<p>Hey,
Just wanted to tell people about the awesomeness that is the High School Honors Science Program at Michigan State. It's a 7 week research program--you're paired with a lab mentor in a bunch of different areas (plant and soil sciences, biochem, genetics, physics, basically everything there is on campus...). At the end of the 7 weeks, you write a research paper and do a presentation on what you've found to the 27 or so other people that attended the program, as well as the people in their lab. But enough about the logistics...
It was, without a doubt, the best summer I've had. You'll spend countless hours in lab, you'll be upset when all your cells you'd been working on for days die, you'll be overjoyed when your PCR works after countless tries, you might even do some research worthy of intel (4 semifinalists) or siemens (7 semifinalists). I found out that research was really something that people did for a living, and something I wanted to pursue. But the most significant part of the whole experience was in my opinion the people you spend 7 weeks of your life with. This is an amazing group of engaging, quirky, way-too-sciencey people who will amaze you, make you laugh, and make you think. I'm not sure how Dr. Richmond does it, but she'll manage to pick out a group of people with whom you can spend 7 weeks with, but it'll seem like 7 days.
I am sure there are a ton of people who apply just because they want to be able to put down that they did research over the summer. Trust me, if that is why you are applying, you will not really get much out of the program. In my opinion (and I'm sure there were probably people who disagreed with me) HSHSP was about being able to meet other individuals who were just as excited about finding things out as you are, not just in the lab, but outside of the lab as well. Keeping that in mind, HSHSPers as a whole seem to have done pretty well in the first round of college admissions--4 MIT, 1 yale, 1 stanford, 1 caltech, 1 brown, 2 cornell, and we've still got regular decisions to go. But then again, corrolation v. causality...
So. If pulling all nighters cubing and talking about prufrock sounds at all appealing, [url=<a href="http://www.msu.edu/%7Ehshsp/%5Dhshsp@msu.edu%5B/url">http://www.msu.edu/~hshsp/]hshsp@msu.edu[/url</a>] . Hopefully some other HSHSPers will post and tell a bit more about their take on things...</p>
<p>Haha shameless plugging ftw. Good job, Ju.</p>
<p>Anyways…
I’m also from HSHSP ’07, and I loved it. The whole thing. </p>
<p>What’s really great about the program is the amount of freedom it gives you – you can choose to work and spend a ton of time in lab (we did that sometimes) or you can watch movies all night long (we did that too). It gives you a taste of what it’s like to control where you go/how/when and live with other kids instead of with your parents. That independence is a great precursor to doing it “for real” next year.</p>
<p>After ^ her post this next paragraph might start to read like a broken record (just to be clich</p>
<p>There seems to be a lot of bio research at hshsp. How about computer science/engineering?</p>
<p>Yes, a lot of the projects are bio. However, there are a TON of computer science/engineering projects--off the top of my head I can think of 5 engineering projects and 3 computer science in '07. Steph's roommate did some stuff with gene analysis which was mainly computer science. One of the intel kids did something with silver nanoparticles and membranes, which was chemistry/engineering. Also, if you really want to work in a lab, you can do what one girl in our camp did--she really wanted a physics/computer science project, so she emailed one of the professors, and got a project with them. If you are really into computer science, you'll probably get a computer science project, because you rank projects and are then given a project based mainly on your experience with the subject area, as well as your interest.</p>
<p>what about physics/astronomy projects? were there many of those at the program? (that's my field of interest btw)</p>
<p>That was my field of interest too--I actually applied because I'd heard MSU's physics dept. was pretty intense, and because I wanted a project at the cyclotron. Unfortunately, our year we couldn't get any projects there, the professor was on sabbatical or something, but most years they have 1-2 people there (I'm not sure whether there will be projects there this year, you'll have to ask Dr. richmond). I ended up doing a genetics project instead, which turned out to be really interesting. There quite a few physics projects, mostly chem/physics-ish stuff, but there were 3 people that worked in the laser lab--I never went in there, but from their descriptions it sounded amazingly cool. No astronomy projects that I know of, but there might be some on campus, I really have no idea because MSU is HUGE.</p>
<p>whats the cost for this program?</p>
<p>I was one of the three in the laser lab, and it was awesome. I originally wanted to do a bio project, but this is what I got, and I can't exactly complain considering I'm an intel semi-finalist.
