<p>Good luck everyone who applied! I didn’t apply to RSI, but I will be applying to TTU Clarks scholars. I have a few questions for you guys, as the applications are kinda similar. </p>
<p>1) What should the recommendation letters establish? My teachers want me to give them a sort of list of stuff to establish in their rec letter, something for them to go off of. Basically, do they just need to rave about your academic abilities? Please give me details, what should I tell them to say? </p>
<p>2) What should the essay be like? For TTU, they ask for a “Narrative”: Future goals, reasons for applying, how Clarks can help, and description of yourself. I don’t know where to start. Are these like college essays, where they want your essay to be nontraditional and to stick out? Or is there a mold I should stick to? </p>
<p>3) Research interests? How detailed were you guys with this? Right now I have basic interests: astrophysics, mechanical engineering. There is no specific problem that I want to solve… What did you guys put? </p>
<p>I’m hoping, as RSI apps are over, that you can give me more information about your apps than you could’ve given me a few weeks ago. Please help out, thanks!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I don’t think a list of academic achievements is necessary, since it’s sorta your job to give them that list. It’ll
probably be something like what kind of person you are, enthusiasm/participation/work ethic in class or whatnot.</p></li>
<li><p>…that’s sort of it. You definitely don’t want to give a deadbeat, stereotypical story, but I’m guessing that depending on the camp, they would look for different things in your essays (interest in science?)</p></li>
<li><p>Once you got your basic interests narrowed down, do some research into each interest. I don’t know what your question is exactly, but since we had to choose a specific problem, look around and find some sub-topic that sounds interesting, do some research, and then write it up. I just did that and hoped my passion for science showed through.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>@cosmtig Did you receive your postcard yet?</p>
<p>To anyone who submitted on the last few days before applications were due, did you recieve your postcards yet, because I haven’t received mine, and I’m afraid that CEE did not receive my application.</p>
<p>You should check if your check has been filed or not. That’s another good indicator if they received your application or not, that’s how i know they got mine</p>
<p>I finally received my postcard…and @absoluteMIT isn’t it best just to include it for your personal reassurance that the application reached there? ;)</p>
<p>Hey guys, lets try to keep this thread alive at least until decisions come out! What other summer programs/science competitions are you guys applying to?</p>
<p>@indianboy2400, I plan on applying to the US Chemistry Team of 2014. Each year they only accept 20 students. Does anybody know when their application will be released? Thanks!</p>
<p>@greenbat23 I’m pretty sure that there is no application. Instead, you have to take a qualifying test, and then the to 1000 go and take a practical exam (with a lab component) and then the top 20 are chosen to go for the Chemistry Camp in Colorado. There, they select the top 6 (I think) students who will represent the US at the International Chemistry Olympiad.</p>
<p>The registration deadline is Feb 28, and you must register through your school. The site has all the past exams, so do those for practice. Good luck!</p>
<p>@math1234 I just sent them my science grades (the other ones were really bad). I couldn’t get another transcript, so i just wrote Biology - A+, Computer Science - A, etc… on a piece of paper, signed it, and mailed it to them.
Hope that helps!</p>
<p>I didn’t bother sending my trimester 1 grades, if they want them they can just simply ask my school for the first trimester, I honestly think they don’t care…</p>