Hello,
I’m currently a 9th grade student from Turkey. My school made an arragment with SUNY Oswego so this summer I can go the States for a month to do research. My subject will be Organic Chemistry and I’ll work under supervision of a professor from SUNY. The professor is on the team that organises GENIUS Olympiad and my teacher said that I can participate GENIUS next year. The fee is a bit high ($2600, don’t know if its high for US) so my parents want to know if it can really help me. I have mixed thoughts about it, I wanna go buf if it won’t help me I’ll wait till my junior year. I want it to help me with my college admissions (aiming MIT/Ivies/other elite uni.s) What shall I do? Thanx for ur comments and sorry for my bad English.
Well ,it gives you a great chance to experience how America is like.
However, 2600$ is way too much. It sounds like just an expensive summer research opportunity for me. Also, SUNY Oswego isn’t bad, but not worth enough to spend that kind of money. Technically, all summer programs that makes you pay aren’t appealing. It just says “I can afford very expensive program”
What do you want to study? Lots of international students don’t know(mostly due to lack of advice or WRONG advice) that you can go to any decent school and get good education as long as it’s not like colleges in New Orleans or some directional colleges that no one ever heard of. It doesn’t have to me MIT/Ivies/other elite univ.
I would just do my best in my country if I were you, for example, competing in national/or even international level competition, doing what you interests the most, etc etc.
My main interest is CompSci, and I’m preparing for Natioal Olympiads, and if I can get selected I’ll participate in IOI. I am also a game developer and participated in GGJ’15. But I’ve heard that it’s not enough, and I want to study abroad even I don’t win an IOI medal. Would you suggest me a free one, another thing that can help me with my admissions?
PS: I want to go to an ‘elite’ one because I am able to get into any college in Turkey so going to an average American college instead of the best one in Turkey seems irrational.
Who said International olympiad isn’t enough? Heck,my friend didn’t do any olympiad(instead she was a monster of her field in her school) and got a full ride at Bryn Mawr, one of the best LACs.
Whoever told you must be jealous of your intelligence :stuckouttongueclosedeyes:
International olympiad >>>>>>>expensive summer research.
I wasn’t really talking about average colleges…just colleges that are not as well known as HYPS, but still as prestigious, like top 20 LACs. Swarthmore, Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Amherst, Washington and Lee, etc. There are many schools that are very well regarded but not well known outside the US. Hope you aren’t going to ‘elite school’ just so that you can boast about it. I don’t know about you, but there are many foreigners(particularly Asians) who pine for 'elite"schools for the sake of prestige. I hope you aren’t one of them because it’s just bad for your education.
How much can you pay per year? That’s also important. According to a great information source I know, if you are able to pay 35~45k per year, your chances as an international student are as good as full pay.
However, except Harvard/Dartmouth/Amherst/Yale/MIT/Princeton, your chances will be cut by a lot if you need LOTS of aid.
Just do what you love; you are just a 9th grader. Just get the best grade, have close relationships with teachers, work on what you are passionate about.
I know int’l olympiad is enough, but what if I can’t participate?
It’s almost certain that i’ll get a medal at national’s but int’l is uncertain. I can’t pay much money, so I was thinking about UWaterloo which has a good reputation and gives full scholarship to medalists. Eh, I don’t know what to do about this. Can I ask you another question, do you say it’s unnecessary, regardless of my grade or you say it"s unnecessary in 9th grade, but will be helpful at 11th? Also, I’m a game developer, will it help me?
Here are some considerations that come to mind.
- I really think you have to do things for the thing itself-- activities that you are most interested in, not for college. The college part will come with whatever you do that is meaningful and impactful. So is this interesting for you considering the cost? Does this add to your skills and abilities, can you build from this, does it take you where you want to go academically and intellectually or is this just a nice vacation? Have you read the MIT blog on the subject of doing things to 'get into college'? http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways
- as a 9th grader, you will learn some things about research methods and working in the lab, I assume. This can give you insight on research and if you think you may like it, although it is a little early, the experience is useful. The general research methods may be useful. The specific subject matter would be something you would want to use to build on. What is the syllabus for this? Is this a class to demonstrate research to you and have you do experiments, or are you working on this prof's research, I assume you are not yet doing original research or are you? Or, I wonder what level of understanding and contribution you will make as a 9th grader. Undergraduates who participate in research usually have some college coursework on the subject first. Perhaps you would get more out of it as a Jr.
