Ssp

<p>Do you think they will mind if I send the paper/abstract that I took to SW with my app?</p>

<p>Oh, the application supplements do not mandate that you answer each and every question. The key phrase is "for example." Thus, you can answer another question on your own but you aren't mandated to answer all of the questions.</p>

<p>I e-mailed Bowdon about sending in attachments. He said that the admissions officers probbaly won't have time to read them but a link to a webpage where you posted the info would be ok.</p>

<p>If oasis is applying to SSP, then it is only logical that he didn't go to RSI. RSI is only open to students completing their third year of high school (rising seniors) and SSP is only open to rising juniors and seniors.</p>

<p>right, my bad. zogoto, you sure are applying to a lot of summer programs. you wanna get in one bad eh?</p>

<p>Yeah haha I'm applying to a bunch. I'm hoping to make a project worthy of SW or Intel for next year since I will need a lot of scholarship money.</p>

<p>Yeah, I am still a soph =P</p>

<p>Can someone please give me input as to which of the two essays are better? Thanks! Yes, I wrote them both!</p>

<p>The Earth only has a diameter of 12,756 kilometers. The universe’s viewable diameter is 28 billion light years. Even before these facts were known, the Roman poet Cicero said, “The contemplation of celestial things will make man think more sublimely and magnificently when he descends to human affairs.” Even though he was probably referring to the contemplation of astrological objects in respect to descending to human affairs, his words are just as true today as they would have seemed to be true during his times. </p>

<p>While it is true that astronomers do not dominate every profession, people who study the astronomical develop a different perspective on mundane matters. People refer to extremely large values as “astronomical,” an indication that the vast scales of astronomy have made man think more magnificently. Discoveries in astronomy have also./ During the midst of the Cold War, many politicians also warmed up to the notion that the astronomical makes man think more magnificently. The United States and the Soviet Union both aimed to be the winners of the space race, which would bestow tremendous status upon the victor. When the United States landed the first astronauts on the moon, it won the race as the rest of the world stared at the United States with awe as the voice of the United States grew more powerful. </p>

<p>Far into the future, Cicero’s quote will be essential for the survival of human civilization. Humankind cannot control the universe nor can it control the sun’s fate. The sun will envelope into a red giant five billion years from now, expanding to the size of nearly the orbit of the Earth, rendering the Earth inhospitable. Without the “contemplation of celestial things,” humankind will be doomed once the Sun expands, unless it prepares to escape the Earth before catastrophe strikes.</p>

<hr>

<p>A popular misconception held among many people, both educated and uneducated, is that computer science is basically the study of computers. Perhaps this misconception has to deal with the name of the science, or because we can only study the elelmtns of computer science with one device: the computer. The computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra made an analogy of the relationship between computer scinece and computers, remarking "Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes." Just as a telescope is one of the only devices that humans can use to study astronomy, computers are the only device that humans can use to study computer science</p>

<p>Computers are machines usedful for making calculations expressible in mathematical or logical terms. While computers are inventions of the modern age, they were initially designed to solve mathematical problems that were not solvable by even the most prominent mathematicians. THe first computers are hardly similar to the electronic computers we use today because they were designed before electricity's era and of 1's and 0's. While the field of computer science has recently broadened to accomodate many features unique to computers, computer science has always centered around the method and process of solving logical problems that computers were designed to solve. Computer programming, an integral part of computer science, is designed to solve certain problems using the logic of the computer. But yet - weven though we associate programming with the computers, programming is not unique to them. If it were unique to computers, then we wouldn't be able to understand conventions such as pseudocode - it is possible for a human to solve many of the problems that computer programming attempts to solve - it is just that computers facilitate the art of problem solving as they execute their programs. While computers are wholly based on computer science, computer science is not necessarily completed based on the computer.</p>

<p>Ok: how do you like my optional application supplement?</p>

<p>One day as a 9th grader, I asked Jameson Neff (SSP, 04’), a person with very similar ambitions as mine, about the summer programs he was applying to. He sententiously (pithily, tersely) said "Summer Science Program." Those mere three simple words were enough to arouse my excitement. The next time I was able to log onto a computer, I immediately Googled "Summer Science Program" and sure enough, the program's website turned out to be the first hit. As I read about the program, I immediately knew that this program was the program for me. It was a childhood dream come true. I was so enthusiastic that I even e-mailed Richard Bowdon even though I knew that I couldn't apply to the program as a freshman.</p>

<p>Like Carl E. Wiemann, (Nobel Physics, 2001) (or 2000?) I was always an independent spirit who enjoyed learning for its own sake, even if it was beyond the scope of the curriculum. I also loved the prospect of actually socializing with people who were just as motivated as I am – for there are few such people at my school, none as motivated as I am. My fascination from science can perhaps stem back to the 3rd grade. To say that I was obsessed with astronomy was an understatement. It was my passion - my obsession grew to the point in which I always made references to say "Deneb" or to "Io" or to any other astronomical object in my classes. I even requested a telescope for my 10th birthday.</p>

