<p>No, "significantly" is still too strong a word, at least for semifinalists. From what I've noticed, Intel semifinalist confers NO benefit whatsoever if the award is not supported by academic strength, actual demonstrated passion for research, etc. from the student. That's why being an Intel finalist is more suitable for the applied terms of "nearly" and "significantly"; to become a finalist, you are scrutinized to see if you actually possess those qualities. A good number of semifinalists simply submit entries that are more the work of their professional mentors than their own. In that case, it is evident Intel semifinalist is not "nearly" nor "significantly" helpful as you suggest.</p>
<p>In a further note, the qualities that make a finalist a finalist are the same as those any college admissions officer would look for. So even then, you cannot be sure the Intel finalist award is the tipping point for admissions; it could very well be (and perhaps is for many people) an indication that the student is simply exactly what a college is looking for.</p>
<p>Nightmare you can do research on your own. I too applied to research programs and was rejected, but i did my own research every summer and got some awards for it. It really just takes initative, if you show initiave then it looks better. Like i self taught myself quantum mechanics and got one publishd. Btw The Feynman Lectures are awesome, if you like them i used them for one of my projects and it was so clear, pick it up if you want it for fun.</p>
<p>Also for ISEF, don't you have qualify via your state?
I would like to do it, but that is a problem...You must win a school science fair to go to my state science fair....But my school doesn't have a science fair. </p>
<p>Also how do these people get such mentors?
Half of them are developing vaccines that you would need easily a multimillion dollar lab to develop. </p>
<p>The winner from my state built an automatic door opener.....Wait...What are things at stores....? </p>
<p>I mean I am probably one of the best science minds in my state, but some of the project are at thesis level.
I mean "Efficient Hydrogen Production using Cu-Zn-Al Catalysts Prepared by Homogeneous Precipitation Method" .....I know they are from China, but DAMN.....</p>
<p>So I just read through the entire 4 pages of this thread, and I have to say...</p>
<p>Most young scientists don't start with resources such as research labs. Some start in the kitchen or in the classroom. I've read a lot of stories of such cases. Sometimes, you just have to try. </p>
<p>That said, I'm getting vibes that you intend to participate in a number of activities because they "look strong." That's fine, but make sure there's some substance behind how those things look. It's this substance that goes in your essays! I can't say everything I did in high school was just for fun, but I tried a lot of different activities, and I definitely got attached to the things I continued.</p>