The program itself costs 2-3 grand, and if you're coming from out of state it costs more, plus spending money. there is financial aid tho, so dont worry.
seriously, this program isnt just OMG i need something to get me into college or i NEED to win intel/siemens/every other science research competition that exists. it was definitely the best summer i ever had (and not everyone cubes every second of every day, just judith). most of the labs are awesome, and unlike most other programs u have free reign as long as u want, so u can stay up all night doing whatever. im starting to sound like pcr, so ill shut up now</p>
<p>Wait, why is it more for out of state?</p>
<p>I think joanna just means like airfare and so on raises the costs for people from out-of-state. The price this year is $2950 (it's on the website), but if you can't pay it, you'll get financial aid, so don't worry about it (PCR!). I thought it was really reasonable, you're just paying for room and board, since the lab people volunteer their time & lab space for your project. We're also apparently sponsored by pfizer and siemens, or at least so says the website, so I'm sure that cuts costs...</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure it's not more expensive. Joanna, are you just talking about travel expenses and whatnot? (EDIT: woamg, PCR)</p>
<p>Ok, so I already had a mini-HSHSP spout on this blog entry on MIT's website (MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: "Juniors: MIT and other summer programs"), but I'll just reiterate what everyone else said: best 7 weeks of my life. </p>
<p>Regarding the engineering projects: one of the kids actually built this contraption to test the effect of weightlessness on flames. Basically, he got to pour over previous designs for these sorts of things, pick out their flaws, and then build his own which learned from previous mistakes and utilized the best design aspects. It was a really ubercool project. </p>
<p>In computer science, we had one girl who actually wrote a program that will speed up data analysis for her entire field of research (some chemical something or other. Do you guys really remember what Margaret's was about?)</p>
<p>And the other laser-protein projects and the chemical engineering silver nanoparticle research has been mentioned, too. Just based on the people who have posted so far (I did bio, too), I can see how you'd think it was a heavily bio program. But it's not.</p>
<p>Back to the people and experience and whatnot, though- the program is very, um, lax, in regards to restrictions about what you can and can't do. Except sleeping in lounges. You're technically not supposed to do that. But besides being in the dorm by dark (again, that's more of a technicality [smores? parking structures? ultimate frisbee? definitely more important things]) and making the weekly meeting and two paper deadlines, you're pretty much on your own. It's up to you to get yourself up in the morning and off to lab, and there really aren't any required group activities besides the ones already mentioned. Really, the freedom is one of the best parts, because it lets you stretch your wings a little bit before going off to college and lets you get to know everyone in a way different from a program in which every single minute of every single day is mapped out for you. It was far and away the best summer of my life.</p>
<p>And, how hard is it to get accepted?</p>
<p>I remember maggie's had a lot of programming with python, and she was trying to make speed up some sort of refinement without losing accuracy. She was the girl I was talking about who emailed the physics dept asking for a project.
On how hard it is to get accepted...the people who apply are pretty self-selecting, so that makes things challenging, and we had something like a 17% acceptance rate this summer, with the most applicants ever. I'll bet the acceptance rate will go down quite a bit this year.
Also, I just realized it's pretty easy to find out who I am from the HSHSP links. Please don't stalk me...</p>
<p>Yeah, I think it was something low like that. I just remember Dr. Richmond (the program director for all you juniors) saying that the acceptance rate was comparable to a selective college. A very cool selective college </p>
<p>I also think I'm the only person who calls her Margaret.</p>
<p>I call her Margaret too =)</p>
<p>Wow, 17%? I think I've kind of lost hope of getting in.</p>
<p>Ahh, why does everything have to be so selective?</p>
<p>"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
-Wayne Gretzky</p>
<p>I definitely think that trumps.</p>
<p>I think an HSHSP version of that would be 'you don't get into trouble for 100% of the nights in which you don't sleep in the lounge'
...oh wait...
Also, statistics are lame. Give it a shot!</p>
<p>more like, "pulling pranks in the last week is a 100% chance of no punishment"
besides, if you're qualified, it shouldnt matter. dont get intimidated and decide not to apply, because its absolutely amazing if you go</p>
<p>omg i'm applying =P and I just have a question. How many books do you have on your reading list? I have the usual AoPS texts, some textbooks i'm using to self-study, and about 25 pieces of classical literature. does that look..unrealistic? or that they were assigned in school? because truthfully i LOVE classical literature. i think i spend most of my free time with reading.</p>