<p>@Duke That could make a great essay. Also how did you achieve fluency in spanish? I’m trying but it’s a struggle. I really want to become fluent in Spanish before I start my Korean studies.</p>
<p>@TinnyT It’s pretty easy to learn Spanish when you begin learning it in kindergarten and then take all of your math and social studies classes in Spanish up until high school. I have caught myself thinking in Spanish many a time, not to say that my English isn’t up to par. I started Charles dickens this break and have now read Oliver twist, David Copperfield, and a christmas carol. I started Harry potter #1 in Spanish yesterday and am almost through. I find that both languages come naturally to me.
Korean? I tried to self study it last summer and flopped. Good luck!</p>
<p>since we’re on the topic of essays, what exactly do you write in a personal statement? </p>
<p>Korean seems to be one of the easier East Asian languages. They have letters in an alphabet not unsimilar to English, but they stack the letters on top of each other. So I can read it, but I don’t know what I’d be saying. ^_^</p>
<p>I never started foreign language until 10th grade. I’m good at remembering what I’ve learned but it’s hard to learn a language when you don’t really have anyone you can use it with. I don’t actually know anyone who speaks Spanish at home.</p>
<p>@Duke Oh ok. I started learning in kindergarten but I was never really able to improve until I began high school. </p>
<p>I began self studying Korean this summer but stopped to focus on Spanish. I can read Korean but my pronunciation is atrocious. Hangul is pretty simple to learn. It also helps that I watch Korean dramas and listen to K-pop.</p>
<p>I am only applying to 4 summer programs: RSI, Clark Scholars, Michigan State HSHSP, and Boston U RISE. Hoping to get into one at least, because I really don’t have a backup. I am not applying to any programs that don’t offer housing, because it is a pain in the butt to find housing and transportation to summer programs. Thus, NIH, SEAP, etc. are out of the picture.</p>
<p>Do you guys think NIH or SEAP will look good to colleges if I want to go into biomed?</p>
<p>^For sure, especially if you get into an internship in biomed</p>
<p>The NIH one will look <em>really</em> good because most (usually all) are undergrad students.</p>
<p>I feel like it’s really hard to get in…my grades and LoR’s will be good, but my resume is lacking compared to undergrads ugh</p>
<p>For SEAP and NIH, I have heard that you should try to get to know a professor before applying, but this is just what I heard. Last year when I applied for SEAP I was too young for a few of the programs (under 16) but a lot of the department heads seemed to like me and said that they’d push for me if I applied again.</p>
<p>One of the doctors daughters at NIH is applying to my magnet program this year and have his email so I hope to get to work with him lol</p>
<p>I had thought of sending out some apps but after looking through the details of the programs, I’m not so sure. I did something very much like Michigan HSHSP/[insert a summer research programs name here] this summer and I feel like it was just too structured for me. I ended up spending lots of time on ‘mandatory activities’ that really weren’t useful , which cut into the already short work period (5/6 weeks go by really quickly!). I’m probably a oddball case, though; my fellow attendees seemed to be chill with it. </p>
<p>Anyway, I’m already kind of restricted with regards to the ones I can apply to, because of both the above reason and where I live. SSP seems really cool but while I like physics and math, I don’t see myself doing anything in physics in the future. Also, 4k is a lot for me. A City of Hope starts during school for me and I can’t apply to RSI so the only ones I’m halfway considering right now are Clark and possibly SSP. There are also some interesting local options that I’m also considering, so there are lots of possibilities.
I do know people who have attended the program at Rosewell Park Cancer Institute (I used to live in NY) but they seem to want students from the Buffalo area due to dorm costs. I don’t know- I guess I’ll have to see! Either way, I’m cheering you guys on :)</p>
<p>@nate: I have a friend in CA who is willing to hook me up with housing, thankfully.</p>
<p>As for NIH, I live within an hour of Bethesda, so I could commute from home daily.</p>
<p>Just signed up for the February ACT. SAT on January 28. ACT with Writing of February 9. I’m ready.</p>
<p>I’m doing SAT Chem and SAT Math II on Jan 28.
SAT on March 9 and maybe ACT in June. We’ll see about that ACT.</p>
<p>It’s so annoying that there aren’t SAT subject tests in March…I’m done with my SAT I and I just want to be done with the SAT’s in general</p>
<p>It seems like a weird decision- if you’re holding the SAT1, why not have the SAT2s as well?</p>
<p>@Studious: Lucky! I have no means of housing in California. Most likely I will not have to worry anyway. Any ideas if I am accepted somehow?</p>
<p>You could try rooming just at a dorm? I know people who do that just for the summer.</p>