Hi, I’m a high school junior considering applying to Pioneer Academics. I am interested in biology and chemistry and am really excited by the chance to do research with a college professor. Could some people who have done the program share their experiences? Would you recommend it?
Hello! I am a high school senior who completed the Pioneer Academics program this past summer, and I highly recommend it. I just so happened to take a biochemistry course called “Molecular Drug Design,” while I was a part of the program.
The first few weeks were based on learning the material, which included reading, analyzing, and discussing papers, with the later half focusing on sharing ideas between students and working on the paper individually with the professor. I learned so much not just about writing papers but also the research process and molecular drug design as a whole!
If I’m being honest, I really miss Pioneer and would do it again if I could. It’s wild how much you learn not just from the professor but also from your peers, and I’m honored to have been a part of the program.
Additionally, though I did not opt to take it due to schedule conflicts (which resulted in some emailing back and forth), I was also offered a course on nanotechnology in medicine, so not only is every course incredibly insightful, but they offer a diversity of courses, of which they select one just for you!
There is the added benefit of a report from the professor that can be sent to universities, which can give you a leg up in the application process. When admissions officers have seen that you have not only completed research, but with a college professor, they are very pleased.
If you get the opportunity to do Pioneer, take it, because every second was worth it. Best of luck!
Hello! I completed the Pioneer Research Program in the summer of 2016 before going into grade 11, and I learned skills I still use to this day. Like @wildcat24 said, if I got the opportunity to do again, I would without hesitation. Throughout university I have been referencing that paper, and it prepared me for writing research papers in uni – in fact, I would say it over-prepared me, and it has served me so well. As said with the previous reply as well, a recommendation from your professor and the paper itself looks great on university applications. Regardless of that, though, it is completely worth doing. And it is fun. If you choose a topic you are interested in, the research process and the writing process are a blast! Even if you realize once you begin researching the topic that it is something you actually are not that interested in, you still learn that and gain many skills in the process. Would 100% recommend!!
Hello! I am an international student in my final year of high school, and I completed the Pioneer Academics Research Program in Spring 2019. As @wildcat24 and @hcmotoole mentioned, it is a one in a lifetime experience. I was in a similar position to you when I applied to the program, very interested in a biology/chemistry program. Interestingly enough, I was assigned to the Comptational Quantum Chemistry program, something that was more math and physics than the biology/chemistry combination I opted for. I did not have much knowledge about quantum mechanics, and even expected the whole program to be absurdly difficult but was pleasantly surprised. My professor was an exceptional teacher and managed to simplify and explain to us an entire college semester’s worth of quantum mechanics in 6 classes! The whole topic was very cool - we actually designed and tested 3D models of chemical molecules of our own making using computer software. There were a lot of helpful tools available on writing the research paper as well. One particularly useful tool was the Writing Center, where you could send your paper and receive professional feedback in under 48 hours completely free of charge. The Pioneer Research Program is also affiliated with Oberlin College and allows you to access their online library. You can easily find tons of research material and explore topics that you may have never encountered. The research program is also a very productive and valuable ECA, and earns 2 college credits along with a honest feedback in the from of a report from your professor. I would absolutely recommend this program, especially if you plan on doing undergraduate research. It gives a great insight, and may even help you uncover things you would not have discovered on your own. It certainly helped discover that my interests are much broader than biology and chemstry!