Hey, im planning on applying to the Pioneer Academics research program. For the second half of the application dealing with my 4 research topics that I am interested in, I was wondering if there are any tips I should keep mind. I’m a junior and in my school, freshman and sophomore years are when people get their grad. requirements out of the way, like health and art. That means that this year and next are when I can take my classes of interest, like psych. or macroeconomics for example. I haven’t taken many subject tests either, so I feel that the first part of the application that asks for “relevant courses and tests” for me will be very weak. Also, what should I put for the other two parts, “experience or qualifications in this field… anything in your background” and “Why do you want to engage in this research area of interest?”. Yes, I can read and understand the questions, but I want to make sure my admission is as strong as it can be, so I wanted to hear some advice on what should I focus on or try to talk about. Thanks.
@abdnnasir Hey! Pioneer alumna here. For your first question, I would like to say just list any 4 topics of your interest. For example, when I applied I listed four STEM subjects in descending order of interest. They want you to have choices regarding your research topic, so that you can be allotted to a research group when you are accepted. Often times it might happen that Psychology is your top choice, but they don’t have a group available for that. So what’ll they do then is to try and admit you in another group that you listed, say, neuroscience. That way you don’t end up being too deviated from your actual topic of interest. So be absolutely honest in terms of which topics do you actually like and which topics do you see yourself spending a lot of time with. (i.e. you wouldn’t want to study Biology for long hours per week if the mere sight of a biology book makes your skin crawl, right?)
Secondly, list all the relevant coursework you have taken. Whether or not your application will be viewed as very weak can be subjective. It’s all very holistic, that means your coursework/test scores are not the only factor to be considered. I didn’t have any AP/IB/A level courses, so I just listed whatever subjects I studied under my curriculum. Don’t worry too much about that.
For your last questions, I’d say just approach them honestly. If you have relevant experiences, put them in. If you don’t, move forward to other parts of your application. Focus on your “why” essay. This is very important. Along with outlining your general passion for the topic itself, you could perhaps go as far as to citing one or two specific areas in your topic to demonstrate that you have indeed, some level of knowledge about the field. For instance, I talked about my interest in combinatorics and number theory, which is very specific compared to the vast sector of mathematics. It is, of course, possible to be even more specific. I’d advise you to brainstorm and make some bullet points illustrating your interests. It is a nice approach for a “why” essay.
Finally, I want to say thank you for taking such a great initiative. Applying to summer programs can be very time consuming and daunting. If you become successful, you’re in for such an exciting time! I wish you all the best!
Feel free to reach out if you face other problems!
@florencewelch666 Hey! Also applying to the program here. Do you have any tips on the 400 word essay that they ask you to write in the end of the application? Also, regarding the individual small essays about your topic interests, did you just specify that you were interested in combinatorics and number theory (since I do not have much prior research experience). Thanks!