COSMOS (UCSD), PROMYS, HCCiSM

Pre-College Topics Summer Programs
1

<p>Hi,
After this freshman year, I am planning to get into some math/science/research summer program, and although a few of the apps don’t come out online for a month or so, I feel that I should decide which type of program best suited me. That’s why I decided on these listed as the subject, which were age appropriate for freshman, not something like HSHSP or RSI, or a liberal arts program like TASP. So I have a few questions and I hope someone could take the time to answer this</p>

<p>1) how selective are these programs? I have one USAJMO qualification, hopefully another this year, and I am taking CALC BC and APCS, although I got a B+ both semesters…and I’m participating in a lot of math/science programs, such as science bowl, science olympiad, JETS, etc…so will i have a decent shot? Or should I not even apply, since most people accepted are sophomores or higher</p>

<p>2) What other summer programs of the likes are there, age appropriate? (One of my friends went to SuMAC, but freshman never get it…I went onto [Summer</a> Programs | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/summer]Summer”>Summer programs | MIT Admissions) to look at this but the same problem came up, most of these were for sophomore/junior aged students. </p>

<p>3) (For people who have gone to camps like these) Is the cost really worth the experience and what I take out of it? What is life like in a dorm? Because I could also take some community college courses during the summer…</p>

2

<p>Although I’m not personally familiar with the admission policies of PROMYS and HCCiSM I’m under the impression that decisions are primarily based on how well you do on the application problems.</p>

3

<p>Hey there :slight_smile:
I’m applying for COSMOS this year at UCSD, and as far as competition, I’ve heard that it isn’t impossible to get in. Quite a few people have been accepted with less than a 4.0, and limited ECs. Considering you’re a freshman taking Calc and are involved in school science/math programs, I have to say your chances are actually really high.
As for other programs, If you take a look at the cosmos site, they have a lot of similar programs available.
And finally, I haven’t been to a science summer program, but I’ve talked to a lot of people who have. Everyone has said that it’s incredible, and they recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing the science/math field.</p>

<p>Hope I helped :)</p>

4

<p>PROMYS is not grade-oriented, and let me assure you that PROMYS is awesome! And you should definitely go if you get in :stuck_out_tongue: (also, if you’re looking to do research, you can’t really until you’re a second-year. Just throwing that out there)</p>

<p>Though you do have USAJMO, don’t think you’re in. Really, try your hardest on the qualifying test. Make sure to include all your thoughts, conjectures, etc. and aim to do every problem.</p>

<p>I don’t know anything about the other camps though</p>