Simons Summer Research Program 2019

It’s that time of year again. Everyone applying for the 2019 Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University can comment here!

this program is amazing…the research you accomplish here is unparalleled in quality, even when compared to RSI.

@mosescuh Did you ever attend? If so, any tips for getting in?

@mosescuh I just saw the application for 2019. How were you able to write answer for this question in 90 words or less:
Briefly summarize any previous research experience (if applicable).
Please include research-oriented courses you may have taken. Tell us about any computer/mechanical skills you have that may be helpful in a laboratory setting. Be specific about the nature of your research experience(s) and your responsibilities. If you have already begun working with a Stony Brook faculty mentor and made arrangements to continue a research project for next summer, please describe what have you accomplished to date/what you hope to accomplish in summer 2018.
:-?

what are you guys writing about for the scientific discovery/technological advancement essay?

Hi guys! Could one of the alumni chance me? I’ve heard so much about Simons and it’s my dream camp. I’m scared though bc I heard some weird stuff happened (something about thots being a shoo in?), but has anyone heard anything about this???

Stats:
average (36 ACT, but not in all subsections, 800 in only three subject tests, 4.5 W GPA)

Extracurriculars:
Founded an organization that has raised a few tens of thousand dollars for cancer research
Three patents (two for vaccines, one is a shoe that creates energy when you walk)
Been researching stem cells since I was 10 at Harvard
Published 4 papers (one in Cell, two in Nature, one in a lowly journal)
Won some national science competitions but I can’t say what cause that will identify me (e.g. second at Siemen’s, etc)
2 Scholastic Gold Medals in Poetry
Club volleyball and sailing for 9 years (placed in a few international competitions)
Soundcloud rapper
Captain of a bunch of school clubs
Auctioned off a few paintings for $10,000
FBLA state officer
Certified Nursing Assistant that created a program at a local place to streamline services

I’ve also been to the infamous Simons Cafe so hopefully that will help me? Also I have an A minus for English this quarter will that hurt my chances? My mom says I am a good writer so maybe she can write me a rec? Sorry guys for dumping my resume, but I really need whatever help I can get.

^^^ =))

Hello IvyLeague2024,

Your resume is impressive! I am worried, however, that the money you have raised will not suffice the community service requirements at Simons. I personally raised $75,000 for mechanical engineers searching for applications in the research of their peers, and I barely made the cut. I DID make it to RSI, but I was afraid that I would seem too elite for Harvard, so I opted for Simons. At one point, I did consider attending Garcia, but, to be honest, I was a little disgusted that the thought even occurred to me.

Do you happen to have the credentials for your mother? I’m curious as to what her old SAT score was. I really do think that the A minus might hurt you. Do you have any siblings with full ride scholarships and high LSAT scores? Because that would help even out that A minus a lot.

I’m not sure that your clubs will do you much good. My friend was in Sailing club, played Tennis, was in his school’s signs club, and even started a DECA club at his irrelevant neighboring school in Ohio, and that wasn’t enough to get into Simons.

I’m pretty sure that they had a 0.1% acceptance rate last year, so I wouldn’t even consider applying if I were you. Maybe you could contact one of the professors directly, but you might have to end up sitting in the bushcamper and commuter table. The Soylent and Muscle Milk at Emporium are pretty fire tho.

Best of luck!
1610SAT

@1610SAT
Well, my sister was paid to attend Yale University and I am cousins with one of the people in the picture you see on the Simons webpage, so could that help? I have been practicing containing myself from moving couches out of random buildings and not crying when I get a strike so would that multiply my chances? My mother founded the Collegeboard, so unfortunately she didn’t take the SAT…Is that bad? I don’t go to school in Ohio, but I am from Michigan, which some people say is as equally irrelevant. I am friends with Al, so could that even things out?

Also, I was wondering, but does the Emporium have Kombucha or LifeWater I could take some artsy pics with on my bike? If not, I may consider not applying seeing that my chances are so bad…

Well as a Simons alum, I can tell that your odds are pretty slim. Clearly, there are many other applicants that have applications far better than yours: you simply won’t compare. Ultimately, I think your real best shot is to get application counseling from an alum. I’m offering my services for video calls at a base fee of $100 per hour variable based on how annoying I find you. Lmk if you want the real insider take.
Also, being from an irrelevant state like Michigan is pretty much an auto-reject. You’ll need to change that on your application to a better state like California or something.

Glad the three of you are having fun. Before this thread gets completely derailed, do any of you have useful advice to offer to kids that might be applying this year?

new members with only 1-2 posts eh? seems like someone is bored enough to have a conversation with themselves :))

following…Maybe they are looking for students that are well rounded?

these essays are freaking hard to write in 90 words

Does any alumni have any tips to applying?

Hey, just wondering… is there any place to submit test scores/score reports on the application? Surprised they only ask for PSAT and nothing else…

do you need computer science experience to apply?

Apllications are closed for 2019.

Hey alumni, did you or someone you know at Simons not have research experience? Was that a disadvantage at all? (in terms of doing research, not getting in)

Hey guys, when do decisions usually come out? Are there likely letters?