Just a note with regard to the first poster: it does not matter where a hs student does a summer program, unless it is one of the highly selective programs which are usually competitive admissions and free to the recipients, such as TAPS and MITES. Those programs are special .as they are similar to winning an award as well as getting the experience. But hs students just need a good teacher and researcher to work with, they don’t need it at any special college and they don’t need state of the art equipment. It is about the substance and getting involved. OTOH, jsut about anyone can pay for and attend a summer college program for hs students. It will not really help you unless you make it really help you by using it to build on.
opps I made some edits but somehow it got posted first, here is the complete
Here are some considerations that come to mind.
- I really think you have to do things for the thing itself-- activities that you are most interested in, not for college. The college part will come with whatever you do that is meaningful and impactful. So is this interesting for you considering the cost? Does this add to your skills and abilities, can you build from this, does it take you where you want to go academically and intellectually or is this just a nice vacation? Have you read the MIT blog on the subject of doing things to 'get into college'? http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways
- as a 9th grader, you will learn some things about research methods and working in the lab, I assume. This can give you insight on research and if you think you may like it, although it is a little early, the experience is useful. The general research methods may be useful. The specific subject matter would be something you would want to use to build on. What is the syllabus for this? Is this a class to demonstrate research to you and have you do experiments, or are you working on this prof's research, I assume you are not yet doing original research or are you? Or, I wonder what level of understanding and contribution you will make as a 9th grader. Undergraduates who participate in research usually have some college coursework on the subject first. Perhaps you would get more out of it as a Jr.
Just a note with regard to the first poster: it does not matter where a hs student does a summer program, unless it is one of the highly selective programs which are usually competitive admissions and free to the recipients, such as TAPS and MITES. Those programs are special .as they are similar to winning an award as well as getting the experience. But hs students just need a good teacher and researcher to work with, they don’t need it at any special college and they don’t need state of the art equipment. It is about the substance of the work. OTOH, just about anyone can pay for and attend a summer college program for hs students. It will not really help you unless you make it really help you by using it as a stepping off point to explore your interests. But you can be sure you can go. With competitive programs you are not assured of a summer activity. But unless your parents have a lot of money, without knowing more about this program, I lean to not doing it. Nice I’m sure, but expensive. When high School students here to make arrangements to work with a professor on research at a local college they don’t usually have to pay a fee for that, so I don’t really know what the programs is.
By the way, this program, with competitive admissions, is open to international students.
http://www.cee.org/research-science-institute
If you’re that good, try to get into one of the competitive programs open to international students.
Another question is: do your parents have $2,600? Like, is that something you could get for your birthday? Or is it a huge amount of money for them that will result in significant pinching and sacrificing, or even getting a loan to pay for?
It’s a huge amount of money and they will be getting a loan. A Turkish university is holding another programme, which is free and students will be selected from applications, similar to the MIT’s. I guess it’ll be better. Everyone thanc for your answers!
It’s a huge amount of money and they will be getting a loan. A Turkish university is holding another programme, which is free and students will be selected from applications, similar to the MIT’s. I guess it’ll be better. Everyone thanc for your answers!
Yes, the selective program at the Turkish university is better. Free and selective >>>> expensive and open to most who can pay.
Good luck, and keep us updated!
The summer program in and of itself won’t add much to your resume - but if it opens the door to more opportunities and accomplishments, then it could be extremely worthwhile!
$2,600 is standard tuition for a course at a private university, or for an out-of-state student at a public one.
P.S. just read the end of the thread. I agree that it’s probably not a wise choice for your parents to go into debt for a 9th grade summer program.
I say go for it! I have been doing college-level research since I was in the 7th grade. I even won national wards for my research. I’m 13 yo now but I’m the youngest intern at the local university in my town. I work along with the undergraduates. I do my own independent research but I also assist the graduate students. I say get some experience at a local university to improve your skills/knowledge. Do as much research as you can!!!