Hi guys! Didn’t see a thread for COSMOS this year so I thought I’d make one:) also for anyone who’s been to cosmos before, can you give me like a day in the life of cosmos? And like what is working on the projects like?
Not a COSMOS alumni but prospective applicant. Anyone know how competitive UCSC Cluster 9 is? (The Building Blocks of Life: Molecules and Cells in Biology)
hi!
i did cosmos last year which was virtual, but its essentially the same format as in-person (i believe)
there’s a discovery lecture in the morning that everyone goes to in your campus, and then you spend the rest of the day with ur cluster. various campus-wide activities/events are also held. the last week is for the final project, which will be presented on the very last day for ALL clusters. you have a professor who leads your cluster, and there are a few TA (teacher assistants) who help out on teaching.
on average, the acceptance rate for clusters usually around 20%. any cluster listed as “First choice cluster only” on the website, or “Prerequisites required” are usually more competitive (closer to 10%)
Thanks! Couple more questions that you might or might not be able to answer:
- how in depth is the project? I imagine that it’s kinda hard to get a solid research project done in a month…
- would you recommend that I try and apply to a less competitive cluster that I don’t really want to do as much, or a more competitive one that’s my first choice, but I might not get into it.
Hi! I had a question about the acceptance rates for each college
Hey! I dont think theres anyway to actually confirm but at the info session the people said that its around 20% but it varies widely from cluster to cluster rather than the school. Someone in last year’s discussion forum said ucsc and ucd were around 15% and ucsd was around 25%. Not sure about uci.
oh ok! Thanks! Do yk how good the Music and Technology cluster is? I was planning on putting an application for that 
COSMOS is only open to California residents for 2022.
Hey! I’m planning on applying to USCD’s Cluster 7 (Synthetic Biology). It’s a first-choice-only cluster, and I’ve heard those can get quite competitive. Does anyone happen to know last year’s acceptance rate?
My second choice will probably be Cluster 9 (Music and Technology), but I’ve heard that people rarely get into second-choice clusters.
Any tips? I can only pray that the teachers I asked will write decent rec letters…
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Hey! I don’t think i can answer that question… I have no idea what the cluster acceptance rates are
Anyone have any idea on how competitive the UCSD cluster 11: Intro to Autonomous Driving is?
Idk the number but i heard that its one of the more competitive ones.
does anybody know how competitive UCD cluster 10: sustainable transportation is? and if i got waitlisted what are my chances of being taken off?
I just got waitlisted for cosmos at uci. Does anyone know how likely it is to get out of the waitlist for clusters 10 (Biomedical sciences) and 3 (Tissue and Tumor Biology + Mathematical modeling)?
hey… got waitlisted for Cluster 7 and 9 at UCSD… curious about the odds of getting off the waitlist but seeing as they’re both first choice clusters, the odds don’t seem very high :((
if anyone got accepted, can you tell me what you wrote about in your essays? thanks :’)
hey guys, got waitlisted for clusters 1 and 4 at UCSD, also wondering how likely it is that I’m going to get in and how they decide who gets first priority on the waitlist.
Just got my acceptance for #1 Choice Cluster @ UCD
Son got accepted to UC Davis Internet of Things cluster 8.
Anyone else going to that?
Anyone know the chances of waitlist at UCSD? I got waitlisted for cluster 11 (autonomous vehicles)
My kid was in COSMOS last summer (cluster 2 at UCSC). I do know someone who got off a waitlist in a different cluster at Santa Cruz. Each cluster is only about 24-26 kids, so someone offered a spot would need to decline COSMOS to open up a position. If you are in the waitlist it means you met the qualifications, but there just wasn’t room. Have some backup plans for the summer - JC dual enrollment class, volunteering, part time jobs, etc. are all valuable on college applications. Good luck!