comes to our decision making. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Hi everybody!
So I’m applying to Clark this year but I’m a little confused about the “activities” part. What exactly does it mean by “# of hours”? Also, if we have awards from science fairs and have submitted research papers, do we list them here too? I’m just a little confused because this program doesn’t ask for a resume or anything.</p>
<p>Number of hours would be, for instance, for volunteering. I think there’s enough space to list something like “4 hours a week”, which would probably be more descriptive. Something like that. Anybody else on that? And for awards, I have no idea. Awards and science fairs I would put in your narrative, but don’t make them the focus of your essay by any means… That’s probably what I will do</p>
<p>HSHSP is a good back-up for Clark. They release decisions after Clark, so it really is a very good fallback. I was accepted to both, although I honestly didn’t care about HSHSP after hearing from Clark. </p>
<p>The kids who get into Clark are all phenomenal. The 2012 Clarks have already received early acceptances from Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, UChicago, Caltech, and Penn, even though there were only twelve of us. But as litotes mentioned, there are a lot of top-notch students who do not get into Clark. Getting rejected is not a big deal. HSHSP is certainly a good consolation prize.</p>
<p>Hey, guys! A quick (but potentially silly) question: is it okay if I ask a teacher from freshman year (I’m a junior) if she taught me in the subject I’m pursuing/saw my passion for that subject, still sees a body of my work from time to time, and still interacts with me quite frequently?</p>
<p>@micelle, i would say that’s actually a really smart idea, because since she knows you well, she is more likely to be able to talk more about you. i’m doing the same thing and only asking my teachers that have known me for at least a full year.</p>
<p>Regarding recommendations, I would say the key is to go to the teacher at least 3 weeks ahead and talk to them about the program and more specifically WHY you want to attend the program. Show them how much it will mean to you guys if you were able to attend and
I guarantee they will write a much better recommendation. I also had a freshman teacher write me a recommendation last year.</p>
<p>I second SniperCat30’s advice; I had long chats with my recommenders about the program and my goals before the wrote the letters, which definitely helped.</p>
<p>Also, feel free to ask us 2012 Clarkies anything about the program. I remember as I was applying last year, I had just as many questions about the culture and campus and social side of the program as I did about the research and the application. </p>
<p>Since we’ve all basically finished applying to college (almost second semester seniors woohoo!), we are around to answer any questions you might have!</p>
<p>I need advice about my recommendation. For my two preferred fields, I am putting down Biological Sciences and Biochemistry. I just have a question about who would be best to ask for my three recommendations.</p>
<p>Should I:</p>
<p>A) Ask my current 11th grade IB HL Biology teacher, 10th grade Chemistry teacher, and current 11th grade IB HL Math teacher…</p>
<p>or, B) Ask my current 11th grade IB HL Biology teacher, 10th grade Chemistry teacher, and 9th grade Biology teacher.</p>
<p>The difference is in the last teacher. I am interested in biology research, so I’m not sure if I should be asking my math teacher, but then again, I’m not sure if 9th grade is bringing it a bit too far back.</p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Collegeluva101: For that last teacher, I would ask whoever you think knows you better and would write a more favorable recommendation. Personally, I would lean towards your math teacher: he/shea taught you more recently and will likely provide a different view of you academically than your science teachers. </p>
<p>Last year, I had biological sciences as my first choice and had a biology teacher/science fair advisor, chemistry teacher, and english teacher write my recs. Don’t feel as if you are limited to teachers in the field you are interested in studying; I think it was a plus for me that I had a English teacher talking about my analytical abilities instead of all science teachers.</p>
<p>Okay, thank you Sheam13!</p>