What kind of self-addressed postcard are you all including? A generic one from the post office or a photo one like tourists send home? 
@daniiiiis thanks, that’s what I just read too.
@msdarcy I made my own postcard from a note card
Do you think it’s too late to mail it out on Monday?
@spherescholar I hope not, because my school STILL hasn’t gotten my transcript…I’m trying not to panic
I should really start the essays…
@meaa7130 Good luck mate.
Hoping to send out app on Saturday or Monday.
@spherescholar - Monday wouldn’t be too late, but to be on the safe side, I would mail it via Priority Mail or FedEx.
@daniiiiis lol i still don’t have my transcript either
Hi everyone!
So I’m really stressing about the application and am unsure about whether or not I should send it in. I am really passionate about the sciences (especially biology) but I don’t have any math/science awards (except for like placing 3rd in a math team event which is an extreme stretch) and I’ve never done a research internship or anything like that beforehand. I have a really low SAT Math II (730) but I did score an 80 on the math on the PSAT and got a 232 overall. Do you guys think there’s a point for me to apply? My parents don’t want to spend $60 on the application but I don’t think they’ll waive the app fee bc we don’t have financial problems… Also, for the transcript, the school just printed it off of the computer and handed it to me… is this okay or does it need to have like an official seal and whatnot? Thanks for your help!
Will it increase my chances to have two GLOWING recommendations from two math professors? One is a highly distinguished professor from France, AMS fellow, AAAS fellow, etc.that I took a PhD math course with (Distribution Theory)
The other is a recently appointed professor whom I worked with on a research paper with that went to ISEF.
Although my test scores are ehhh (228 psat, 2190 sat), I’ve written two papers, published one, planning on putting the other on the arxiv, and currently writing this year’s isef project with an undergrad and a grad at MIT. (lol do you think they care they’re from MIT?)
Does being URM or not affect admissions chance?
@pamstud They don’t ask for race on the form so I don’t see how it could.
is Environmental Science (field) and Environmental Chemistry (subfield) OK? I’m still a bit confused on this whole Field-Subfield thing, and I don’t want to be too general or too specific.
@meaa7130 that sounds fine!
@magic125 if they don’t give them to us monday, will it be too late? should I send my app without the transcript or should I wait and overnight it? I really hope I get it Monday
We should all post what our answers were for #3 after we are done lol
@daniiiiis I’m submitting my app on Monday, so I don’t think it should be too late for you.
If you send it Priority, and go into the post office to mail it, you get a tracking number. I mailed mine out on Thursday, and it got there this (Saturday) morning. Monday, even Tuesday should still be good, but past then’s very, very risky.
Also, for those of you worrying about whether gender is a concern (I’m not sure if there are any of you…), I heard that they refer to you by your last name, so they have no way of knowing your gender until after they’ve made a decision. (Disclaimer: Heard this through the grapevine, might be wrong.)
@PurePhysics If you don’t mind me asking, where did you publish your paper and was it first-author, second-author, etc? Regardless I think you stand a good chance especially with those math-heavy stats
Does anyone know how RSI would want a letter of recommendation from someone in another state? I have a mentor who will be writing a letter of recommendation. Should she just sign it electronically and then email it to me to be printed?
@WannabeVal Yes you should definitely apply. I am not sure about the transcript, they do request an official one.
@PurePhysics Yes, having two glowing recommendations will help. Not by any means a guarantee of anything.
@pamstud Being a URM or not does not matter at all.
@meaa7130 Yes that is fine.