I am going to apply to some really prestigious summer programs like Research Science Institute and TASP in a couple of years.
I won’t have much time to become a master-Olympiad so that is out of the picture. Is there anything else that is super notable that I would be able to do to raise my chances of getting into one of these super competitive programs?
“In a couple of years”
Surely that’s enough time to learn for an olympiad, no?
@neoking Hahaha my bad, I was typing too fast. I meant like around 1 year. That is definitely not enough time especially considering that some people have studied 3-4 years around 4 hours a day for the math olympiad.
I believe that for TASP it’s all about your essays and teacher recommendations, so bone up on writing compelling essays. For RSI, take a look at the past applications available on-line. There is a whole section about CS skills, so you’ll want not to leave that blank.
just wondering, does RSI look at freshman, sophomore, and junior year grades? or just junior?
My kid just received an invitation to apply for TASP. Should she? If she is invited to apply, does that mean its her call if she wants to go or does she still go through the full vetting of regular applicants?
Write really good essays
My kid applied to TASP a few years ago. Did not get in, but the application experience was actually good practice for college apps.
@dowzerw Yes, she still needs to apply – and it’s like 6 essays, too. They send out promotional materials to people with a certain PSAT scores to get them to apply. TASP has close to a 5% admit rate, so it’s quite difficult to get in. TASP was by far and away the most meaningful experience of my life (that said, I’ve only lived 18 years!), so I recommend that she apply if she thinks she’d enjoy it.
@ChasingMerit Thanks. We don’t really know what it is or what sets it apart from the so many other options out there.Time to get some research going!
How many teacher recs will they ask for?