Wait, were the RSI applications deadline that passed a while ago for the Summer of 2019? I think I missed the deadline 
I actually had a decent chance at it, and I was super interested too.
haven’t even opened yet i think
Oh thank god!!! Thanks for letting me know. I just received an email from RSI a few months back and I thought it was the application, which I ignored at the time because I was busy with some stuff (I don’t remember what), but since then I’ve been hearing more about it, and started to stress over missing the deadline.
Anyway, I guess I will list my stats, which I don’t think is very special…
State: California
School Type: Small Charter School (around 400 students)
Demographic: Chinese male
PSAT: 1370 (freshman year), 1400 (sophomore year), ~1470 (predicted for junior year)
SAT: 1490 (Junior), 20 on essay, somehow bombed the writing section
SAT II: Chinese (800, freshman year), Math II (800, freshman year)
APs: Chinese (5, freshman year), World History (5, sophomore year), Calculus BC (5, sophomore year), Computer Science A (5, sophomore year)
Junior Year APs: Statistics, Literature, Capstone Seminar, US History, Chemistry, Dual Enrollment Calculus III
GPA: 4.0 (UW), 4.27 (W), btw, my school doesn’t allow APs for freshmen, so everyone’s capped at 4.0 for freshman year
Extracurriculars & Clubs
- Chess Club (member in freshman year, VP junior year) (this club was inactive during my sophomore year, and some friends and I started it up again in junior year)
- Band (freshman year)
- NHS (9-11th grade)
- FBLA (member in sophomore and junior year)
- Science Olympiad (member in sophomore year)
- Math Club (Founder and President sophomore and junior years)
- Volunteered at food bank (100+ hours)
- Boy Scouts (Going to be Star Scout in November), I joined last year in case anyone’s wondering why I’m so behind.
- WEB Leader (sophomore year)
- AIME Qualifier (got a sad 5 tho , sophomore year)
- MATHCOUNTS team founder @ school and assistant coach (junior year)
- Web Design Club (Member, sophomore and junior year)
- Computing Olympiad Club (Vice President, junior year)
- Surfing Club (member, junior year)
- 3rd place at Bay Area Hackathon (junior year)
- 3rd place in school essay contest (junior year)
- Piano (I do this for fun in my free time, I completed the program and haven’t taken lessons since 7th grade)
- WOOT (taking the Worldwide Online Olympiad Training course this year, hoping to make MOP next summer with RSI)
- Volleyball Intramural (sophomore and junior years)
- Dodgeball Intramural (sophomore year)
Comments:
I have like no research experience, so that’s a huge weakness for my application. Also, a lot of my scores are mediocre, especially as a Californian (and especially my SAT score). As can probably be seen from my extracurriculars, I’m super interested in math and computer science, and hope to do math research if I get into RSI. Even though I don’t have any super advanced courses on my transcript, I do study a lot of college math in my free time, which is hopefully shown at least to some degree through my taken classes and Math Olympiad experience. While I don’t have any research experience, I hope my problem solving skills from Math Olympiads can transfer over to research if I get into RSI.
My best friend went to RSI last year. The decision came out during our physics class. I was doing a lab in the stairwell, and she ran in and yelled “awesomepolyglot, I got in!” and I booked it up those stairs to give her a hug, yelling “OH MY GOD, YOU DIIIIIIID?!”
It was a pretty awesome experience for her. I hope it works out for you all!
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kton777 You listed NHS as 9-11? im pretty sure its only for juniors and seniors.
You have great stats, but I’ve heard it is harder to get in from Cali, since so many people from there apply. However, they do take about 5 people from california (more than any other state)
Guys check RSI video this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm4fmgeVd0Y
Seems dope.
Here are my stats. Do you think that even if I don’t have any major awards(No AIME, USABO, USAMO, etc.), I could still get in?
