Does anyone know how many alternates there are this year?
Looks like there’s quite a few alternates (I’m one too). Maite said that very few drop out (duh) so chances are low.
This thread is so quiet. Why aren’t more people posting?
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Accepted from SoCal
@BioEpic Yay! Can’t wait
Got accepted, and I sent an email to the address in the email to accept, but they haven’t replied to that? Did this happen to anyone else?
@comonadic I got a quick one word response, but give it a day or so
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@irreducibletree did you get the classic “GREAT” response? lol
@anonymous0320 you know it
GREAT!
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Does RSI help your college application significantly, or not? I know that you should never apply to a summer program if you only want to attend so you can put it on your resume, but I was just curious as to see what other people thought.
Just wondering, do you all know if RSI sends out acceptances in waves? I got mine on the 27th, but it appears that only a few people got decisions then. Many others are still pending…
Hey everyone, I am an RSI 16 alumni just checking on how everything is going. First of all, congrats to everyone who got accepted or even got alternate!
For those who didn’t, it does not mean you are not a strong candidate. RSI is extremely selective, and sometimes, even students who go on to win (or have won) gold medals in International Olympiads get rejected. At the same time, RSI is not a guarantee into top tier schools. For example, I got deferred from Harvard, and plenty of people who did not attend RSI got in. Best of luck to all of you! Hope you get into other programs and make the best of what you have left in high school!
For those who were accepted, RSI is great honor. If you choose to accept the offer (I can really think of only a very small number of reasons why you would say no), I can say with much confidence that this will be the best summer of your life. You will meet so many talented individuals (students, professors, researchers, etc.). I know I was a little bit stressed about how I would fit in to such an accomplished group, but don’t worry! One of the best things about RSI is the feeling of community, and everyone is so supportive of one another. From my experience, it is not competitive at all. Cherish your time at RSI! For those who plan to attend, please feel free to PM. Also, there is already a Facebook group for RSI 2017, but from what I remember, people do not start joining or get added until a few weeks later.
Do you know how many alternates were selected this year or how many are selected on an average? Also, is the chance to be moved to the participating list very slim?
Hey guys, I’m also an RSI '16 alumnus who happened across this thread. First of all, congrats to everyone who got in or was selected as an alternate - those are both huge honors. But much like @liveonlife said above, not being accepted is unfortunate, but doesn’t mean you’re any less worthy than those who were chosen. Every year thousands of extremely qualified people apply, and only around 80 can get in, so don’t beat yourself up too much - you’re on the right path, and other good things will definitely come in your future.
Now, I’ve noticed a few unanswered questions as I read through RSI 2017 stuff on College Confidential, so I’ll attempt to answer some here:
Q: “Why did RSI decisions come out so early this year?”
A: It really just depends on when the decision committee decides to meet. This year, it seems that they just decided to get together a little earlier than in the past. It really doesn’t mean anything about their decision process, just that the stress of waiting is over a little earlier for everyone.
Q: “I was rejected. Does anyone know why I wasn’t chosen?”
A: Unfortunately, there’s really no way to know. If you have decent grades and test scores, as well as several notable achievements or activities, then it really comes down to your essays. At that point, it’s simply a toss up with what the decisions committee happens to like. If you were rejected and truly thought that you have what takes to get in, then don’t worry yourself about it - you can go on to do great things or go to great colleges without RSI under your belt. Many people do have what it takes to get in, but again, RSI can (unfortunately) only take so many.
Q: “I’m an alternate. What’s my chance of getting in?”
A: Unfortunately, I must admit that it is very low. I think there were only 1 or 2 people I recall from last year who were accepted from the alternates list. This of course is to be expected - nobody wants to give up their spot at RSI unless they have to, so sadly I have to say to not get your hopes up too much if you’re an alternate. However, know that just being named an alternate is a great achievement in itself. They really don’t give that title away to just anyone, so you can certainly feel good that you were among the top applicants for this prestigious program.
Q: “I was accepted! What now?”
A: First, you’ll soon be able to join the RSI 2017 Facebook group, where you’ll find updates and get in touch with the other 2017 Rickoids. Also, keep a watch for important emails regarding your preparation for RSI, including your class selections and travel plans. Then, join us at MIT in June for one of the best summers you’ve ever had.
I hope this helps everyone understand their RSI decision a little better. Again, please do not be disheartened if you were not accepted. RSI is an incredible experience, but there are many other like it, so if you keep applying yourself and trying new things, you’re bound to find success.
If anyone has specific or personal questions, please don’t hesitate to send me a PM. For those of you who were accepted, I’ll actually be one of the 6 counselors for RSI 2017, so I look forward to meeting you in Cambridge!
^^ Great post! I would add that if you are not chosen, you should realize that since they strive for as much geographic diversity as possible, it means that for most states they are only accepting one candidate. This means that even if you are one of the top 10 candidates in your state, there’s a good chance you won’t be accepted (but as @snowtucs pointed out, you will almost certainly go on to do great things!).
If this is actually true, it makes me wonder if the folks deciding upon the RSI applicants are bright enough for the job. California has about 39M people. Vermont and Wyoming have about 0.6M. For every one candidate they accept from Vermont and Wyoming, they should accept over 60 from California itself. They don’t have enough spots to do this, but the ratios are telling.
If there are a total of 50 spots for US residents. It makes far more sense to break up the US into contiguous regions with roughly equal sized populations and give each region an equal allocation, regardless of the individual states. California is roughly 12% of the US population and should receive 6 slots. Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina together comprise another 12% and together they should receive 6 slots. This is far more fair than penalizing students simply because they live in California.
It is actually true that CA usually has 5-6 people being accepted to RSI while more than 10 states don’t have any presence in a given year.
Does anyone know when accepted students will be added to the Facebook group?
A mail was sent out.