<p>There’s doesn’t seem to be anything that says you can’t superscore (since you put the date anyways) but I’d say there’s also little point since your junior score already adds up to ten points more than they’re looking for and superscoring would only give you two more points.</p>
<p>As far as self studies go, what I did (self-studying calculus) was mark it on the app and then include an extra sheet of paper with clarification. But I don’t know if you can do that with the onlineish application this year. Unfortunately I can’t answer most of these questions without creating a dummy account to view the app, which feels like lying to me Sorry about that, my own little neuroses here.</p>
<p>Question if you all think my S should apply - the website says they want math psat to be at least 76, and his psats were CR 80, M 74, W 80- He was annoyed because he actually knew the answer for one of the math questions and they said pencils down a split second too soon. Otherwise he would have had a 77. Also I see the composite has to be 220 so he is above that. In terms of transcript he is in AP Chem and Honors Precalc (getting As) but not taken Calc yet or Physics because he planned on Honors Physics next year since he liked Chem. He just took the ACT today so we might have those scores before the deadline. He does not yet have any outside research exp. and he’s only going to start trying for Olympiads in Math and Chem this winter/spring. Would it be a waste of time to apply or would he stand a chance?</p>
<p>By Indian, if you mean currently living in India, I would say you should contact Maite. Her contact information is on the RSI CEE website. To my knowledge, India also has a RSI sister program at IIT Madras, so I would look into it if i were you</p>
<p>@David1126
it might be extremely difficult for your soon. most people at rsi are either accomplished researchers or accomplished olympiad students at the high school level</p>
<p>I have a 237 PSAT and a 2380 SAT, so score-wise I qualify. As far as research goes, I’ve only ever done one project-- it qualified for my state’s fair, at which it won 1st place in its specific category (behavioral science). Do I stand a chance? My research hasn’t gotten me Intel or Siemens or anything, but I have done something…</p>
<p>While it seems to help, getting in isn’t all about prior research. What kinds of ECs you do/what other things you do outside of school/what kind of classes you take/etc also all make a difference.</p>
<p>@litotes: Don’t be so cocky about scores qualifying. If you get into RSI, plenty of people will have test scores better than yours, so that won’t make you stand out AT ALL.</p>
<p>Research helps in general, but I believe behavioral science is not even a category eligible for submission in the Siemens/Intel competitions, and one big goal of RSI is to manufacture winners of these competitions. Infer what you want from that.</p>
<p>What are your other distinguishing classes / extracurricular activities / math and science awards?</p>
<p>I’m almost positive there have been people who have done behavioral-science-esque projects at RSI, though. Unless I’m confused about the definition of behavioral science, I suppose.</p>
<p>And really I think the goal is more to “manufacture” people who will go on to do great research, not people who will win competitions. Honestly that would be a pretty hollow goal if all they wanted to do was manufacture winners of high-school level science competitions. A lot of Rickoids do happen to win those sorts of competitions, but I’m pretty sure that’s a case of correlation not causation.</p>
<p>@alsotrollin: Your username makes me hesitant to take whatever you say for legitimate, although you made a very valid post haha. But with a username like that you’re going to confuse people. Anyhow, you misunderstood me: I didn’t mean that I was certain I’m going to qualify because of my scores; I meant that my scores, at least, met the guidelines for admission. I know there’s a lot more to admission than test scores, of course. As for other stuff, I’ve taken multiple honors and AP math/science classes, and I have various other ECs and awards to submit. I was mostly hesitant about the fact that I’ve only done one research project. And just because my one project was behavioral science doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to research other areas-- I’m pretty much interested in anything relating to biology.</p>
<p>Hey guys…so i died on the psat (i managed to get a 77 in math though!) but my reading/writing scores are horrible…but in their application RSI states that low test scores may be considered if the student is involved/has done other things…should i still both applying with the hope that I can use the essay to my advantage to show that I sincerely am passionate about research? (i have decent grades, activities. and i am currently working on a research project…but i always die on Standardized Tests… T___T… but yeah… any advice?)</p>
<p>@alsotrollin
Total of 10 AP’s by the end of this year,
Independent Neurosci research and internship at a lab, physics research at a company, 4.0 GPA, State scioly and math stuff, state scibowl and a few state fairs, National quizbowl and french stuff, taking Usabo, cho, pho this year ( hopefully before deadline)
1 college course- multivariable calc</p>
<p>@doublesex
To your last question, though not a lot of people do astrophysics at RSI, an AMAZING mathematical and computational background would definitely stand out and is necessary for this field. But make sure you really know about the field (and have done some online research about open problems in the field, etc.) instead of just putting down some romantic notions that you had. Also, a lot of times, you don’t get your first choice field. RSI gives you an internship that is available / fits you.</p>
<p>@ngrohan17
Most of this seems pretty ordinary to me (aka a lot of people have accomplished things at the state level in one competition or the other). but as doublesex said, feel free to apply. a small chance is better than none.</p>
<p>@freshman11
Without prior programming experience, it is a lot harder to get in. You would have to have a substantial accomplishment in other fields of science (national / international).</p>
Sorry about that, my own little neuroses here.</p>