<p>Hi! I'm currently a junior in hs and I really want to get accepted to cosmos because I want to learn about astrophysics. I'm thinking of applying to UCD or Santa cruz. Can anyone (preferably a COSMOS alumni) chance me? Thank you!</p>
<p>Gpa: 9th: 4.0 (both sem.), 10th: 4.17 (both sem.), 11th: 4.5 (1st sem.)
Science/math classes taken: biology, chemistry honors, geometry, algebra II. Currently taking regular physics, and precalculus honors.
Extracurriculars: NHS, CSF, science alliance (where I mentor an elementary schooler for their science fair. This is my first year.), swim freshman & soph yr and planning to do all 4 yrs. </p>
<p>Is there anything else? Also what is the application process like? I heard you have to write an essay. Any response will be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>If you are considering UC Davis, I would recommend YSP over the COSMOS program.
[Young</a> Scholars Program | Summer Research Opportunities for High School Students](<a href=“Young Scholars Program - UC Davis School of Education”>http://ysp.ucdavis.edu/)
You get to do and learn more, but it at the Davis campus only. COSMOS is all campuses.</p>
<p>My elder daughter did YSP and my younger one did COSMOS at UC Irvine. Both programs were good, but YSP was more hands-on research and less being part of small group watching others do research. Plus YSP had fun field trips on the weekend.</p>
<p>i did biochemistry in COSMOS last summer at Davis. i don’t know what this no hands-on thing. every lab we did included us. Nothing was watching someone else do it. Fun field trips? We went to Tahoe, a water park, a huge arcade, and more field trips to UCSF medical center. I think, thus, it depends on the cluster (i.e. biochemistry) on how much hands-on stuff you do. COSMOS is a prestigious thing though, same with YSP.</p>
<p>Also, COSMOS is not solely about research and lab work, it’s also about learning and adapting to the college life.</p>
<p>I also went to COSMOS last year, though I was in the mathematics cluster. The field trips every weekend were amazing; the whole experience was amazing. I wouldn’t trade it over anything.</p>
<p>My stats also looks similar to yours and, if I recall correctly, astrophysics was one of the lesser populated clusters at Davis. You stand a pretty strong chance I would say.</p>
<p>This is what I mean about hands-on research a YSP – From the YSP website: “Each student will work on an individual project and prepare a journal quality paper and symposium presentation about their work.” </p>
<p>With the mentor you conduct and write up your own individual project in YSP. My daughter ended up submitting her “journal quality paper” along her college apps. I’m sure havig that to show helped her get accepted at MIT and maybe some of the other schools too.</p>
<p>In COSMOS (Neuroscience cluster), my other daughter was working in a group of a 5 or 6 other kids all the time and didn’t get to do as much hands-on stuff herself. </p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong. I thought COSMOS was great, but YSP was even better.</p>
<p>IN COSMOS we also had to do a research project, and in most clusters it was individual. There were 2 at most which did them in groups. We also got to work alongside professors and most students wrote quality research papers which could also be submitted as college app supplements. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to defend COSMOS or go against you in any way. There are merely different sides to every story. COSMOS is one of them. It depends on the cluster you were in. Thus far, you have yet to present anything YSP offers that COSMOS didn’t (from my point of view). I would say they are probably equal programs, though I don’t know much about YSP other than what you have said.</p>
<p>No matter what I might say about YSP, I’m sure it will be simple for you to say “We did that too!” about COSMOS. But I saw real differences. It’s true that they have many things in common. But having had personal experience with both programs (and I appear to be the only person on this thread who has that), if I had to do it over again I would have pushed my younger daughter to go YSP like her sister instead of COSMOS. </p>
<p>It was just a better program. It lasted one and half times longer. They got more research done. It was for high school students only (no 8th-graders). The research they did was more sophisticated. Their activities appeared to be more fun (climbing Mt. Lassen for example). They got more individual attention. They just did it better. Sorry, but that’s what I saw.</p>
<p>Personally I was planning on taking astrophysics in COSMOS and I’m not entirely sure is YSP offers that as well based on their website. Thank you coureur for informing me about the program. If I was currently a sophomore, I would have definitely tried to do both but since I have one summer left before senior year, I’ll take my chances with COSMOS. And thank you to dyno0919 for telling me my chances! I’m a bit relieved :)</p>
<p>I think COSMOS and YSP cater to a slightly different applicant. My thought is if someone is really really serious about research and wants to spend 6+ weeks in UCD (check out the research areas as well in the web site) and has over $5K to spare, YSP is a good option. On the other hand if you want to spend 4 weeks and less money and get a more rounded experience (and COSMOS has a lot of clusters), then that may fit you better. I think cosmos cluster quality can vary between the different campuses. UCD is most competitive and they do go for field trips and such.</p>