<p>tricky, 3/31 received. i believe they start accepting apps in feb 20-something.</p>
<p>i need help from a former ssp-ers - are standardized test grades more important or these short essay questions? because as much as i love science (even more so than math), i haven't done anything science-related outside of school though i was one of the 2 sophs who took ap chem, and the only girl last yr in that class to get a 5. of course i don't mention this in my paper, so it may be futile.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I'm really interested in SSP. But I go to a school where getting 5's on an AP exam is rare. My school really sucks in academics. I don't know if that helps. Here are my Stats. GPA: 3.96; Rank: 5 / 490;
SAT: 2180 (CR: 640 M: 800 W: 740); 790 SAT Math 2. 4 on AP Stats. Expect to make to AIME this year. Our school doesn't do any competitions with other schools. But I formed a team and participated in Tech Challenge. We got Best Engineering Journal Award. I also formed my own team to participate in a regional quizbowl. My team made it in for semifinalist (two years). Have some chess trophies/Created chess club in school. Help found math club in school/Organized some math competitions for the club. Will be president senior year. Got AP Comp Sci approved for our school when previous teachers have failed.
Got into/went to COSMOS summer program last year (I was in the cluster invovling with astronomy and cryptology).
I have no research (I didn't know high school ppl can do this).
But I did have an interesting childhood, and I plan to write about that. </p>
<p>I have weak scores/lack of research, would I be rejected?</p>
<p>Oh, and I'm a junior</p>
<p>@AshwinSundar
You'd be surprised how many schools people claim to "suck academically" on these boards really turn out to be just your everyday high school. No? Don't use the claim as a crux of why certain things could not be done. I thought that way too before, but I have since realized how much I was wrong. I've gotten to like the quirks, culture, and academics at my school. Enjoy and make the best of it. </p>
<p>Instead, do talk a lot about your interests and how you have pursued them. I really do like how you took the initiative by starting teams and getting a new class approved. Research is good, but certainly not a requirement. The people at SSP were all interesting and passionate. That, I think, is much more important than test scores or lists of activities. All I can say is apply, and be honest to yourself. No need to come up with reasons of why this or that.</p>
<p>This goes for everybody else applying too. Also the final deadline for having the application received is MARCH 20 (not 3/31).</p>
<p>the short essays are MUCH more important for admissions. i would say that the most important thing to focus most on is to convey a genuine interest in astronomy/physics.</p>
<p>@WesIdjet
Thanks, for input. About the school sucking . . . its not the best in the area. Its probably like somewhere in the bottom (according to % of ppl who graduate/ppl who score high on standardlized tests, etc). I mean we're in the middle of the sillicon valley and we dont even have any kind of computer class. More than about 50% of our students go off to community colleges and about 15% drop off. Our teachers' AP passing rates are about 30%-40% on avg. But, yeah, I agree I shouldnt use it as an excuse.
I'm just worried I'm not competitive enough.
But SSP will judge in context of the applicant's area, right?</p>
<p>Oh, and . . . there are regular and early action rounds?</p>
<p>Yup. The early deadline's in feb. It's not binding. :P</p>
<p>sldkafj;sldf I hate the 500 word limit on question 4. I've only done 4a and 4b and I've gone over. ;_;</p>
<p>In other news, I really really want to attend this program. But hey, you probably knew that. (why am I doing this app instead of the tasplication, which is due approx. 1 month earlier?)</p>
<p>Also, for those who were admitted, how did you approach answering the essays? I mean did you "show" more than "tell"? And did you focus more on your passion for physics and astronomy? Or more on how interested you are in the program? Or did you just talk about yourself?
Thanks.</p>
<p>How many participants are Sophomores? Does SSP accept participants younger than 15 years?</p>
<p>I was the only "sophomore" (one guy was an international that recently moved to the US and ended up staying an extra year in hs) at Ojai, but I heard there were more at Socorro (3 or 4?).</p>
<p>what is a typical day at SSP like? i just dont wanna have every minute of every day planned for me is all.</p>
<p>There's plenty of free time, especially given the lack of a curfew.
At Ojai, a typical weekday would be optional (aka nobody ever goes) breakfast from 8ish-8:45, lecture from 9-12, lunch/free time from 12-1, lecture from 1-4, and dinner from 6-7. Every couple of days, you'll have a 1.5hr telescope session.
Depending on how quickly you finish homework and how much sleep you want to get, you'll have anywhere from 3-7 hours of free time a day.
Saturdays had lectures from 9-12, then a few hours to roam around the town. Sundays had nothing scheduled.</p>
<p>Yeah, if you manage your work well, you should have plenty of free time. Here's a typical day at Socorro from my point of view.</p>
<p>8:30 alarm rings
8:31-8:50 roommate and I take turns slamming each others snooze buttons(youd think getting up to walk across the room 5 times would wake a person up
)
8:56 dash over to cafeteria and surreptitiously nab some breakfast to go. Run to class.
9:00 arrive fashionably on time, lecture until 12(unless your prof. is awesome/can't be stopped, then you might get out 15 minutes earlier after steamrolling all over relativity)
12-1 lunch, free time, catch up on sleep with power nap
1-4 lecture OR guest speaker (about twice a week)
Time between lecture and dinner (workout in gym, watch fierce chess matches, free time)
5:30-6:30 dress for dinner and go eat
6:45 freak monsoon rain hits
6:59 rain stops
7:00-9:00 hang out,prepare observation notebook, problem sets,work on QoD (daily logic puzzle competition, optional)
9-11 observations (there are three, 2 hour blocks every night between 9 and 3)
11- 3ish or just whenever: work on Orbital Determination, psets, might slip in the occasional late night poker, shower, sleep</p>
<p>Weekends are very nice, Saturday usually has a morning lecture followed by an awesome trip. every Saturday is movie night
Sunday laundry wars, free time</p>
<p>WedIdjet- I went to Ojai, and it was very similar. Though wednesday afternoons were beach, and we had a lot of field trips.</p>
<p>Is there a possibility of being accepted as a sophomore without any standardized test scores?</p>
<p>^ I'd say very unlikely. </p>
<p>From the application:
[quote]
**Test Score Reports<a href="required%20if%20not%20shown%20on%20transcript">/b</a></p>
<p>SSP does not require any particular test, but we do require photocopy of test score
reports from any and all of the following standardized tests you may have taken: PSAT,
SAT, SAT II, PLAN, ACT, Advanced Placement, TOEFL. (For the PSAT, we only need the
top of the report, showing your name and scores.) We do not require the report to be
sent directly to us by the testing service. We will accept copies of reports sent to you,
or test scores recorded on your official transcript by your school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It sounds like at least one score from one test is required. Take the January SAT - you should get your scores in time to apply.</p>
<p>hmm, are the recommendations a big part of whether you get in or not? cuz i have a teacher that doesnt really know me well so itll prolly be a average rec =/.</p>
<p>I have a few questions regarding the first short answer question ("What do you consider to be the most interesting topics in physics and/or astronomy, when, why, and how")</p>
<p>What interests did you write about?</p>
<p>I can explain why I am interested in theoretical physics and cosmology as a whole subjects, but the prompt asks for specifically which topics in physics. It seems very difficult to show how "oh my" this seems to explain this and that and "gasp" it explains that as well, so amazing (!) on paper, let alone in 250 words.</p>
<p>To be honest...its difficult to describe WHY I am interested in esoteric fields of theoretical physics. Its much easier to explain my love for astronomy and theoretical physics than it is to describe my love (yes I'm a super-nerd) for the intricate workings of (for example only) general relativity.</p>
<p>So I'd like to hear how you approached this prompt...</p>