<p>The tough part really is getting the summer acceptances. My son was accepted into the collegiate experience this summer. There were 90 sophomores in total at three locations. As far as we can tell, he was the only student from NJ. </p>
<p>The competition for the internships (which are paid!) is even more intense. These internships are amazing. I was at a NASA event in NYC a few weeks ago and spoke with many scientists from the different centers. They told me that NASA uses NASA INSPIRE as a sort of feeder program for NASA employment. The students come for internships and end up with careers at NASA! Even though the manned space shuttles have ended, NASA is shifting its resources to robotics and other endeavours. It is not going away.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that a big component for acceptance in summer was your participation in the online community all year long. This will take you several hours PER WEEK. It is a big commitment. Activities range from performing experiments, building robotic arms, writing research reports, participating in live chats with NASA scientists, group projects, etc. For all these activities you are awarded points. They then factor into your application for the summer opportunities.</p>
<p>Will it be difficult to perform some experiments if they require a lot of “ingredients”? Are they generally cheap and easy to find?</p>
<p>And is there any way to see how many points other people have? How many should we all aim for if we’d like to be considered for the internships?</p>
<p>Hi! This is my first post here, but I’ve been following this thread as it’s one of the few places that this program is even talked about. My daughter was accepted and I’d love any advice on what the parent’s role should be on the OLC. Thanks!</p>
<p>ETA: Oops - apparently it’s my 2nd post here. lol</p>
<p>No tips really, just make sure to stay active. Try to do about one activity a week. Make sure to mix it up by doing different types of activities, not just all the same kind. You also might want to do some posts on the forums as well. </p>
<p>Materials for activities were readily available and not costly. </p>
<p>They have a “leaderboard” and you can see weekly who has the most points and where you stand.</p>
<p>Last year they said to have at least 500 points to be considered. I would aim higher.</p>
<p>As a parent I would say that you should just make sure to respond to all emails they send and to make sure to do the live chats for parents.</p>