<p>This past year there was in incredible percentage of bio students - something like 55%</p>
<p>It seemed like every project was bio haha</p>
<p>Engineering was a bit more rare, as well as compsci. A friend of mine did Psych (really cool - they employed Amazon Turk to get people, I thought that was so interesting), and another friend did a mix of compsci/astrophysics (hahahahah he had to use fortran) </p>
<p>In the end, they’ll try to match you to your interests. I got theoretical math, and even though that’s not what I had in mind (I’m compsci all the way), I ended up LOVING it. It was exhilarating. RSI has lots and lots of field - it really ends up being what mentors sign up for the RSI program.</p>
<p>Hello, I am international student interested in applying to RSI. I don’t have any prior research experience, nor have I taken any of the standardized tests. What do you guys think are my chances of getting in?</p>
<p>Hi everyone, just a quick question: for Part 2, where there’s basically a list of courses and you mark when you took each one, what do you do if you haven’t taken one? For example, I’ve never even contemplated multivariable calculus…how am I supposed to fill in this section? Also, that area regarding programming: I took the APCS exam, so the only thing I really know is Java. Do I mark “beginning” for the rest? (Even if I haven’t actually heard of, say, Maple R)</p>
<p>Also, the RSI website says “3 teacher recs max”…does that mean we can submit 3? Or should we just stick to 2 and be done?</p>
<p>Last year, when I was applying, if I hadn’t taken a course (for ex: Multivariable Calculus), I left it blank on the form. Same goes for any programming skills: if you have no idea what something is, I think you should leave it blank. I only marked courses that I had taken and programming skills that I knew.</p>
<p>As for recommendations, I personally feel that a third letter should only be sent if you feel that it will add something special/substantial to your application that isn’t already conveyed somewhere else. Again, this is just my opinion, but usually, as in any application, more doesn’t necessarily mean better. This is by no means an “official” guideline, as I am just an alumnus trying to help out.</p>
<p>And don’t be discouraged! I hadn’t taken five of the nine courses listed on the application (such as Multivariable Calculus, Statistics, or even Physics for that matter) and I was still admitted. Just try your best and apply! I know that the application process can be daunting, but seriously, it is so worth it to be able to get any chance of going to RSI. It was undoubtably one of the best experiences of my high school years. </p>
<p>Just to get an idea of who I should approach, could you alums tell me who wrote your recommendation letters? How well did they know you, what did they know about you, how long had they known you, etc.?</p>
<p>Hi guys! Sorry for the long post… I was wondering if I should even bother applying to RSI. It’s a chance of a lifetime and I’ve never wanted something so badly, but I know the admissions officers will probably just laugh at me…I’ll DEFINITELY be the underdog. Here’s my stats:
Math: Only in PreCalc Honors, but top of my class
Science: Honors Bio, Honors Chem, Honors Physics, Astronomy, Quantitative Research, Brain Studies
Research: Independent research on Synesthesia, my report will be presented at the IJAS state science fair in March
Programming experience: very little, but willing to learn more with MATLAB, Java by application date (won’t have time to learn others)
Awards: Semifinalist (8th place) in the 2013 Chicago ACS exam
I don’t know if these count: Captain of the 5th place team of 2010 DOE Regional Math/Science Bowl
2nd place design document for 2010 DOE Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Competition
Excellence in Biology, Chemistry at my high school
EC: My high school’s particle physics group, captain of color guard and winter guard teams, alto sax section leader, 3 year varsity xc/ track and field runner, veteran consultant for Science Bowl/ Car challenge team, my school’s top biology student tutor, summer job working as a teaching assistant for a elementary-level summer science program
ACT: haven’t taken one yet, but have consistently gotten 36 on the math and 33-36 on science, 36 on English, 33-35 on reading in practice exams for a prep course
PSATS not back yet!
