<p>I'm self studying Precalculus this spring (I'm a sophomoe). I planned on doing calc ab+bc next year. But then I realized that I'd be applying to RSI in winter next year, so I could NOT write on my form that I'd completed Calculus. </p>
<p>Do most RSI applicants complete Calculus by 10th grade?</p>
<p>Also, what other courses do most RSI applicants complete by the time they apply?</p>
<p>well I’m sure applicants don’t really put into account what math classes they’ve taken/are taking when they decide to apply to RSI. </p>
<p>However, I think the question you should be asking is, do most accepted RSIers complete Calculus by 10th grade?</p>
<p>Some person at my school who got accepted not to RSI but other slightly less competitive programs recommended taking physics and another AP science class. Also, he recommended that people take AP Computer Science. </p>
<p>I guess it could help slightly to finish Calc by the end of 10th grade, but not everyone has this ability/permission from the school. But I don’t know. </p>
<p>But I don’t know, since I’m applying to RSI this year. My course schedule is as follows:
AP Statistics
AP Calculus AB
AP Japanese
AP Biology
English Honors
Regular US history
AP Physics C</p>
<p>There were a few people at RSI who hadn’t taken calculus yet. From what I could tell, it didn’t hinder their ability to succeed at RSI whatsoever. In fact, one of them ended up being named in the “top 5” papers at RSI. (That person was freakin’ awesome, by the way.)</p>
<p>Thank you LuoSciOly… I was just worried because some super-competitive people who apply have taken multivariable calc by 10th grade! AGH! Oh and also, the course schedule you gave is impressive. However, does RSI want to see your 11th grade course schedule? Because you apply in the winter, so you would not have your test scores from the respective AP courses…</p>
<p>Last year I asked the transcript person at my school to include a list of my 11th grade courses in the envelope with my transcript.</p>
<p>From anecdotal evidence I’ve seen, I severely doubt that any one accomplishment (or one course) will significantly affect your admissibility to RSI one way or the other. They accept and reject ISEF winners; they accept and reject people with no research experience; they accept and reject physics whizzes; they accept and reject people who haven’t taken physics at all.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I was enrolled in calc BC at the time I applied. I had taken no physics and only three weeks of chemistry. I had no research experience. My situation did not seem extraordinarily uncommon, though you are correct in that many people at RSI have loads of impressive coursework and/or awards.</p>
<p>Well idk but Calculus in 10th isnt a significant achievement… Since my fellow classmates took it</p>
<p>I took it as a 7th grader</p>
<p>LuoSciOly: What are your strong points they might have considered to admit you into RSI in 2012?</p>
<p>Luo had a 240 PSAT. He’s also a huge science nerd; I’m sure his passion came through in his essays. Yup, that’s all I really know about him, haha. That and his obsession with SciOly and “pwning n00bs”</p>
<p>Why hello Mr. Yu. </p>
<p>@InAcc1996: I honestly do not know why I got into RSI. I’m sure that a lot of luck was involved. But Mr. Yu is correct in that I love SciOly and I wrote a lot in my essays about how I love science and about all the cool stuff that I’ve been able to learn about in SciOly. I don’t know if my essays are why I got in, though; I wasn’t actually completely satisfied with them.</p>
<p>@UnbanAgrasin: First, let me clarify that the SciOly I’m talking about is [url=<a href=“http://www.soinc.org/]this[/url”>http://www.soinc.org/]this[/url</a>], not the individual olympiad competitions like USABO or USAPhO or whatever. And in response to your question: what do you mean by “has no access to Olympiads”? If you’re talking about the individual olympiad competitions, everyone has access to them - they’re open competitions, so anyone can register online to take them. Laboratory research is something that many high schoolers can access as well - any interested and motivated high schooler can contact a professor at a nearby college or university and ask to intern with them (assuming transportation works out). If you’re saying you don’t have access to the SciOly team competition that I’m talking about, that’s not a problem - there is no single activity that gets you into RSI alone. Regarding your question about what one should write for STEM extracurriculars…well, you should write about the sciencey stuff you’ve done that you’ve loved! What cool stuff have you built? Have you done a research project? If you have absolutely none, then I guess the only thing I can advise is to…do something! 
If you really love science, I’m sure there are plenty of local resources you can find for extracurricular science pursuit. Good luck, and if you have any questions that are more specific, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>
Aw come on, that doesn’t mean you can’t still join the team and have fun! After all, that’s what all these activities are for - having fun doing science, not just racking up accolades for applications. Science Olympiad is pretty much the funnest thing there is! And of course a research internship is something you could write about! 
The application, in my view, is a place to talk about stuff you’ve done with science/math that you think is cool or interesting. So if you enjoy the research you do, and think it shows your scientific interest and aptitude, by all means write about it.</p>
<p>The USAPhO open exam this year was in January and results were released in February, too late for the RSI application. But really, I don’t think it’s a huge deal for the application whether you’ve won all sorts of stuff or been a USAPhO uber-genius; I think that the application is much more conducive to telling about how much you love science rather than rattling off a list of awards or accomplishments. (Though admittedly, having awards to mention doesn’t hurt.) Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.</p>
<p>To answer the original question posted on this thread, I don’t believe that you need to have taken calculus during sophomore year to be admitted. I have been studying calculus this year, and I have never taken physics. I will be taking physics next year (and I am currently taking computer science at my school). By the way, I don’t know how much this weighs in, or whether it is valid, but I come from a pretty demanding school in a so-called “competitive state.” I honestly think that academic credentials are given a glance, but are not the main things considered.</p>
<p>Like LuoSciOly said, I believe that the essays are the most important part of the application. You should try to demonstrate a passion for science (in any form). Also, like LuoSciOly, I feel like there is a high degree of chance involved, as I thought that my essays were decently engaging, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with them.</p>
<p>Based on anecdotal evidence, I don’t know if I’d say you “stand little chance”; one person at RSI last year who hadn’t taken calculus did a physics project and was named among the “top 5” research papers at RSI.</p>