@magenta5683 good luck! I’m applying to clusters 8 and 6 at UCSD.
@magenta5683 and @Cornbread1999 Good luck to both of you! Unfortunately, I’m still undecided on campus and cluster.
I’d like to do something either in computers/technology/engineering or medicine. Can you guys help?
@dsi411 I’m going to apply for UCSD! My first choice is Cluster 7: Bioengineering/Mechanical Engineering: The Amazing Red Blood Cell, and my second choice is Cluster 1: Computers in Everyday Life.
I hope this is my final choice because the deadline’s coming up… I’ve changed my mind so many times already…
I have a question about the statement of interest. Does it matter which one you select? Does COSMOS have a preference? Because everyone on here (that I’ve seen, anyway) has done/is doing the first prompt, but I have a really compelling story for the second one…
I’m only doing the first one because my interest has been more gradual than anything. I’ve loved math and science since I was really, really little.
@topaz1116 So have I, but do you think it will matter if I do the second prompt instead? 
Nah, I don’t think it’ll matter.
Why, oh why do all my apps/assignments have to be due so close to each other?
Ok, so COSMOS apps are due on the 20th of February, right? My AP/Honors apps are due on the 13th (some on the 10th), my robotics team has to finish building/programming our robot by the 17th, and the ESSAYS for robotics are due on the 19th!
(I used a lot of slashes in this post)
HELP ME! I need stress relief!
I’m going to be up all night doing everything…
Have fun doing all that xD
I need to decide whether I’m doing National History Day or not, because I need to know whether to finish my project. On one hand, it would be a logistical nightmare and it’ll be pretty time-consuming to create my project/do research, and I’m not even going to take APUSH next year. On the other hand, it is very likely that I’d at least make it to states and I might be able to eventually get an officer position. I dunno.
I mainly have Winteruguard and an MUN conference this weekend. I don’t think I have much to do this month. I kind of wish I had done robotics, but then again, I barely have any time as is. Thankfully, the only class I’ll have to apply for next year is Journalism. As long as you get teacher signatures/have met prereqs for classes (including okay grades in the preceding course), you can take whatever AP/honors courses you want. It’s Journalism, Yearbook, Peer Resource, Leadership, and all the advanced choirs (Chamber Chorale, Treble Ensemble, Musical Theater) that require applications (and some, especially Journalism and Peer Resource, are very competitive).
@topaz1116 Thanks.
Wait, you don’t have apps for AP/Honors? Lucky! Our school doesn’t have a lot of funding, so there are a limited number of classes for a certain AP/Honors course.
I’m getting off-topic… This is supposed to be a COSMOS thread!
@The5458Captain there would be parental outrage if there were apps/people didn’t get in. For some subjects, we have more AP or honors classes than regular classes. Teachers don’t really have to do anything different for an AP or honors course at my school unless they feel like it. I know that the main APUSH teacher (not that there are many classes–he teaches 2 out of 3 APUSH classes) teaches his CP classes the same material and gives them the same tests (AKA he’s really, really, really hard). I think APUSH, actually, is the course with the fewest sections out of any AP class in my school (actually, no–AP World only has 2, but that’s because it’s an elective course and most people at my school are more STEM-focused). I think there are five or six of AP Chem and seven or eight of AP Physics 1 (plus two of AP Physics C). By the way, our school has 2200 people, but only juniors and seniors can take most APs. 83% of people at my school take at least one AP sometime in high school.
Heya, sophomore here applying for UCD cluster 7/8. I’m curious - the online app says to list science/math ecs only, but should we list others that are good as well (ex: music, community service clubs, etc.)?
@Nightlark Hey! Welcome to CC! Yes, you can list other ecs not related to math or science, but list the more academic ones first. 
@The5458Captain Thanks! 
I was kinda worried, since my school doesn’t offer many clubs/school ECs that are related to science (esp. biology) aside from Science Olympiad.
@The5458Captain lol, I was going to apply to Cluster 7 first choice, but I changed it to Cluster 8 after realizing that I had pretty much nothing to write for Cluster 7.
Does anybody know if you have access to a gym and basketball court at the cosmos campuses?
@nballday At UCSD COSMOS, they had a basketball court available but we were only allowed to use it when basketball was one of the activities during programming time. (8pm-10pm). There was no gym but at 6 am I believe there was a running group, so if you woke up that early you could go run with them.
COSMOS alumnus here. There seem to be many people overly anxious about the application process so I thought I would like to provide some insights.
COSMOS stresses social aspect more than academic aspect. If you want rigorous intellectual training for one month go to other programs like PROMYS or RSI. You may see this as a positive one or a negative one but I totally loved it. People you meet there are high quality people and I believe socializing with these people made my experience there ten times more enjoyable. Now, this is not to say that you are going to party all day. You won’t. You will be working on your project most of the time while the sun is up. In a nutshell, COSMOS = play hard study hard.
When I applied as a freshman, I had
GPA: 3.64 UW
SAT: N/A
Science teacher recommendation (1-10): 10
Math teacher recommendation (1-10): 8
Essays (1-10): 8
There were people with UW GPA as low as 3.0 and there were some with 4.0. Your essay and teacher recommendations are probably more valued than your stats. I thought I had no chance of getting in with 3.64 since I had a B- in history but I got in! You will never know the outcome until you apply 
Aaaaaaaannnnndddd I’m undecided again. I keep changing my mind and I’m so uncertain about my choice of cluster.