GPA: 4.9 weighted (all A’s in honors and AP courses, when my school offers them)
Female from IL
I am very passionate about science and know I can get very good teacher recs, but my stats seem extremely lacking!! I know I’m not an idiot, but everyone else applying is a genius! Should I just invest my time applying elsewhere? What kind of people get in?</p>
<p>@scimenagerie: Yes, definitely apply! Most everyone at RSI thought their credentials were not up to par and expected not to be selected. The type of people selected for RSI are students who can clearly express their interest in and aptitude for scientific inquiry. I would recommend applying to other science summer programs as well, but applying to RSI is well-worth the time, in my opinion.</p>
<p>On the application, it says that programming experience is recommended, so would one be almost guaranteed a rejection if they have near to no experience with programming. The only experience I have with data analysis is using motion graphs using computer technology in my AP Physics C class (not worth much) and using X-Ray Diffraction analysis at my research lab (summer internship with a professor.)</p>
<p>@thenarwhalking: Lack of programming experience does not beget automatic rejection. I had near to no experience with programming when I applied to RSI, but I talked about other experience I had with data analysis for the programming/modeling/data analysis essay question, and that apparently was fine. There were definitely people at RSI who had near to no experience with programming.</p>
<p>To directly quote the application: “RSI does not require that you have programming skills; however, you should possess well-developed
computer skills to model systems and analyze complex data.”</p>
<p>Ah ok, thanks for the help! One more quick question, and this is more general, but if I am applying to more than one summer program such as RSI (obviously, i need backup plans), would it be ok to ask my teachers to submit the recommendation letters to more than one summer program? I’m kinda running out of teachers to ask and i feel as though ill come off as pushy/needy if i ask a teacher to send the recc to more than one summer program lol :D</p>
<p>@LuoSciOly
My wife is 6 months pregnant and I really want my kid to go to RSI and a good college. How should I train him/her ? Please I need advice !!! Also I’ve read about controversy on whether half or full milk is better for bringing up A+ kids. As an RSI alum, which would you recommend? And what do I do if they’re twins? Please respond !! Thank you :)</p>
<p>@thenarwhalking: I see no problem with that, particularly if you tell them about all the programs at the same time, so all they have to do would be to print out multiple copies of the same (or very similar) letter, which would cost them very minimal additional time/effort. If you ask them the correct way, it won’t seem pushy or needy.</p>
<p>@CollegeFetus: You waited until your wife was 6 months pregnant to start planning for your kid’s RSI acceptance!? Such wow. At this point, it may be hard to salvage your kid’s chances. BUT I have heard that there is a camp, in the valleys of Kashmir, where one can send infants to find enlightenment. Do that, and your -0.25 year old son/daughter/twins MIGHT have a chance. Good luck and godspeed.</p>
<p>Haha much funny. Such joking. Very humor. Wow. </p>
<p>And I feel like my short question was overlooked. Not to be impolite, but I’m shoving it in your faces again:</p>
<hr>
<p>Just to get an idea of who I should approach, could you alums tell me who wrote your recommendation letters? How well did they know you, what did they know about you, how long had they known you, etc.?</p>
<p>BurnOut, as with any application, you should ask teachers who know you well. This will be different for each person, so I am a little confused about the rationale behind your question. You want to ask teachers who can speak about your potential as a future leader in STEM. I believe that the letters have to be from your Math/Science teachers. If you have conducted research in a lab before, then you might want to ask your mentor for a letter as well.</p>
<p>@Burnout
From a parent of an RSI applicant, I can suggest
the science teacher who knows you best and is willing to talk about your passion for science. This may be this year or last year’s subject teacher or science club or team teacher. Best not to go back too far (i.e. to middle school).
the math teacher who knows you best and can talk about your future in STEM
third letter from any research mentor if you have done research “at least 4 weeks in length”. If you have multiple research experiences, pick most recent unless there is a very good reason to choose previous mentor. </p>
<p>These teachers can submit letters to multiple summer research programs. For biology types:</p>
<p>I second the SIMR suggestion. </p>
<p>Also consider NIH summer internship in biomedical research, that application just opened for summer 2014. It pays several thousand dollars for 8 weeks.</p>
<p>Hey guys! I have kind of a weird question, so bear with me please. I recently got an email from RSI encouraging me to apply, and apparently that means I did well on the PSAT, but approximately what PSAT score range am I looking at? I’ve been starting to look at summer programs since I’m now a junior and have no summer program experience (we moved my freshman year and my mom and I visited family abroad sophomore year), and was just wondering if I even have a chance to get into RSI, TASP, etc. I also wanted to know if my PSAT score would qualify for National Merit before I actually see my scores from my school, since I’m neurotic like that. Thanks in advance!</p>
