Hello! I am a rising senior and have a couple of different options for the summer and need a bit of advice.
1.) AP Biology & AP Microeconomics through JHU CTY + Summer STEM Institute (SSI)
2.) AP Biology & AP Microeconomics through JHU CTY + Quantitative Research Methods through Tufts
For additional information, I will have taken 12 APs (in-school) by the time I graduate and have not completed any research.
I also applied to the iResearch Institute but have yet to hear back. Are iResearch or SSI going to be helpful?
It depends on what you’re trying to do for next year. Is your goal to compete in ISEF/STS/JSHS/other big name science research competitions? If so, SSI or iResearch might be the programs for you.
On the other hand, SSI is completely new and it is very expensive. No one knows whether the money is worth it because this is the first year that the program is running. As for iResearch, it seems like it has been running for a while, but it is only 4 weeks. Try to find people who have taken iResearch in the past and ask them how it was like
With this in mind, I would make the decision that you would regret the least. Keep your financial situation in mind when you make this decision, but ask this: Would I regret it more if I wasted $6500/$4000 on a program that didn’t give me a good project, or would I regret it more if the program ended up being legitimate and I wasted a good opportunity?