@AegonTargaryen18 thanks for sharing your stats. Looks like my S has a lot to do if he wants to apply next year. btw, do you have any research experience in any fields? thanks
Thanks @memememe00. That helps.
Here’s my stats in case anyone is wondering:
SAT: 1570 (Math: 790, R&W: 780)
PSAT: 1510 (Math: 760, R&W: 750)
SAT II: 800 on Math II and Physics, 780 on Chem
GPA: 5.1 on 5.33 scale, 4.0 on 4.0 scale
Took 3 APs in sophomore year (including AP Calc BC), currently taking 3 more (including AP Bio and AP Physics C)
Research/Awards: 2017 ISEF Best in Category Winner, I-SWEEEP Gold Medal Winner
Extracurriculars: Captain of 3 STEM related clubs at school, one is currently ranked 2nd in state, another has placed first in the region and advanced to the national competition (but that one wasn’t on my application, happened after the deadline)
yo maybe im hella stupid (probably am) but did you take calculus physics and bio sophomore year? because otherwise wouldn’t AP exams be in May and if you’re a junior how would you submit those
@avgsopho1223 he says “took” and “currently taking”
He TOOK the Calc BC test sophomore years
He’s TAKING the physics and bio test this year
Sorry if my comment seems harsh or rude. My pet peeve is when people don’t read comments all the way through
@OleColtrane 1st place at ISEF as a sophomore? Congrats you deserve that spot!
@OleColtrane Also, I know who you are based on the awards you mentioned. If you want to keep your privacy, you might want to censor some of that out
Wow @OleColtrane that’s amazing! I look forward to meeting you this summer! Also, if you’re going to ISEF again this year, maybe we’ll see each other there too 
Have alternates heard of anything ? Also does CEE send additional paperwork to fill in to those accepted ?
@MangoLover11223 oh dang sorry, that was my bad
@zerohedge I haven’t received any additional paperwork from CEE yet, and I was accepted. I’m pretty sure they’ll start sending us info pretty soon tho.
@zerohedge No paperwork yet, all that stuff comes in April.
@esperantist Thanks for the heads up, I’ll be more careful in the future.
Also thx everyone!
Hey guys, I was wondering what those of you who were accepted are planning to do in preparation for RSI? I know we don’t have our assigned labs yet, but are an of ou brushing up on programming languages, MATLAB, etc.?
@LiamParker From what I know - based on info I have procured- practicing programming isn’t super useful unless your potential project involves it (usually comp sci an Math, sometimes Bio and chem). It helps to know LaTex because that’s what you’ll be writing your papers with (but they teach you there), the first couple of days will be classes and socializing (so try to have some fun), and you’ll have to present your research at the end of the program (so brush up on presenting skills if you’re bad at that, as it’s a necessary skill for research competitions as well). Other than that, enjoy your time and (hopefully) love the research you conduct. Best of luck to anyone accepted, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and is guaranteed to lead to an amazing summer (hopefully I see some of you at ISEF or Regeneron next year)!
So could anyone give tips for a rising junior who wants to get into RSI. I am from a less represented southern state and I have a research internship secured in the summer. However, I can dedicate most of my free time to research if necessary
only tip will be to work hard and pray hard. Take the best advantage of your internship, and hopefully publish it. In general, RSI kids have made their name on some scale (state/national) in some way prior to coming to RSI. Engage in whatever meaningful activity you find at your local place. I am sure there is some great university in your vicinity and hopefully they have some program for high school students. If that is not the case, try competing in national competitions (USABO, USAPHO, USNCO ) etc. They are available to everyone, even though you may have to request your school to organize the exam. USACO is another, and you don’t need school to support for that.
Coders on this thread: I have a question for you! So I know that many–though not all–RSI projects involve some sort of computing aspect. I have limited experience in coding which I detailed on my app, so I expect that I’ll be doing some coding this summer. I’m buying a laptop for RSI, so I’m wondering if anyone has any good recs?
@taehyung Is price a concern? What specific aspects are you looking for (ex: durability, running speed, etc)? What size laptop are you looking for?
@Fibbonachi10 max price I’m willing to pay is ~$1300 but I don’t have an actual budget per se. I would like a well built laptop with 8 gb+ RAM (as one programmer friend recommended) with at least a 15" screen. I’m considering the Dell XPS 15 because apparently it is very nice? Although people have told me Macs are best for programming. Honestly very confused…
@taehyung Based on what you want, I’d suggest the following:
Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch 2015 or 2016
Dell XPS 15
ASUS Vivobook F510UA
ACER Aspire 15
ASUS VivoBook M580VD-EV54 (more expensive, but lighter and more powerful than the F510UA counterpart)
Dell Inspiron i5577-7359BLK
These are several good programming laptops that meet your requirements. As for the concerns mentioned in your comment, Macs are generally considered the best for programming - at the expense of being most expensive (however, I believe independent research into individual laptops will grant the best result).