<p>Approximately how hard is it to get into RSI? Please give a rating of my chances to get into RSI also. Thank you!</p>
<p>Asian american (Bangladeshi) Expected major is chemistry. I am currently a junior in high school. I go to a medium sized school in KS, not really competitive or anything. Our school offers only 5 AP classes, but I'm taking all of them at some point. I'll list my stats below.</p>
<p>SAT: 2230, 730 critical reading, 730 math, 770 writing
ACT: 35 (32 E, 36M, 35 R, 35 S)
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.385 W
Rank: 1/~200
EC's: 100 hours at local Salvation Army, 2 summers volunteering at the hospital, Key Club, Math Club, Scholars' Bowl (Captain and member of 2005 State Championship team), 4 year varsity tennis player, Philosophy Club, Co-founder of Historical Film Society, Member of library youth advisory committee, Spanish Club, National Honor Society (President)
Awards: 3rd in state Spanish I, 1st in state Spanish II, High scorer in Kansas on AMC 12, Member of 2005 State Scholars' Bowl Champion team, Numerous 1st place finishes in local math competitions</p>
<p>It is very hard to get into RSI. I would say nobody is in for sure....but a lot of USAMO qualifiers get in easy. Like I think tsr472(or something like that). Research isn't a must to have, but I'm sure it helps a whole lot.</p>
<p>Also, it states on the website that you need at least a 75 on the math section of the PSAT and a 145 combined with verbal. Most people at RSI have 230+ and their average this year was a 79 on the math section.</p>
<p>This is all from what I have read from the RSI Introduction Thread.</p>
<p>Not to be mean, but how are you the high scorer for AMC in Kansas, but only have a 730 for the math SAT? I'm not trying to pin you down...just curious.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure RSI puts more emphasis on your essays on the application than anything else. There's a section asking about your research interests and what specifically you'd like to do that makes up the meat of your app.</p>
<p>Yeah I'm pretty sure that counts a lot....but there are many high schoolers interested in research who might no be up to par to RSI (no, I'm not demeaning rickpaul) </p>
<p>FOr safe bets into RSI, I guess you would need numerous math and science awards and most notably, be a USAMO qualifier. Otherwise, if you have already conducted hard research from before hand and have done a good job (published a paper).</p>
<p>I'm doing intern at my local Uni. I'm not really doing research at this point. Rather, I'm developing a tool to view multivariate data. We aren't publishing any papers. I am entering ISEF and Siemens this year. I have good EC's, but I don't have any big shot USAMO qualifying scores. </p>
<p>"FOr safe bets into RSI, I guess you would need numerous math and science awards and most notably, be a USAMO qualifier."</p>
<p>It's not nearly enough to be an USAMO qualifier. The quotas work so that from most states, only 1 student gets in. Most states also have several USAMO qualifiers, so it's not really enough. In the last 5 years from my state, the best mathematicians in the sense of math competitions (and these are all USAMOers) have not gotten in.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know tetrahedr0n....oh did you go by the way?....anyway, yeah you are right...not all USAMO qualifiers get in....I was just saying it is really good to have....and have research.....</p>
<p>Look, im no expert...but from some underrepresented states, USAMO can help a lot...maybe not in places like the northeast or out in california, </p>
<p>Yeah, I generalized too much. I admit it. I'm an idiot</p>
<p>Heh, don't be too hard on yourself. I didn't get into RSI. </p>
<p>My belief is that if you are from an under-represented state, do research and be an SW or Intel semifinalist before you apply. Also write awesome essays. That gives you a great chance. I agree, USAMO can certainly help a lot, but since it's so competitive (probably about 25 math projects at RSI and at least 100 USAMOers in a grade) it's not enough.</p>
<p>Ummm...I have a quick question....I thought the Intel STS and all that was only for seniors? So can't you only be a Intel Semifinalist as a senior, right?</p>
<p>about the USAMO thing, I've heard that by qualifying for the USAMO, you are almost guarunteed a place at schools like MIT or Caltech, especially since only 200 people a year make the USAMO. Now why would RSI reject at least so many USAMOers?</p>
<p>mathwiz: I'm pretty sure you have to qualify for USAMO and do decent on it. Remember, they have kids from USA(Math/Phyisics/Computer/Chem/Bio)O. Whcih means that there are a lot of kids applying to MIT with this, as well as Siemens, and ISEF ppl(although there is a lot of overlap.</p>
<p>Oh, gonna give my question another go:</p>
<p>I'm doing intern at my local Uni. I'm not really doing research at this point. Rather, I'm developing a tool to view multivariate data. We aren't publishing any papers. I am entering ISEF and Siemens this year. I have good EC's, but I don't have any big shot USAMO qualifying scores.</p>
<p>AP's:
Stats - 4
Calc BC - 5
Calc AB(subscore) - 5
Physics B - 5</p>
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about the USAMO thing, I've heard that by qualifying for the USAMO, you are almost guarunteed a place at schools like MIT or Caltech, especially since only 200 people a year make the USAMO. Now why would RSI reject at least so many USAMOers?
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[quote]
mathwiz: I'm pretty sure you have to qualify for USAMO and do decent on it. Remember, they have kids from USA(Math/Phyisics/Computer/Chem/Bio)O. Whcih means that there are a lot of kids applying to MIT with this, as well as Siemens, and ISEF ppl(although there is a lot of overlap.
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<p>Of any single class, about 100 have qualified at least once for the USAMO before they apply to college. There are about 270 people invited to take it a year. USAMO qualification likely trumps qualification for any other national olympiad, since all the rest have very small pools (the first round of math contests leading to the USAMO have 500,000 kids, whereas the first round of the contests leading to the USAPHO has about 5000.) The USAMO is also much better established, nearly 30 years old. Agreed on the Siemens/ISEF overlap.</p>
<p>USAMO qualifiers are by no means guaranteed a place at MIT, which has such a huge number of talented sci/math students that they have to reject a bunch. I have a large number of friends that are USAMO qualifiers and rejected from MIT. The statement is likely more true for say Caltech.</p>
<p>Why are they rejected from RSI? There's 100 a year. RSI probably only has space for 25 math projects. That already means 1-3 odds. Now consider that a bunch of the USAMOers from the underrepresentated states might be trumped by others with former research, ISEF participation, etc... Similarly, there are plenty of talented mathematicians who aren't into math contests. All in all, if you're on of the best USAMOers (a mopper) you have good chances, but otherwise, it's not necessarily set.</p>