<p>I haven't found any threads for SSP 2015 yet (a bit odd considering it's already almost December) so I decided to start one! I'm an alumnus of 2014 and can attest to the fact that SSP is great and amazing and wonderful yay. Hit me up with any questions you have about admissions, and I'll do my best to answer them!</p>
<p>Link to website:
<a href="http://www.summerscience.org/home/index.php">http://www.summerscience.org/home/index.php</a></p>
<p>Le first questions…! What should test scores look like :O? Show or tell in essays O_o? Thanks!</p>
<p>Previous SSP threads:
2014 - <a href=“Summer Science Program (SSP) 2014 - Summer Programs - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/1569601-summer-science-program-ssp-2014.html</a>
2013 - <a href=“Summer Science Program (SSP) 2013 - Summer Programs - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/1412009-summer-science-program-ssp-2013.html</a>
2012 - <a href=“Summer science program 2012 - Summer Programs - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/1270091-summer-science-program-2012.html</a>
2011 - <a href=“Summer Science Program (SSP) 2011 - Summer Programs - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/1027536-summer-science-program-ssp-2011.html</a></p>
<p>And I’m pretty sure you can find ones from even earlier years with the search bar. :)</p>
<p>Some dates to keep in mind:
Applications open on December 15.
The deadline for international applicants was, for last year, February 5.
The deadline for domestic applicants was February 28.
We received our decisions on April 10.</p>
<p>Also, the admissions statistics…there were 72 participants last year, out of a pool of 754 applicants - which is a 9.55% acceptance rate. Best of luck!</p>
<p>@Newdle: Test scores should be…within range, I guess? I would say that most SSPers got 2100-2300, and several people had 2400s. It’s quite variable so it doesn’t matter all too much as long as you’re above around 2100, perhaps. I’m not an expert. </p>
<p>Essays - looking back, my essays were pretty bad…but I “showed” and explained and analyzed, instead of listing my accomplishments. Express genuine interest in <em>something</em> (doesn’t have to be astronomy, but something you truly care about. Though I personally did express interest in astronomy, so I don’t know.)</p>
<p>@araethusa Thanks :D! </p>
<p>One quick question…is SAT II necessary? I’m taking the Jan SAT so i cannot take subject tests…
Am I able to send them my SAT score if I decide to change it to the one in March?
So how long can they wait for my test scores?</p>
<p>Hey guys, I’m an international student and I’m currently studying in a high school in CA. When is the application deadline for me? The one around Feb 5th or the one around Feb 18th?</p>
<p>For those of you who attended SSP, have you seen international students studying in the U.S? I’m afraid I’ll compete with all the smart kids in Bay area…TvT</p>
<p>@codinggeek399: To quote from the 2014 application, “SSP does not require any particular test, but we do require your scores from any and all of the following standardized tests you may have taken: PSAT, SAT, SAT II, PLAN, ACT, AP, TOEFL. Do not ask the testing service to send the report to us directly. We accept photocopies of reports sent to you, printouts of online reports, and/or test scores recorded on your official transcript by your school. For the PSAT report, we only need the top part, showing your name and 3 scores.”</p>
<p>@Schwarzchild: SSP admissions consider internationals studying in the US as domestic applicants. So the deadline would be the later one, around the 18th to the 20th. I know this because I just asked one of these students - so they exist!</p>
<p>Hi! international applicant here.</p>
<p>I haven’t taken the SAT but will be taking it in Jan. I contacted them and they said that I can submit the scores after I receive them. The biggest thing going for me is my paper that will get published. I am the lead author on the paper and I did it without 0 help from a mentor. After showing my finding to a PhD advisor from harvard, he was amazed with the results and told me to refine my experiments. Did it and submitted it. Got accepted and is currently in the final stage of editing. </p>
<p>How is the competition for international students? </p>
<p>What about the others? Are there any other international applicants on CC?</p>
<p>Are you currently studying in the U.S? If so, you are considered as domestic applicants (I just checked the form! and others also told me)
I have friends who applied as international students and they got into SSP because of their interests in science (they do not have superscore, papers or national awards…). </p>
<p>@Schwarzchild No I am not studying in the US. I currently reside in Mumbai, India and attend school over there.</p>
<p>Forgive me if I sound stupid but does writing about a math subject in the first essay reduce your chances of getting in? Thats what I have seen people write on different forums. They reasoned that they use this to weed out people who “aren’t” interested in astronomy. </p>
<p>I do like astronomy and I would like to pursue my interests further but math well, is math.</p>
<p>@mumbai98: If that’s what you’re truly passionate about, write about it. You’d be surprised to find that, at least at my campus, few (if any) people were only passionate about astronomy - there were the math/physics people, the programming people, and even the biology people and chemistry person (in the singular ;P).</p>
<p>@araethusa That sounds great! Thanks for helping me out.</p>
<p>@araethusa What did you write about for something you do for enjoyment or relaxation?</p>
<p>@03690495: I wrote about cooking/baking, since I’ve been doing it for some five-odd years, it didn’t appear anywhere else in my application, and I’m really passionate about food.</p>
<p>@araethusa
It may seem like a strange question but generally how smart are the people at SSP? I know that people are really intelligent that they excel in various fields but exactly how smart are they? Would it be a program exclusively for people who can compete at international / national level (USAMO, USAPhO, etc.)? Or can someone who is considered quite intelligent in his own high school participate in this? I am an international student planning to apply to SSP this year. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>@fusioneer98: Overall, pretty darn smart. It’s hard to quantify because everybody is “smart” in a different way - really. I would say that most people don’t compete in USAMO/USAPhO (for example, me), but some do. Some people get perfect standardized test scores, some people are programming geniuses, some people don’t have any outside qualifiers but are instead really driven and hardworking.</p>
<p>If you do well in SAT, does PSAT count as much? I got 800 M in SAT, but only 73 in PSAT. What did you do for your essay on where you come from?</p>