<p>if i didn't get the letter yet, does that mean something went wrong?</p>
<p>I do not think CEE is concerned that people will chage their minds - they have been around for a while and have a list of alternates for such cases. I think they will just get mad (and me too) if someone does it right before the program begins and they do not have enough time to prepare paperwork (or whatever) for an alternate person. Isn't that what happened last year? Well, alternates! may be we still have a chance?</p>
<p>Rejected, California.</p>
<p>The only thing that's keeping me from getting really down is the fact that those who do get in deserve it, and there were probably many that did deserve to get in but didn't.</p>
<p>nope. o well >_<</p>
<p>congrats to everyone who got in!! topasz...do you mind pm-ing your stats to me also? if not, thats ok too XP. thanks : D</p>
<p>We are in the California too. My Son was very sad when he got the rejection letter yesterday. He thought he had a very good record in the science research and might be a big chance to get in RSI. At last... sign...</p>
<p>So many rejections. T_T Sorry guys; RSI is freaky hard to get into. It prolly has nothing to do with you, and more to do with the kids who already have, like, Harvard med school internships or something.</p>
<p>√(-1) = accepted. I'm a little foggy on what a letter of acceptance really entails. I have a lot of questions (about research and random things) too. Help please?</p>
<p>Maybe we should start a thread for questions and introductions.</p>
<p>Yes, great idea. Get right on that, filletwho.</p>
<p>
[quote]
√(-1) = accepted.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Haha. Should definitely be put on a t-shirt.</p>
<p>... rejected. <em>literal :'-(</em> </p>
<p><em>sigh</em> .. I realize I may be preaching to the choir.. but I'm just gonna talk anyway. I didn't need this... but I wanted it so badly. It's not so much that I'm sad I got rejected as that I'm not happy because I didn't get in... to clarify what the distinction is: I manage to put myself under quite a load of stress (as i'm sure most of you and/or your children do), getting this would have let em relax a bit .. not that I would have slacked off.. I just wouldn't have given myself ulcers (not literally .. but close.. intestinal issues) worrying so much about something that is a whole year off (cause RSI has such close ties to MIT that I do believe that it would greatly help my chances there) .. and it just sounded like such a great opportunity (<em>tears</em>) .. to really get to explore things I love .. .I didn't truly think I was going to get in ... but I wanted to so much. Now my idle mind (which needs to be studying for a US History test) is busy concocting crazy plans of trips to McLean (only 204 miles) or e-mails about, hopefully, improved SAT scores that will come out on the 29th .. and I know none of them would be of any use ... and I just don't know what to do know.. my school requires a internship or research project summer of senior year .. and I still might get in VA governor's school .. but proposals are due in before the letter about that will probably come.. so now I need a plan C. In short, having gotten this would have made my life a lot simpler in the short term.. therefore less stressful (and ergo less physically and emotionally painful). I just wish it could have gone the other way .. :-(</p>
<p>... anyway ... nothing I can do about it now..
