Do I Need to Have Research Experience to Apply to These Programs?

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
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<p>I'm planning to apply to MITES, SSP, Clark Scholars Program, and possibly RSI. There are cities in my state that have very good education, but both the school and city I live in both don't have many opportunities for internships or quality education. I had applied for a hospital internship in my area (one of the only ones in my area), but I was rejected for my age (I'm an upcoming junior, but I skipped a grade in order to save money. They said I was a strong candidate, but rejected me because they didn't want anyone too irresponsible).</p>

<p>I want to apply to these programs, but I'm not sure if I stand a chance against the people who've been USAMO/USABO qualifiers/Siemens semi-finalists/etc. I'm also Asian, and I've heard that this will also hurt my chances. I don't have any experience in research or science-related subjects, unless you consider my school curriculum "experience". Should I bother applying to these summer internships?</p>

<p>Here are my stats:
GPA: 4.0 unweighted, 4.4 weighted (most rigorous curriculum my school offers)
Rank: 2/150 (the reason is because the valedictorian takes several expensive online AP classes that boost his GPA)
PSAT/SAT (projected score, taking both in October): 2340
APs: AP biology, AP psychology, AP world history (5, 5, 5, bio and psych were self-study)
SAT II:
Bio E 800</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Varsity Golf (9th to present)
Advanced Band (10th to present, 1st alto sax in school and all-state band)
NJHS/NHS (9th to present, treasurer)
Charity Club (equivalent to key club at other schools 10th to present)
Club dedicated to increasing teen awareness of politics (10th to present)
Psychology Club (co-founder and president)
Music Club (founder, president)
Science Bowl (10th to present, captain)</p>

<p>Work Experience/Volunteering:
Volunteer at a nursing home (I used to visit it as a kid every day with my old school)
Docent/Cashier at a museum (part of a tuition assistance program)
Part-time busser at parents' restaurant (for no pay, I just work there to help them out)
Counselor at a camp for children w/ AIDS
Volunteer worker at a playhouse for children
Managing websites for my parents' restaurants</p>

<p>As you can see, I don't really have any "experience" that others may have. I've never even taken the AIME (I didn't even know APs/AIME/USABO/science bowl/Siemens/SAT etc existed until this year) and so I have close to no experience compared to other people who apply to these programs. Will my lack of experience hurt my chances of applying to these summer internships?</p>

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<p>You should apply (by the way, do NOT put the comment about the #1 student’s AP class in your application anyplace, no matter how true it is… just sounds like “sour grapes” as part of an application). However, you should treat it just like applying to the most selective colleges, and have a couple of “safety” programs that you would also like to attend. Competition was fierce for research slots this summer in the more prestigious programs; my D had a list of 6 programs, and only got into two of them. However, the application process was a very good experience for her. In fact, she will probably recycle parts of a couple of essays she wrote for her college apps next fall.</p>

<p>She ended up picking an engineering program over the one research program she got into. She is there right now, and is loving every minute of it. So make a list that goes beyond the most prestigious programs, too.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your help! n___n</p>

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<p>I’m not familiar with any of the programs you listed, but do these cost money to participate in?</p>

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<p>No, they are all free programs (which is a big reason I’m applying for them hehe)</p>