Is RSI a ridiculous dream?

Pre-College Topics Summer Programs
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<p>I just want to know if there’s very little chance of me going to RSI, so I won’t waste my time applying there. (not bitter or anything, just realistic).</p>

<p>I’m a sophomore, btw.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.94-ish, unweighted</p>

<p>Advanced Classes: all Honors core, a ridiculously intense Honors Biology course, AP Calculus as a sophomore, AP English and USH in junior year, as well as college stats. I can’t take AP science next year, even though I’d really love to.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: Captain of state-qualifying Knowledge Bowl, Secretary of 2-time state-qualifying Science Olympiad, Secretary and Stage Manager of Thespians, Link Crew, school newspaper, Honor Society.</p>

<p>PSAT: 198, taken freshman year. I expect to get around 200-210 this year, with strongest scores in Reading and Writing.</p>

<p>ACT: 30 composite, 34 in English and Reading, 27 in Math. I’m going to take it in September, so I hope to get a 32-ish composite, if I can raise my math scores.</p>

<p>Teacher recs: Fabulous biology recommendation, great calculus recommendation.</p>

<p>My primary interests are Biology and BME.</p>

<p>The thing is, I don’t have any super awards, I’m not sure if I’ll have research experience by the end of junior year (currently I’m searching for local opportunities), and my test scores aren’t that great.</p>

<p>If you don’t think RSI is a legit choice, would you think these stats would be okay for SSP or WTP, or even…TASP?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>If you score 200-210 on your PSAT, your stats should put you in range for RSI, SSP, and WTP.</p>

<p>According to a few posters on this board, RSI seems to care alot about your essays - showing true passion. Past research experience, while a boost, doesn’t appear to be a necessity. Your ECs look excellent, and your numbers are good. I would say you have a chance. Apply! Good luck :)</p>

<p>And I don’t understand this “or even…TASP?” TASP doesn’t care about your stats AT ALL. And it tends to be very humanities based; even the science topics they have are very philosophical and not research-based, which appears to be what you want.</p>

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<p>^Concur. Your classes and ECs fit the science cast, so as long as you have true passion you should be alright.</p>

<p>Tako is right about the PSAT, if you retake it you will score higher. And TASP/TASS doesn’t care at all about stats, I got a 167 on my PSAT and I am going to TASS. (W00T W00T)</p>

<p>YOu have another full year to keep doing what your doing, and you should be fine. So YES apply for RSI, but don’t make it your goal because then you will lose sight of why you really want to attend.</p>

<p>Good Luck this upcoming year and just remain passionate you should have fun :-)</p>

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<p>thanks-that’s really encouraging!</p>

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<p>Well since RSI 2008 chances are popping up, I guess I’ll post this advice from T_KO that I stole from Phishiee xx…


&lt;p&gt;from T_KO
How to get into RSI...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;hr&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I guess this post is a little late, granted that RSI probably already started or is about to start. I hope it's not too off the mark, but I think it's worth saying. Hope it'll be useful for those '07 hopefuls. If an 07 thread gets formed maybe someone might be cordial enough to copy this over to that. But anyways...&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;RSI isn't the standard college admissions. It isn't about how good your grades are or how many clubs you look like you're in or how smart a standardize test makes you out to be. It's about your creativity, it's about leadership, it's about taking initiative and being on your way to becoming a pioneer in science. It's called Research Science Institute for a reason.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I'm Tiffany Ko, I got accepted into RSI '05, was told I was one of the top 5 apps that year, but was not allowed to attend on the basis that I was graduating early and attending Princeton in the fall instead of going on and completing a senior year.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;First things first, I wasn't the valedictorian. I had less than perfect grades, good, but not perfect. Around a 3.9 unweighted. Ranked 7th in the class. I never ever scored that perfect 800 on SAT math, stupid, but I just kept making stupid mistakes. The highest I ever hit composite on the SAT was a 1520. Decent, but nowhere near perfect.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The two things that will get you into RSI: research, math.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Do well in one or both and you have your ticket in because having an aptitude in either shows that you have what it takes to be something great in science. Remember, doing well entails being strong as an individual. It doesn't include going with your Science Olympiad team to nationals. YOU have to show your own individual abilities. That means doing strong on the AMCs, that means presenting individual research at Intel ISEF, or JSHS.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Personally, looking back at high school, I think research was the best thing that ever happened to me. Most people aren't courageous enough or proactive enough to get out there and find a professor, so if you do, you're already special in your own right. You've taken the first step.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I did both math and research. As a girl, it was slightly easier to distinguish myself because I got to say things like, oo I'm one of the top ten scoring females on the USAMO, lol, maybe because there were only ten total. Yeah, that was a bunch of BS because I never really was that good at math; I just didn't put enough committed effort into it. Geometry was my only occasional saving grace.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;But research, research was amazing. Professors are always looking for students to share their work with. They enjoy it! I've had the sheer enjoyment of working with amazing professors whether they conducted research at the state college near my high school in Indiana or whether they were pioneer scientists in their field conducting their research at Princeton. You just have to take the initiative to find them. Make sure you show interest in working with them, i.e. personal phone call, face-to-face meeting. Don't only send a crap impersonal email and immediately want an answer. Plus, actually read the material they hand you. If you don't find it interesting and don't want to talk about it with them, they're doing both themselves and you a favor by rejecting you from their lab.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;However, once you've started working, please PLEASE don't half-ass it. It's disrespectful to the professor and to yourself. You've got to make a commitment to at least one project and stay with it until it's done, done to as perfect as a condition as you can possible make it -- and then make it more perfect.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I think the most important thing is to set goals and know where you want to be. If RSI is where you want to be, then do what you have to do. Believe me, research, that end feeling of accomplishing something on your own, even the smallest thing, is a feeling better than drugs. And THAT is what will get you into RSI; successfully accomplished, THAT is what RSI will give you back.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Good Luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Basically, you're competing against kids with olympiads, research experience and upper tier test scores. The applicant pool is usually at the top end of the MIT applicant pool, and while MIT takes ~1000, RSI takes around 50 domestics. I'm not sure about the importance of the essay because mine was extremely bad and I still got in. Try to win some big Siemens award or publish your research, get a few grants and patents. And don't apply to TASP, it's humanities...eeeewww. :P&lt;/p&gt;
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<p>I happen to like the humanities, but I think this is a funny comment with a lot of Rickoid spirit. </p>

<p>Good luck to the summer of 2008 applicants.</p>