Hey guys I got into the Biochem program at UCSD is there anyone else out there who got in? Also when is all the financial aid stuff due and to previous ssp-ers how did a typical day usually go? Im willing to post stats if anyone really needs as well. Hoping to meet u all this summer!
Hi for anyone going to SSP, on the personality and lifestyle survey form, what exactly do they mean by academic strengths/weaknesses?
@cyclowl I’m not sure. It could either be what subjects are you good/bad at or what good/bad habits do you have.
Hello again. After much thought I decided that I want to go to SSP over YSPA, and initially my parents agreed. But now they are having some second thoughts because of the price- after all, SSP is $2k more than YSPA.
I doubt my household qualifies for any sort of financial aid so let’s put that out of the picture.
Both are good programs, no doubt, and I’m very interested in both the research projects, but SSP appealed to me a bit more because of the fact that it seems to have more connections. The faculty is pretty diverse- some of them aren’t apart of Colorado or New Mexico besides their link to SSP. I also like that alumni of the program and guest speakers come to visit as well. As far as I can tell, YSPA guest speakers aren’t as diverse and are still very-connected with Yale. Additionally, I like the field trip destinations. I was assigned to Colorado, and I’m pretty interested in the Lockheed Martin Space Systems. For YSPA, again, the outside activities seem pretty centered around the Yale, which is great, but I would like to explore and reach out to as many places as possible.
I discussed this with my parents but they don’t seem convinced.
So are my opinions of SSP accurate/justified enough for me to want to spend $2k more on that program? Or are there any other points about SSP that I can use to convince my parents? Any two cents will be much appreciated. I’m running out of time to make a decision so I’m getting a bit worried.
I was accepted to Astrophysics at Colorado as well!
Here are my stats:
1520 SAT/ 35 ACT
Math 2: 800
PSAT: 1500
4.0 unweighted GPA, 4.44 weighted
APs: Physics 1 (5), AP Spanish (5)
Currently taking AP Physics 2, AP Calc AB, AP Lang, and AP Psychology
College Courses: Chemistry (equivalent to AP Chemistry)
Rank: 3 out of ~400
My stats are relatively mediocre and I don’t have great STEM ECs, so I’m fairly sure that my essays and rec letters got me in. Feel free to @ me if you have any questions about my essays/stats!
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone this summer!
@kuotian first off, congrats on getting into both programs!
so, in making this decision of course there are many things to consider. As many have said before, SSP has been established for a much longer time and is considered to be more prestigious. And as you mentioned, it is more well connected and does have interesting activities. However, I’ve read on previous years forums that the Yale campus does have more advanced equipment that you would have the chance to use at YSPA. It also has the two weeks online prior to the 4 weeks on campus, which is important to consider vs the six weeks at SSP.
Of course, perhaps you can ask this same question on the YSPA 2019 forum (if you haven’t already) to see more opinions regarding both programs.
No matter what program you end up deciding to go to, I’m sure you will have a great summer experience!
Im probably choosing yspa over ssp because its a smaller group so i can probably be closer to the director(s) and the other students. Either way, to everyone else in this situation, let me know if you find any deciding evidence of one program over another
@AvengersEndgame The number of students is basically the same. YSPA has 32, SSP has 36 (at your campus).
@16 oh ok. i confused it with the 144 number of applicants accepted.
@AvengersEndgame That number refers to the total number of spots at all four campuses. There are only 36 people per campus.
YSPA is a newer program and founded by a SSP alumni. Therefore SSP is also considered more prestigious since it is affiliated with MIT.
SSP is much more well known than YSPA. It also has a much stronger alumni network. I would definitely choose SSP
Hi everyone I know I’m late to this buuuuut:
Comparing my scores to everyone else I definitely feel like my scores are a lot lower. I was admitted to the Astrophysics program in Colorado. Anyways, here we go:
PSAT:1380
SAT: 1450
720 ERW 730 Math
qualified for NHRP
AP Scores: Computer Science A (5) , self-studied AP US History (3) not a good choice I know
AP Classes currently taking: AP Calc BC, AP Biology, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Microeconomics, AP Psychology
Awards: finalist of a multi-school poetry contest, AP Calculus AB Book Award, AP Computer Science A Book Award, Chinese 1 and 2 Book Award
Extracurriculars: (this is where I think I made up for low standardized scores)
Co-founded the feminism club at my school where we have had several successful fundraisers for our local women’s shelter as well as made strides in our own school
local female empowerment expo where I’m on the advisory board in charge of the science related department
STEM Competition Club-a team of 4, we all participated in the M3C challenge (we learned a lot about data analysis and statistics when practicing, and we programmed in Java, we didn’t place sadly)
attended Alfred Astronomy Summer Camp last summer, so much fun oh my god even though we did get rained out
involved with my local astronomy club and have volunteered for several events and fairs
my supplemental- I submitted a poem I wrote about Saturn and a few astrophotography shots I had taken with the specs
Essays: my family and how they were immigrants and divorced, making my own solar filter for my telescope and taking pictures, love for women in science and how I look up to them, my summer gardening job and how I hated it (lol) but enjoyed looking at the sky, my love for space movies and books, and my love for calculus and what it means for me
Are all of those admitted juniors? Were any sophomores admitted so far?
this is so sad LMAO i was rejected by both yspa and ssp. waiting on wtp and issyp right now haha. congratulations on everyone who got in !!! have fun!!! 
SSP is way more prestigious than almost every other STEM camps. It is only second to RSI. In terms of college admission, 90+% SSP students go to MIT/CalTech/Harvard/Yale
SSP is more prestigious than almost every other STEM camp. It is only second to RSI. In terms of college admission, 90+% SSP students go to MIT/CalTech/Harvard/Yale. The alumni network of SSP is invaluable.
@WIGANDIA where did you find these statistics?
I thought programs like MITES and Clarks were considered more “prestigious” but I might be wrong
I agree. MITES and Clarks are at least as “prestigious” as SSP if not more than it.
Which is better YSPA or Simons?