<p>^^^</p>
<p>Often in chances threads people list TASP or RSI as a hook, but is there really any evidence that it is indeed a boost? </p>
<p>What makes any summer program better than another one in the eyes of admissions, especially as summer programs tend to discriminate on basis of popularity and accessibility against poor and minority students who may not be aware or able to pay for them? </p>
<p>Can somebody clear this up for all of CC?</p>
<p>Well, given that TASP and RSI are both free (other than travel expenses) and tend to PREFER diverse backgrounds (read: minorities), I'd say there's very little, if any, discrimination in these programs.</p>
<p>As for why they're helpful, people differ in opinion. There's no question that both are highly competitive, and it's an honor to participate in either. However, there are two theories about its helpfulness:</p>
<p>1-Causation: The very act of going looks good to Adcoms, and applicants who have attended TASP or RSI simply look better.</p>
<p>2-Correlation: Those who are accepted to attend TASP and RSI simply have better credentials, and therefore tend to get into "better" colleges.</p>
<p>However, there is no doubt that both programs send attendees to highly competitive schools, no matter the reason.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Well, given that TASP and RSI are both free (other than travel expenses) and tend to PREFER diverse backgrounds (read: minorities), I'd say there's very little, if any, discrimination in these programs.
[/quote]
I think TASP actively does this, but RSI is race-blind and doesn't actually care about increasing diversity.</p>
<p>nobody knows? so then why are people saying it like its fact?</p>
<p>and what i was referring to is that things like TASP and RSI tend to be obscure outside the circle of financially better off people.</p>
<p>Attending a really academic summer program indubitably gets a student better ready for a top college than watching TV all summer. The causation gets confused when looking at the very most selective programs because they select based on some of the same attributes that colleges select on, so maybe the subsequent good admission results of alumni of those programs is mostly because of characteristics the students already had rather than a treatment effect of the program. But, yeah, if you like what a particular program has to offer, you might as well apply.</p>
<p>Well I think this would apply most for a student who maybe does not have awesome credentials but still got accepted to TASP/RSI. I think this is where the question makes a difference. Would TASP/RSI give that kid a boost, even if he has average stats (maybe 2000 SATs or something, rank 15, something like that)</p>
<p>college admissions as you can see is all political</p>
<p>
[quote]
a student who maybe does not have awesome credentials but still got accepted to TASP/RSI
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Is there such a student?</p>
<p>It's just a feeling, but I think there's a possibility that there are a few kids with more "average" stats that get into TASP. The reason I say this is that it seems like the selection process rides heavily on the essays and interviews. JMO.</p>
<p>I have seen these two programs mentioned only on CC. They don't appear on any lists of recommended programs published by our high school counselors and I've never heard parents talking about them. I asked my daughter to look into TASP but she said the topics were really narrow and none of them fit her current interests. Would someone really do TASP just for the prestige if they aren't interested in the topic? (The History and Images of Hollywood’s Africa is the Texas topic) Did we miss something else TASP provides?</p>
<p>TASP has enough national prestige that it would be worthwhile to learn to like the topics--let's put it that way.</p>
<p>Most kids who want to do TASP do it in large part for the community of kids they will be with. TASP and RSI are the two top, most competitive, most prestigeous summer programs in the nation, believe it. And if the list of recommended programs at your HS includes all of those expensive summer classes at top schools, or European tours, I'd think twice about what your counselors really know about college admissions. You wouldn't be alone, our HS college counselors ranged from worthless to sometimes providing misinformation.</p>
<p>Unfortunately my kids aren't that cooperative (as far as the topics go). But I agree on the community part as my daughter has gone to a math camp the past two summers and the best part was meeting other kids who liked math. Regarding the counselor listing my D goes to a small Catholic all-girls school. They have been listing the following summer programs on the website: Bank of America Leadership, Notre Dame leadership, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas A&M Veterinary camp. I see today they added a long list of every possible summer program except TASP is still not included. My son goes to a large public school and their summer list on the website includes quite an assortment of summer programs but not TASP. Now I am getting very curious about TASP not being publicized especially since the Austin site is only an hour drive away. I think I will get some informaton from TASP and give it to the counselors and see what they say. I'm sure some students would be interested in the topics. I can understand not publicizing RSI since only one or two students from our school have the minimum PSAT score noted on the RSI website. So the counselor could just tell those students about it. My daughter did hear about RSI at math camp but her PSAT score wasn't high enough.</p>
<p>When my oldest applied to RSI his counselors had never heard of it. He found it looking for summer programs online. Now the high school counselors advertise it and other summer programs we've found.</p>
<p>Well if everyone in a school applies to TASP that might not be a great idea either. It's very unlikely that more than one or two will get accepted, I'm assuming.</p>
<p>
[quote]
TASP and RSI are the two top, most competitive, most prestigeous summer programs in the nation, believe it
[/quote]
</p>
<p>But does anybody have any EVIDENCE of it?</p>
<p>any quotes from an actual college?</p>
<p>any results of somebody with the stats of a hooked applicant getting accepted because they went to TASP?</p>
<p>I'm very skeptical because if TASP truly was the "most prestigious summer program in the nation" I'm sure they would compete a lot harder to recruit the brightest students in the country, beyond just sending them one brochure in the mail, while most of them have never heard of it before. </p>
<p>And it is VERY true that the word TASP means nothing to the overwhelming majority of top high school students. </p>
<p>So does anybody have any evidence that one program, whether it be TASP, RSI, or whatever, carries any more weight in admissions than your local college's program?</p>
<p>i think the fact that a kid goes out and does something meaningful or something they enjoy during their summer is what colleges REALLY only care about. the notion that a student went out and found TASP/RSI (or even did well enough on the PSAT to get notified of it) looks good in itself - it shows initiative?</p>
<p>the fact that they were accepted on top of that is even better, because they are very difficult programs to get into the first place.</p>
<p>as its been stated earlier though, it's causation versus correlation. personally, i think it's more correlation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And it is VERY true that the word TASP means nothing to the overwhelming majority of top high school students.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The overwhelming majority of top high school students have no idea what is necessary to get into top 15 schools, and what's more, they don't really care.</p>
<p>D didn't go to any of these programs, but spent summers before Junior and Senior years volunteering for a local nonprofit about which she was passionate. So far she has been accepted to Stanford (SCEA), USC (being considered for Trustee Scholarship), invited to special "Scholar's Day" at UCSD, invited to apply for alumni merit $$ at UCLA, and is a finalist for Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC.</p>
<p>It seems to me that a well read student would be a better candidate for admission at most colleges, and a well read student would be more likely to have heard of nationally known summer programs in time to apply for them. Every highly desirable college admits some students who did no summer programs of this kind at all, and every nationally known summer program has some alumni who don't get into their first-choice college, but neither of those facts is a reason to decry the summer programs discussed on this forum.</p>