Hi, I’m a high school student with a strong background in CS and research. Pioneer Academics Research Program or UC COSMOS? Anyone have any opinions or experience?
As a 2021 Spring through Summer scholar at Pioneer, I think Pioneer would be a better option if you’re looking to do research with lots of individual freedom. At Pioneer, you have the resources (professor, writing center, other Pioneer staff) to succeed in writing your own research paper, but ultimately you get to decide what your topic will be. The program is also entirely online so scheduling is flexible. It’s known to be academically rigorous and selective, and you can even earn college credit through Oberlin. Additionally, there are many interdisciplinary cohorts such as Digital Mapping, which combines computer science, history, and the social sciences. Personally, Pioneer has been one of the most engaging and transformative experiences and I definitely think it’s worth your consideration.
Did you already hear back from COSMOS?
UCSD Cluster 13! I received acceptance from both. Compared to COSMOS, Pioneer didn’t seem reasonable with the $7k tuition fee for weekly virtual sessions.
Congrats! My son will be at UCSD Cluster 13 as well. He’ll be the redhead with glasses.