<p>Last year I discovered SSP and this year I have become a Junior and would like to apply. For the past 3 years I've basically maxed out my course load to the hardest classes possible and been pretty successful at it; my GPA is very close to perfect and I have very strong test scores. However, my school doesn't teach physics until senior year and I am not a grade ahead in math so I have yet to take BC Calc. </p>
<p>My school focuses a lot more on humanities than math and science, and although I have an interest in it and participate in Olympiads and stuff I don't have any big accomplishments in either of those fields. Instead, my extracurricular activities lie with Computer Science (have my own successful programming company, USACO), and student government (some pretty good leadership positions there). Despite this, I have a real passion for science and I would love to take part in SSP.</p>
<p>Would I stand at a chance at SSP admissions?</p>
<p>Yes, you have a chance! I attended in the summer of 2013 after my junior year and here’s what I’ve gathered about the admissions process (I am by no means an expert). I took AP physics B before coming to SSP, and in all honesty it didn’t help me very much. It’s not required to attend, I estimate that almost 1/3 of the people at my campus hadn’t taken it. I wouldn’t stress too much about not having taken it. If you’re really concerned, mention the circumstance in one of your essays. When it comes to calc, have you taken AB? It would help a lot if you had. You can still get in without it, maybe 1/4 of my class hadn’t taken it, but it’s going to make things a lot more difficult once you actually get there. If you do have calc AB, you’re fine. I only had calc AB and I was able to manage things just fine. Your computer science EC’s sounds great. I didn’t have anything nearly as impressive. However, don’t get overly confident. The best advice that I can probably give you is to focus on your essays. Spin everything in your favor, but don’t lie or stretch the truth. Use your essays to convey your passion for science, and don’t list off accomplishments. Just focusing on one EC might actually make your application better, that’s what I did. If the readers had based admissions off of test scores and numbers of ECs, I don’t think I would have gotten in. I think that the Essays and letters of rec are more important than anything else, so focus on those! Good Luck! Hopefully you get the opportunity to go!</p>
<p>Two of my friends spent this summer at SSP and from what I can tell its really all about how you sell yourself in your essay because students with better grades didn’t get in but these two did!</p>