Hello, could someone who was accepted for this program previously or who applied tell me how long their first essay was? (this is the one with the essay question where you get to choose the prompt you respond to). I’m trying to gauge how long it should be. Additionally, I would love any tips for applying you might have because my GPA tanked by .7 this semester, with most of the bad grades concentrated in core classes (yes, I am well aware of how bad this is, and no I do not have extenuating circumstances, I was just completely stupid and got hooked on some mobile games (not going to name which)).
just submitted 2 minutes before the deadline because I got home from school late today and didn’t start essays 'til 7 p.m. on a caffeine binge because of last nights 2 hours of sleep. yay. Went to re-read second essay, which I only had 350 words for and found it… to be full of grammatical errors in the 2nd paragraph and nonsensical rambling in the first. I didn’t think I had a chance anyway, but uh. that emily dickinson thing about hope and feathers kept popping up. Now I have even less of a chance though LOL
Guess I’ll have to lie to myself and say that NYC is an uncool city and I didn’t want to be there anyways 
@mic347
This is so super late but I’m sorry to hear that! I’m sure your essays are better than you’re giving yourself credit for!
Also, sidenote- do we know anything about how/when we’re going to be contacted? Last year on their website they had different phases and notification periods listed but they don’t this year.
@19szhang I saw on the website that there are different rounds and we should hear about round one 6-8 weeks after submission. 8 weeks would be tomorrow… so we’ll see.
Best of luck!
@enderjoe
Hey thanks for your response and the info! I just found the part of the website you’re talking about… I’ve literally been combing the FAQ and other sections of the website to no avail, when the info was literally on the main page. Smh.
lmao somehow I made it to the 2nd round. Not sure how, but it happened. :))
Did you make it? @19szhang
I’ve heard that people accepted pretty much always have previous research experience, so not harboring too many hopes beyond this round, haha (no research or STEM ECs rip). It’s daunting to know that my application is being reviewed by such an esteemed team, though tbf it’s probably getting tossed lmao. I’m happy enough to have made phase II (or at least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself). 
On the bright side, if I get rejected, I’ll have SAT prep and college apps to busy myself with this summer (haha rip).
Update: rejected lmao
can’t say it was unexpected, but it still hurt. I have a few friends who are going through college decisions rn and while you do feel sorry, it’s hard to empathise until you get it personally. At least this is preparation for next year? Rip.
@mic347
Sorry for the late response, I’m on spring break right now so haven’t come onto CC for a bit.
I did make it into round 2, congrats to you for making it too!! I just got another email saying I made it into round 2 (exactly the same email as the one I got the first time around on 3/5 which is weird). I got rejected at round 2 last year, but I now have research experience so hopefully that’ll get me farther. I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t make it, but good job for making it to phase 2 nonetheless!!
Haha last year I applied to like 5-7 different research programs, got rejected from all of them, and had the same thought as you (that it’s good preparation for next year :/) so I know how ya feel. Do you have any other plans for the summer?
Nope 
Congrats btw! I hope you make it; lmk how it goes!
I can probably work on college apps but that’s it. (plus that’s a little daunting to think about rn haha) I’m hoping to get standardized testing done with by June, but if that doesn’t work out, then I’ll need too work on that too. I emailed a whole bunch of the professors in my area last year and got no’s or ignored (waste of time smh, I actually read some of their stuff to make more detailed and personalized emails). I’m assuming that it’s pointless to do that again.
I applied to one other program, but it has rolling decisions and I submitted stuff for that literally at the last minute when I had months to do with, guess what, another awful and short essay. We’ll see how that goes, but not feeling too hopeful, since I’m not even part of the targeted demographic, haha.
Did you apply to any others?
I was thinking of emailing PIs at the NIH earlier this year, but that plan fell through because my parents didn’t want me to be living by myself in like Bethesda or something (I don’t think they trust me enough :))).
I hope this research experience stuff is as easy to get in college as some tour guides make it out to be (an email is enough apparently!), because it certainly seems a little harder to get in HS, at least from my own experiences.
Thanks so much for the congrats!! I’ll definitely update you.
Yeah, I applied to a few other programs in NYC (since I live here, which it seems like you don’t - where do you live?) so I’m hoping to have some options and I’m waiting to hear back from those.
Haha yeah college apps this summer… woohoo! I’m already super stressed about those but trying not to think about it now.
I had a similar experience with emailing PIs last year :/. I actually submitted an app to NIH but didn’t email any PIs since my parents didn’t want me living in Bethesda too hahaha
Since you made it past round 1 for Rockefeller with a last-minute essay, I wouldn’t doubt your essay writing abilities at all - I hope you get into that program! Lmk if you do
PM’ed my location.
Regarding NIH, I don’t believe that submitting the application does anything. From perusing the threads on here awhile back, I think you have to email PIs and get a confirmation of position from them for it to actually count. Then after their confirmation is received, you submit the app.
Thank you! And will do!
Got it.
About NIH - yeah ik. Submitting the app was useless but oh well, wasn’t going to attend anyway.
Crossing my fingers for both of us!
Did anyone get into round 3?
@mosescuh
I’m not sure if anyone’s been notified yet. Last email I got said still in round 2, and round 3 results will be out early April, so hopefully soon!
I’m assuming you applied, so what’s the most recent email you’ve gotten, if you don’t mind sharing?
I just got emailed that I passed into phase 3! Because it’s the matching phase, does that mean that I’m basically in or is there still a pretty big possibility that I’ll be rejected?
@bluewhale1217… how did you like the program?