<p>congratulations to all the finalists and semi-finalists?</p>
<p>I was wondering, are all of you guys seniors? I'm a junior working on a project that should be completed in April, and I was hoping to enter it my senior year. Is that too late in regards to putting it in my college apps (if I am accepted as a semi-finalist, which I really hope will occur)?</p>
<p>Optimization: I say go for it. I'm a senior and I just sent out my early app yesterday, mentioning Siemens in the "Academic Awards" section. </p>
<h2>If you have your application ready, you can sit on it and send it immediately upon notification on the 20th. Or send your app in early and call them to give an update on the status of your project--though they might already know!</h2>
<p>Don't give up hope, guys. Nothing's for sure until that announcement on Monday. That is, of course, unless you already got your call, in which case: congrats!</p>
<p>So I was out of town this weekend, but I got a message from Saturday from the College Board regarding Siemens. What does this mean? Any interpretations?</p>
<p>Optimization, Siemens and Intel STS both have all their results out in time for regular decision, and Siemens results are in time for early. Colleges don't mind update letters when they're warranted.</p>
<p>Congrats to all the finalists! It's a pretty cool experience. To all the semis who didn't get called: don't worry, the experience really isn't that special.</p>
<p>guitarman, are you the guy who did the astronomy project? how did that go? it looks pretty sweet</p>
<p>VR2011:</p>
<p>which mean---you are finalists!</p>
<p>Congrats !!!</p>
<p>GuitarMan, wat do you mean by "Colleges don't mind update letters when they're warranted."</p>
<p>What I mean is that even if something good (like, say, making Siemens finalist) happens after you submit an application, if it's before college decisions are sent out (preferably more than a week or so before), then it's perfectly fine to send a letter to the admissions committee about it, and it'll get considered as if it had been a part of your application.</p>
<p>oh,</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>What actually makes a project good?</p>
<p>How detailed and complex it is?
How innovative, were you the first person to think of it?
How well it applies to real life?</p>
<p>I think most of all how well it applies to real life: what are potential applications. I was surprised that my paper was chosen as a finalist....even as semifinalist because it definitely isnt as complex as lots of other projects i've seen. However, my project had lots of potential to be continued in the future.</p>
<p>My project was very detailed; I am characteristically thorough, and I think that's why I reached the Semifinalist level. However, I wasn't particularly innovative.</p>
<p>Looks like 4 rickoids made regionals..</p>
<p>ScrewedHopeful, are you giving those as questions the judges might ask? Because from experience, they've asked nothing that vague and wishy-washy. Nitty-gritty details are VERY important in the Q&A. A half-hour conversation with your mentor about possible questions and gaps in your knowledge could be the difference between nationals and a boring week at school.</p>
<p>haha i'm a finalist. anyone else western regional finalists? it was kinda funny watching everyone acting confused...i knew the day after semifinalists were announced lol</p>
<p>so, did the rickoids actually use their RSI projects or submit other ones they had already been working on? b/c some people claim that RSI projects tend to be... sorta incomplete</p>
<p>Two of the four rickoids that made it used RSI projects. The two that did were both math.</p>
<p>The next Yi Sun? Could the world be so lucky?</p>
<p>coolphreak, what do you mean you knew the day after the semifinalists were announced? knew what?</p>
<p>They probably called him I would guess. When they called they told us to keep the news confidential. He is from the Western region so he'll be presenting this Saturday. That gives him very little time to prepare so they probably called his region first. </p>
<p>I am also a regional finalist btw. (Southern Region)</p>