Florida, Catholic School
Hispanic Female
PSAT: 1360 Sophomore year(I didn’t really study for it)
SAT: 1350 freshman year(didn’t study at all), retaking it later this year
ACT: 34 Sophomore year(36 R, 30 M, 36 E, 35 S) with 9(3/3/3) on writing, retaking this year as well
APs: AP Euro(5), AP Psych(5), AP Lang(5)
Junior Year Course-load: AP Seminar(anticipating a 5), APUSH(anticipating a 5), AP Calc(anticipating a 5), AP Spanish Lang(anticipating a 5), English 4 Honors, AP Physics 1(anticipating a 5), Theology 4
SAT IIs: None yet taken, probably going to take Physics and Math 2 this year
GPA: 4.64
Clubs:
-NHS
-Mu Alpha Theta
-Spanish Honor Society(President)
-Spanish Club
-Junior Civitan(service club, co-VP)
-First Chair for Saxophone in school band
-School Golf Team(Varsity)
ECs:
-UF Health VolunTEEN(volunteering at a local hospital): around 50 hours per summer
-Volunteering at a daycare facility: around 30 hours per semester
-Gainesville Youth Chorus: Leadership Team Member
-Breakthrough Junior Challenge Semifinalist(Unfortunately did not make finalist)
-AP Scholar sophomore year(at my school, you usually can only take one AP class your sophomore year and I took three)
Work Experience: Worked part-time at a restaurant over the summer.
Although I have little research experience, I am looking into high school research programs at the local university and am interested in researching about biochemistry and child development, as well as physics in general.
who else is waiting for the application to open lol
Wait no more, for the application has opened: https://cee.slideroom.com/?fbclid=IwAR0WcZVQuCVEl-NwAKPZZFd9HzNnsYlJQcZyLx9GAs5qzzu5xAyFA80nHt4#/Login
Good luck everyone!
Hi everyone!
I went to RSI 2018 and dropped by here out of curiosity. I did have an ISEF Best in Category when I applied, but virtually no coding experience and all my research experience was at my high school. Honestly, while many RSI people do have some major award, this is definitely not necessary. They do make an effort to take people who may not have had the opportunity to try research, so prior experience is not required.
Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll try my best to answer them. Best of luck!
I just realized the RSI website says they recommend a 700 or high on the PSAT reading section (and I got a 640 in Sophomore year). How much does the PSAT affect your chances for RSI?
Also, when’s the application deadline? I want to put in my new SAT score (in December) and my new PSAT score instead of my sophomore year score (since I didn’t study for those).
Also, @OleColtrane Thank you for your share! Honestly I was sort of worried about that since I’m not outstanding in all areas like many RSI applicants seem to be. Also, just out of curiosity, what was your high school research on?
RIP, I just realized RSI overlaps with MOP (Math Olympiad Summer Program), so I’m probably gonna drop RSI for MOP. I probably have a much higher chance of making MOP than I do of making RSI. Good luck to everyone applying for RSI!!
How does RSI compare to SSRP?
@ktong777 The PSAT isn’t too important for RSI - generally they tend to worry about your essays more than standardized tests. The application deadline is usually only in January, so you can enter your new scores if you want. My high school research that I used at ISEF was about making a mosquito trap to detect Zika virus in mosquitoes. Good luck with MOP!
@collegekid1337 At the risk of sounding elitist, RSI is usually considered a cut above the other summer programs because of its history and rigor, but definitely don’t take that to mean that other programs aren’t worth applying to. SSRP is a pretty well-known program that is also regarded quite highly by colleges, so I wouldn’t worry too much if you attend that instead of RSI.
Here’s how I view the prestige for summer programs:
Tier I: RSI, TASP
Tier 2: HSHSP, SSP, MITES, Garcia Scholars, WTP, MOSTEC, SIMR, Ross, SUMaC, PROMYs
Tier 3: BU RISE, YYGS, MIT Launch, The one at Iowa (forgot the name), SAMS, SSRP
Tier 4: COSMOS, Beaverworks, RMP, Awesome Math
Feel free to add to the list. These are all the camps I can list off the top of my head.
@OleColtrane I’m planning of applying to RSI this year. I was wondering how big of a factor it will be if I haven’t done any AMC/Math competitions. I have taken the SAT (1510), AP Calc BC (5), APCS (5), and SAT Math 2 (800). This year I am doing APUSH, AP CHEM, Spanish 4 H, and Diff EQs @ Community College. I do have research experience at 2 universities and will be getting a paper published (but most likely not in time for the deadline).
@GoBears2023 I would also list Simons, Jackson Lab and Clark Scholars in Tier 2.
@EiPi I would say your research experience is more valuable than having done math competitions unless you’ve been to MOP or something high-level like that. Is your research in math? If so, it would help, and if your paper is pending publication definitely list that on the application.
@OleColtrane I almost forgot about those! What is Jackson Lab? Never heard of it.
@OleColtrane What do you think about SSP compared with the difficulty of RSI?