I was wondering is you knew how common it was for students to be accepted to RSI without MAJOR academic awards (i.e. national Olympiad medals, ISEF fair medals, etc.). I am considering applying to RSI next year (I’m a sophomore), but I’m not sure if I will be able to earn any awards of this caliber by then. I know RSI is a very competitive program, but I would probably help my college application tremendously (I first heard about it because Allen Cheng went there in high school, and it sounded amazing). I am interested in biology and biotechnology, and this year I participated in the USA Biology Olympiad open exam (I don’t feel very confident, but who knows? I’ll post back when the scores come out in a few days), my school and county science fairs (won 1st at school, will post back soon for the county fair), and my state Science Olympiad (2nd in Microbe Mission, 9th in Invasive Species, and I got 13th in Electric Vehicle, but I got a special award for innovative design).
P.S. Right now, my first-choice school is MIT.
P.P.S. SO for me is in a small state, so it’s not like I won a silver medal in Microbe Mission in Cali or something
Improve those Scioly scores - I live in a very competitive state, have a couple of golds and silvers + 20 medals total under my belt and didn’t get in (of course, applicant strength will vary from state to state - my chances would have been MUCH higher if I lived in a state that wasn’t as crazy as mine, so maybe you are fine, it really depends). Also, science fairs look good - enter more of them at higher (state, etc) levels. Major awards definitely matter a lot to RSI - keep working hard at USABO, things like that. Good luck!
@juliag18 Thanks for the input! In retrospect, I really should have studied harder for Scioly this year, as it would be my last competition before applying to RSI.
@RussianbioHacker Isn’t Regionals usually in early January? That would be a good opportunity to get medals. You should also see if your school can attend invitationals in December or November so you can get some there as well.
Additionally, start thinking about essay topics soon - if yours are /really/ good at demonstrating passion, you might be able to get in without any big achievements.
@juliag18 I’ve been homeschooled for most of my schooling, so the Scioly team that I’m on takes homeschoolers from 3 or 4 different states near each other, even though the competition is in a small (and therefore less competitive) state. For this reason, we don’t have regionals, and the only invitational I’ve been to was just this year, not well-known, and not well-attended. This was in early February, and the state competition was just last weekend.
However, I recently put my name in a lottery to attend a local charter school in junior year, and I should be hearing back soon. However, I am reconsidering attending even if I got accepted, because they only offer 10 AP classes, and I think the the current sophomore class is less than 450. Originally, I wanted some more exposure to the lab experience and socially, but I recently learned about a very reputable online AP course provider. I had heard about it before, and was talking to my parents about it. I originally didn’t mention it because I thought it was too expensive, but then my parents said they wished they had known about it before. Also, this May I signed up to take 4 AP exams (Comp. Sci. A, Env. Sci., Bio, and Chem), and I hope to take the Chem Subject Test in June. This summer I think I’m going to try to intern in a lab a local state university or community college, as well as take classes in precalc (so I can take calc next year), AP Bio (I took the USABO Open Exam in February, and I’m not sure how well I did, but I definitely know a lot about bio now; I’ll hear back on Wednesday), and learn to code in MATLAB. Other than these things, there is the chance of the national and international levels of competition in the Biology Olympiad, but I’m not planning my summer around this. Additionally, I was invited to attend NYLF and NSLC, but I decided not to because I think these are just commercial scams.
Again, thanks for your input, it’s been really helpful. I’ll get thinking on those essays! I’ve been thinking of buying a 3D printer that you put together yourself, because they seem really cool. Maybe that would be a good essay topic.
I found out last night that I only scored 16.29 on the USABO Open Exam, so I won’t be a semifinalist. I’m not sure how this will play into my RSI application, because I saw that they now have a section to list scores from “all international tests [other than the AMC suite of tests]” What do you think I should do, @juliag18 ? I’m going to award ceremony on Monday for my county science fair, and I know I got an award, but I don’t know what yet. If I get 1st or 2nd, I get to move on to the regional fair (not a state fair, because participants come from 3 different states, but the same level of competition).
@juliag18 Also, do you think I should try to enter a math competition before applying to RSI and/or MIT? Do you know of any upcoming Math competitions where I would find out how I did before asking to RSI?
@RussianbioHacker
Here’s the thing, it’d be pretty hard for you to do well in a math competition without a couple of years of competitive math under your belt. Especially if you need it to impress RSI admissions.
You should probably study the AMCs.
I’d probably aim for making AIME and doing well on it.
Truly, I think the best way to get yourself out there is to do original research. If you’re interested in biology, apply to other research camps or ask a local professor and let them take you in. I know a guy who just begged a professor to come and just WATCH him do research. After showing dedication and punctuality, the professor eventually took him on. That guy made it to Siemens Finals.
@szhang9246 Thanks for that link! There are so many different competitions! About original research though, this summer I was planning to email some professors at a local research university and/or community colleges and see if I could do research with them. I am interested in biology and biotechnology, and this year I did a project related to plant biotech involving invasive species, which I am participating in the science fairs with. Do you know how to sign up for the Google Science Fair? Also, how and when exactly should I go about emailing professors for this summer?