thanks for all the conversation guys.. I'll check back a couple times if anybody has anything to say .. but after that.. no reason to hang around .. (did I mention .. :-( ? ) </p>
<p>Its been real,
~Donald B. Guy
2007 RSI Reject</p>
<p>Donald. Donny. Don. Don't despair. A lot of our lives (rejects or not) are similar to yours - we stress and we suffer and we do it all for what? Something that's not even certain - a seat in a highly selective college or summer program? Stated that blankly, it seems pretty ridiculous that we live such tormenting lives. I probably sound self-righteous and all, but I've gotten turned down so many times in my life (and by girls, too!) I can never be too certain about anything. Hoping for the best and expecting the worst is all one can really do. </p>
<p>But there's just so much in this world to look forward to that it'd be unfortunate to miss out on them despairing over an undesired turn of events. Really. I'm sure you spilled your dreams and aspirations on those 3 sheets of paper, and there are so many other ways of achieving them without RSI.</p>
<p>I smell Facebook group
RSI Rejects '07
haha
semi-jk</p>
<p>congrats to all who were accepted
and keep your head up to all those that were not accepted (I think that is more appropiate than "rejected")</p>
<p>i feel ya donald</p>
<p>Aww i understand how you feel, donald and others (really, my life is full of rejections). it's going to be okay, nobody really <em>needs</em> rsi to succeed. in fact, in the short term, some are more successful without rsi. yes, that's right, rsi is not the only place to do research, meet new people, and have fun. and don't worry, i know of at least...a bazillion people who got rejected from rsi but got into mit.</p>
<p>so i decided to be proactive and start an introductions thread. kindly make your way here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=317114%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=317114</a> and introduce yourselves, new Rickoids :D</p>
<p>haa i'd totally join a facebook group lol</p>
<p>donald, i am one of many, many rickoids (am i a rickoid yet though? well, soon to be. hmm.) who are very well acquainted with the bitter taste of failure/rejection/disappointment. Believe me, EVERYONE from the rhodes scholar to the street sweeper (sorry that sucked) experiences many upsets, everyone devotes a crapload of time and energy and effort into that one competition or event just to have everything crash down and seem to amount to nothing. I know what it feels like to think to myself "I can't believe I just wasted so many hours of my life for nothing." </p>
<p>But that's not really true. Even though you didn't get into RSI, you did get something out of this. I saw someone on this thread post that he was happy he had tried to apply to RSI because the application process helped him sort out his credentials, figure out what kind of science fields interested him, understand the process of getting teacher recs, putting together a resume, answering those darn hard essay questions, etc. Do you understand what I'm saying? </p>
<p>Of course, you're probably thinking.. I didn't apply to RSI so I could learn how to put together a damn application.. I wanted to get in! Like others have said, RSI is NOT the only opportunity you have to do an amazing research project. In fact, many people who go to RSI don't even have enough time to develop projects that satisfy them. You might very well have a better research experience outside of RSI than in -- who knows? You are a driven, obviously intelligent student living in VA, which is fantastic because there are a crapload of places to do research in the MD - DC - VA area. Things would be different if you lived in .. say.. IDAHO (I'm not hating on Idaho, I'm just an East Coast girl!)</p>
<p>Also, RSI has got like a 5% acceptance rate. Thousands of very capable applicants are rejected. RSI should not be used as an indicator of intelligence or ability. Someone mentioned that 1st place STS was rejected from STS. What I'm trying to say is that you've got to keep your head up. You haven't lost anything, you've still got a chance for an amazing summer of research, even if it isn't with RSI.</p>
<p>i completely agree with these previous posts. life is somes a crapshot. you win some and you lose some. i got into rsi, but it hasn't opened a golden path for me to glide through life or even high school. i found out that i got deferred from harvard and didn't get a scholarship for a local college...on the same night (the scholarship was supposed to be safety). That night pretty much sucked and to top it off, i had to force myself and my dejected ego to finish my stanford application. but in the end...i received a likely from stanford. the point of saying all this, is that you never know what will happen. perhaps this summer you will find an awesome mentor and do a project that wins siemens and sts and show rsi admins that they missed the oppurtunity to pick a great guy to attend the program. perhaps you'll win the nobel prize and send a picture of it to cee just to rub it in. jk. </p>
<p>the sts winner this year did go to rsi, but she didn't use her rsi project to win the competition. if anything, rsi isn't a end, but rather a means for students to figure out what they want to do and to encourage them to purse their scientific interests. you can still get into mit without rsi (four rsi students were deferred this year). you are still a great person. rsi just can't pick every great person that applies.</p>
<p>Those are some very wise comments. I really can't offer any words of wisdom, but I can oversimplify things: bad luck will always be balanced by good luck, you just have to wait for it. I probably sound corny, maybe a bit superstitious. To be fair, it's two in the morning and I just finished my English hw. However, I know there are more important opportunities, and I'm sure you guys will find them. Just think positive!</p>
<p>What is this MOP that makes RSI less important? Anyone?</p>