<p>I am pretty new to Summer Program Thread. Just found out about it few weeks ago after monthes of roaming around the SAT threads :P</p>
<p>I am confused and do not know which is more "presitigious" then the others so... rank them if you will.</p>
<p>YESS
SSP (Summer Science Program)
RSI
MITES
TASP
Clark Scholar
SSP (Secondary School Program)
PROMYS
Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
Student Science Training Program (SSTP)
The Ross Program
Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
AwesomeMath
Canada/USA Mathcamp
HCSSiM)
HSMC)
Garcia Summer Scholars
High School Summer Science Research Program (HSSSRP)
HSHSP</p>
<hr>
<p>My ranking would be this, but remember I am sooo new about this:</p>
<ol>
<li>RSI, MITES, TASP</li>
<li>SSP (Summer Science Program), YESS</li>
<li>PROMYS, USA Mathcamp </li>
<li> SSP (Secondary School Program, Clark Scholar,</li>
</ol>
<p>Unknown:
Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
Student Science Training Program (SSTP)
The Ross Program
Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
AwesomeMath
HCSSiM)
HSMC)
Garcia Summer Scholars
High School Summer Science Research Program (HSSSRP)
HSHSP</p>
<p>Honestly do not worry about prestige that much but rather look at which program you will enjoy most. Other than RSI and possibly tasp none of them will make or break your app, but going to a program that meshes well with you can greatly change your outlook for the future. I know it sounds kind of ambiguous and far fetched but my summer experiences have had a profound effect on me because I found one that had what I wanted out of the summer. Enjoy your summer!</p>
<p>Unknown, probably lower:
SSP (Secondary School Program)
Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
Student Science Training Program (SSTP)
Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
AwesomeMath
HCSSiM)
HSMC)</p>
<p>To me, any program that actually requires money is probably lower than those that are free, SSP being a notable exception.</p>
<p>I don’t know why Canada/USA Mathcamp is always ranked lower than Ross and PROMYS. Judging from the achievements of its camper body, it is easily way above all other math summer program.</p>
<p>BTW, Clark Scholars had a 8% acceptance rate. Many programs on this list don’t even come close to that.</p>
<p>I concur with ras22. It’s not necessarily the prestige of the program, but what you get out of it, that matters. Ranking them is meaningless, IMO.</p>
<p>Unknown, probably lower:
SSP (Secondary School Program)
HSSSRP
Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
Student Science Training Program (SSTP)
Garcia,
HSMC</p>
<p>My two cents (having researched/attended a couple of these camps)!</p>
<p>Some notes on changes: PROMYS, Ross, MathCamp, and HCSSiM are generally recognized as equivalent, so I moved them to the same level
Sumac and HSMC are both very good math programs as well.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if MITES should be on the same level as SSP and Clark Scholars, but I left it on there. </p>
<p>I added SIMR to the list of “unknowns” - it’s a paid, non-residential bio research program at Stanford that generates quite a bit of buzz. It doesn’t have the national appeal, however, since housing isn’t provided. </p>
<ol>
<li>RSI, TASP</li>
<li>SSP (Summer Science), Clark Scholars, MITES</li>
<li>YESS, HSHSP, Ross, Mathcamp, HCSSiM, PROMYS</li>
<li>SUMaC, SSTP (Student Science), HSMC</li>
<li>(?)</li>
<li>AwesomeMath, SSP (Secondary School) (left a gap above - these camps are not very “prestigious” but could be beneficial nonetheless)</li>
</ol>
<p>Unknown:
HSSSRP
Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
Garcia
SIMR</p>
<p>Although this entire exercise is silly, it is important to note that prestige varies dramatically based on what criteria you use. For example among the 4 major math national camps Ross, PROMYS, Hampshire, and Mathcamp, Ross is by far the oldest and most established. PROMYS and some other lesser known camps are derivatives of Ross. I’m also under the impression that Ross does much better than the other camps among grant giving organizations because it is much cheaper than the other programs and I don’t think this difference is attributable to differences in operating costs. Among all these metrics Mathcamp places last among these 4 camps. Yet Mathcamp is the most selective of all the camps despite being either the largest or close to the largest. This suggests that the high school students think more highly of Mathcamp and more established institutions think more highly of Ross.</p>
<p>I guess I don’t know for sure but Ross was founded in 1957 and Mathcamp was founded in 1993 and so Ross has had a lot more time to gain institutional prestige. I’m pretty sure though that Ross gets more outside funding than Mathcamp because Ross charges $2200 for six weeks and Mathcamp charges $4000 for five weeks and I don’t think other differences can possibly explain that discrepancy.</p>
<p>Eh. The Clay Mathematics Institute bankrolls both PROMYS and Ross, so the price of those two programs is somewhat difficult to compare with Mathcamp.</p>
<p>Anyways, we could get into a heated debate as to which camp is the best, but honestly, the differences are negligible given the bigger picture. Adcoms recognize all four programs as great and roughly equivalent; students generally will love whichever they choose to attend; all four programs present a dizzying amount of very challenging and comprehensive coursework. Ultimately, the question of which camp to apply to should come down to which flavor best suits the prospective student.</p>
<p>This ranking is intended to be a somewhat loose guide to which programs are realistic options for summer camps/which are reaches/which are a waste of money (I’m looking at you, Harvard SSP). We can leave the intricacies to other threads (or AoPS).</p>