<p>@selena731:
Honestly, I don’t know if it’s good or bad… my guess (which may or may not be accurate, idk) is that they want to evaluate the entire applicant pool together instead of ultimately regretting that they rejected somebody in the first round or something. Or if you want to be a pessimist… maybe they want to evaluate all the applicants instead of regretting that they admitted a less-qualified person in the first round :D</p>
<p>So I’m guessing that there’s no point in me applying, but I thought I’d ask.
I have a 3.9/4.0
My PSATs were low–especially math: 73 writing/70 math/72 reading
I just took SAT II Math 2. I’ll get my results in a few weeks. I’m expecting to get 720-770, so tell me whether that score affects whether you think I should bother applying.
I’m currently in AP Chem and Pre-Calc which includes a semester of Calc (which hasn’t started yet, but which I will have completed by the summer).
I have not had any physics.
I have just about no outside evidence of interest in science/math, but I know that I can write a ridiculously good essay and talk myself up. </p>
<p>Tell me what you think; I think SSP looks amazing.</p>
<p>@poachedivory
I need some help about my essay. Who do you think would be more helpful, my English teacher or college counselor? I’m an exchange student now in USA. Thank you.</p>
<p>@CranberryOrange:
By all means, please apply! My objective stats were pretty much identical to yours (sameish PSAT, same courses and course setup, no physics, etc.), so please don’t let the stats of applicants on CC scare you away. :D</p>
<p>@jjqphysics:
Is your college counselor one provided by the school (as in, part of the school administration)? Or is it a privately-hired counselor? I’ve never liked the latter too much… but I’d say show it to anybody and everybody you can, though don’t let them rewrite the essay for you and/or take your voice away from the essays. :] (As a more specific answer to your question, though: I think your English teacher may be more helpful in helping you comb out any grammar issues in your writing.)</p>
<p>Best of luck to all!</p>
<p>If, in the extremely improbable case, that I am accepted to both SSP and another music program that I am equally interested in (though this one would be substantially shorter–around a week and as I said before, this is rather dishearteningly improbable in which some would call a ‘miracle’), would it be alright if I left SSP around 2 days earlier? Or is that a major blow because everything happens in the last day? Hopefully, the overall experience would be a very strong impression too, I would think. </p>
<p>Feedback from SSP-ers (past, future, present)?</p>
<p>I never received the email saying there will be no first round reviews. What did it say?</p>
<p>@poachedivory
Thank you. By the way, the college counselor I mentioned is the one provided by my school.
Will English as a second language be disadvantage?</p>
<p>What’s a good time to send my application? In March or in February?</p>
<p>@iLiketheMango: You can’t leave early. I doubt it would be allowed, and yes, “everything” happens in the last few days when there are no more psets to do.</p>
<p>@jjqphysics: As soon as you’re happy with your essays - make sure that they’re the best they can be. </p>
<p>@trickysockman: I was briefly in your state two weeks ago - it’s still not that great ;)</p>
<p>@iLiketheMango: I don’t think it’d be possible to leave early, especially since everybody wraps up their projects and programs on the night that the OD is due (which is two days before the departure date). The profs grade them on the last full day, there’s a ceremony and lots of celebrating/not-sleeping/blahblahblah, and the morning after that, everybody leaves… we had one person leave on the last night of the program for another program (after extensive discussion between the parent and the program directors, i think), and one person leave a few hours early on the last morning to catch a flight. Frankly, I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to leave the program early… the people are just too amazing 
(lol i sound so corny)</p>
<p>@Sadahila:
It was an e-mail sent out to alumni about the changes to the application process so we wouldn’t give out inaccurate information to applicants. It just said that some of the questions were different, there wouldn’t be first-round evaluations, and that all deadlines are postmarked-by (as opposed to received-by).</p>
<p>@jjqphysics:
No, it will not hurt you. If I remember correctly (which I probably don’t), the majority of SSPers weren’t born in the US for Ojai '09. Many had English as their second/third language. As for when best to send your application… frankly, I have no idea :]</p>
<p>so would it hurt me that I sent in my application already?</p>
<p>For the application I sent, I had an SAT score of 2210. But I just took the January one and is expecting a much higher score. Did sending the application early just hurt my chances?</p>
<p>I’m applying! I’m in tenth grade, though, and they mention that most often tenth graders are not likely to be accepted…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Haha, even if you could, I don’t think you would want to after going through the program. The last 72 hours felt like the entire program condensed in one big, mad, runaway rollercoaster ride. Most of us didn’t even go to bed for the last ~40 hours or so because we wanted to maximize the amount of time we still had with our SSP peers (which resulted in people falling asleep in random places like the hallway and during the Final Ceremony, lol).</p>
<p>@Sadahila - 2210 is in the range already. If your score is competent, I don’t think they scrutinize the scores any further. They move on to other things, like your essays.</p>
<p>Do they have a range for PSAT? I only got 200…</p>
<p>The “range” I’m referring to is metaphorical. I would say 2210 is definitely safe (judging from my peers’ scores at SSP), but at the same time, it doesn’t mean that if you don’t have 2210 then you’re not safe. There’s no absolute law when it comes to test scores. Everything is taken into context (just like it is in college admissions).</p>
<p>If I already have extensive experience in astronomy, is that bad?</p>
<p>@sunshower212:
Quite the opposite; they’re looking for a balance of inexperienced and experienced astronomy students, and they try to match teammates so that everybody can learn from each other.</p>
<p>So worried about my short answers= =</p>
<p>how formal do the short answers have to be? or can you be more informal, obviously not using slang, but in the writing style?</p>
<p>A bit informal is fine. I remember having this problem a lot last year, but I ended up just writing as I wanted to (all in one night, too) and I got in.</p>