<p>While honestly, my obsession with astronomy (and with other scientific subjects) did abate during the 5th-7th grades, my obsession with science picked up for good during the 8th grade. It was then, that I discovered that science was the field that I wanted to go into. I was inquisitive, observant, and pursue strong convictions relentlessly even with obstacles in my path. I read "The Brief History of Time" from front to back, and I did a PowerPoint presentation on the Big Bang with many references to particle physics (my science teacher, impressed, even said that the subject matter was too technical for him to comprehend it). The presentation lasted 15 minutes in length, 10 minutes more than it was supposed to be. </p>

<p>It was also during 8th grade that I came to the conclusion that I ultimately needed mathematics if I wanted to further my interest in science. Honestly, I did not like mathematics. I was merely above average in mathematics, only one grade above where the regular students were. I was in the math team only because my friends were there. But once I realized that I needed to actually pursue mathematics, I began to take summer courses, against the advice of many math teachers, such that I jumped from beginning in algebra in 8th grade, to calculus in 10th grade. Now I find that I actually enjoy mathematics, and now I pursue it in my spare time. Taking Integrated II math over the 8th grade summer and PreCalculus over the 9th grade summer turned out to be amongst the best decisions that I have ever made. Now as I take Calculus, I am now at the front door of calculus-based physics and hope to self-study for the AP exam so that I can take it either the May during the 10th grade year or the May during the 11th grade year.</p>

<p>During the 8th-9th grades, I also found role models in several physicists. My interest in physicists picked up as I read the "Brief History of Time," and I immediately searched for biographies for such figures as Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Pauli. When I read a biography of Marie Curie, I concluded that she was my type of role model. Her work ethics are particularly inspiring to me,</p>

<p>Ok, so the second essaay above sucks. So I think I'll stick with the first. And I feel kinda ashamed - I want CC to enable an option to remove the essays.</p>

<p>Are we allowd to include more than one optional essay?</p>

<p>lol dont worry simfish no one is gonna laugh at you</p>

<p>Did anyone who applied via email get a confirmation letter?</p>

<p>"discuss ONLY ONE of the following quotes"</p>

<p>Yes - you get confirmation e-mails if u e-mail</p>

<p>....................................i never got an email after sending my app in</p>

<p>I hastily typed up another essay How do y'all feel?</p>

<p>I did not care about having friends or typical interests held among third graders when I was in third grade. I only cared about the latest books that I bought about astronomy, about how many moons each of the planets had, about how similar Alpha Centauri A was to our Sun. I based my entire life around astronomy such that even my language was dominated with astronomical jargon. I asked my mother to buy all of the interesting astronomical books I had and asked for a telescope for my ninth birthday. Even though my interest in astronomy went on and off after my third grade year, I still remembered many of the facts I memorized, which brought upon the recidivism to my obsession in my eighth grade.</p>

<p>My interest in astronomy finally led to my interest in science and mathematics when I became an eighth grader. My eighth grade science class was based around Earth Science, with astronomy planned for the first semester’s curriculum and other sciences planned for the second semester’s curriculum. I was extremely enthusiastic during the first semester and was eager to demonstrate my passion in astronomy to the class and to the teacher. Even though I was disappointed when the unit on astronomy ended, I maintained my positive attitude in my eighth grade science class and developed a passion into the other scientific subjects taught in the class, especially chemistry. </p>

<p>The Roman poet Cicero said, “The contemplation of celestial things will make man think more sublimely and magnificently when he descends to human affairs.” Did I think more sublimely and magnificently after I contemplated celestial things? I would answer with a resounding “Yes!.” The contemplation of celestial things helped galvanize my interest in the sciences and in the mathematics and had it not been for my third grade obsession with astronomy, I may still be playing computer games for fun now.</p>

<p>I'd say strive for individuality rather than generality. I think what the admissions committee is interested in is how YOU think, not how the WORLD wants you to think.</p>

<p>Sent in the app 3 days ago, and my essay only underwent 2 drafts, as opposed to NASA SHARP's 6. @@"</p>

<p>So how many of you are going to e-mail on the last day on the last hour?</p>

<p>I am!</p>

<p>SO ADDICTING!!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.summerscience.org/alumni/links.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.summerscience.org/alumni/links.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>FINISHED!!! I'm so stressed ahhhh!</p>

<p>drat! my essays suck!!! i wanted to send my application in before the first deadline so i didnt have time to make them better. how much do they weight the essays? i have pretty good stats (i got a 34 on my ACT, went to the Intel International science fair and even won some awards there, won 1st at some statewide math contests, take very advanced classes especially for a 10th grader, etc.) and I had very good teacher recomendations, but will they disquallify me because of my essays?
...or does everyone who applyed to the ssp have similar accomplishments and the essay is what sets you over the top?
also, both me and my friend are applying, and we both have practically the same background and the same stats. would they let both of us in?
one more thing...i faxed my application in yesterday and i havent gotten an email conformation yet...should i be worried?</p>

<p>no don't get too worried, i thought i was in trouble too, but they get your stuff and email you a few days after they have EVERYTHING. Simfish's post above was very misleading.</p>

<p>I'm all finished too. Well that's that isn't it? Not so many applicants on this board here...Good luck to you guys!</p>