<p>Hi,
I have not heard anything back yet from RSI. The website says they will notify applicants by the 31st of March, but so many people have already seemed to receive their acceptances already so I’m slightly anxious. I know they received my application because I included a self-adressed envelope which was mailed back to me.
Are they notifying people in alphabetical order? My last name does start with “X” and the three other people who have applied from my school have already been rejected/waitlisted with last names starting with “C” “C” and “D”. Does anyone have any ideas?</p>
<p>^ well historically, it’s been that acceptance waves come out second, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It’s possible they’re still doing mentor placements and such even though the decisions are made</p>
<p>-crosses finger on MITES- (:< muahaha if I get in… I’m going to start a rival with the RSI people</p>
<p>Anyways… I’ll see you all at SIEMENS Semifinalist or Intel Semifinalist 
I’ll be one of those few kids that didn’t depend on a summer program but on independent research with a mentor. trollololol.</p>
<p>@Alpha2014</p>
<p>Haha, do you also know that RSI and MITES people stay in the same dorm? </p>
<p>I think we will again experience and sustain the sweet rivalry between RSI and MITES people ;)</p>
<p>@Alpha2014 Best of luck on MITES, and I have no doubt that your independent research is fantastic! Looking forward to being your rival this summer :P</p>
<p>I live in NYC, and I go a supercompetitive exam school (at least we like to think it’s competitive :D).
And I listed Computer Science/Computer Vision and Applied Math as my two research fields of interest.</p>
<p>Though I’m still hoping that I’ll move from the Alternate list to the Participant list, I’m still going to cross my fingers for MITES And HSHSP. And Clarks.
Why can’t mid-April come sooner?</p>
<p>To all those rejected or waitlisted: you may find this personal anecdote awkward but I really want to tell hard it is to select people. </p>
<p>I,today, saw how HARD it is to select people and experienced the consequences. I run a community service club in school. We conduct various activities, that make helping people fun. Yesterday, triple as much people -including my best friends- applied to participate in a recent activity that we could take. Hence we had to “select” people for the activity. With four friends, we started to select. That was when I understood how hard it is to eliminate people- including some best friends- just because there was no enough room. It took 3 hours checking and rechecking people and deleting lots of qualified people. I swear, most of the people rejected had the ability to participate in. After releasing the decisions, there was chaos. Some offended us and some even cried! Some made up stories why they were not admitted (like “I am sure that Jane didn’t choose me because she liked Jason”).</p>
<p>I actually found each aspect of this simple case analogous to college admissions/ selective summer program admissions. If we had that much of trouble eliminating 120 people, I cannot even imagine college admissions process. The phrase “You were not offered admission because there was no room.” is not a cliche, but is a reality. Yeah, some people are rejected because they simply do not have the ability. That said, being rejected does NOT mean you lack the ability.</p>
<p>I guess they are not selecting a person based on academic strength but based on diversity. It is because almost all the applicants are super good in terms of academic record and there is no meaning to select a person based on scores. If they want to select 60 people for the class, they may ten from science oriented, ten from ULM, ten from Athletic oriented, ten from art and music oriented, ten from writing oriented and ten from legacy. This is why 2400 sat is rejected and 2200 sat is accepted sometime. Don’t be sad about the result if you’re not selected. As other people mentioned, it is not because you’re not competitive but because they have their own perference.</p>
<p>Great post Toughman!!</p>
<p>I was rejected but don’t like to see people tying to tear down successful applicants and insult esteemed RSI officals by accusing them of favoritism. Man up and move on!</p>
<p>@appfanfor thanks, and that’s what I am saying!</p>
<p>for some reason my post and some others got deleted, and I’m not sure why. However, I have still been getting pm’s about it! many are getting the impression that the RSI admissions is playing favourites, but I highly doubt that since so many wonderful people who are so passionate go there! </p>
<p>to those who didn’t see my post, it was essentially about how an amazingly accomplished kid the year below me was rejected. It was meant for comfort! so, if anyone feels bad about getting rejected, feels they should’ve gotten in, is sad, etc. feel free to message me! I got a lot of pm’s saying that they felt better after that post, or asking advice since I’m thankfully done with the college process, and I’m too lazy to retype my story, so :)</p>
<p>Found out today that I’ll be one of the RSI counselors this summer! So excited to meet you all! :D</p>
<p>I just want to point that being rejected to RSI definitely does not only measure one’s ability and academic achievement. There’s some luck involve with it…</p>
<p>My friends at school thought I was going to get in (one even compared me with the accepted person this year from the international countries), but oh well what’s done is already done. I’m going to do summer research one-on-one research with a MacAuthor Fellow scientist probably… If not, it means I’ll at MITES 
</p>
<p>I still can’t decide what to do… If I get admitted there though >_< I want to give myself a try for Intel STS which is a honorable award and stays with me forever. </p>
<p>So for those rejected, I hope you have a backed up plan 
Best of luck to everyone!</p>
<p>@Toughman, I know they live the same dorms (; which will make this great haha!</p>
<p>@LuoSciOly, Congrats! You have too much science swag lol</p>
<p>The thing everyone needs to understand is that there are so many factors outside your control that there is no use dwelling on an admissions decision. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. To those who had the good fortune to be selected, you have earned the right to be thrilled, but don’t lose sight of your big goals to your current successes and your immediate future. Keep things in perspective. And those who didn’t, disappointment is justified and understandable, but likewise, you are not doing yourself any good if you get caught up in what’s done. There are so many great opportunities out there. Don’t dedicate yourself to just one.</p>
<p>Yes, a few people may have gotten in through connections. Yes, there are always institutional priorities at play. No, life’s not fair, so really all you can do is do what you love and make the most of it. Very qualified people get in, but on the same token, very qualified people got rejected. Some of you may feel that someone who did not deserve it got in, by exaggerating accomplishments or whatnot. I’ve been in that boat. Thing is, qualifications, accomplishments, experience, intelligence will get you far, but so will networking, savvy, and the ability to sell yourself (in this case, through writing). Don’t underestimate the power of luck. Everything’s a learning experience; if nothing else, you, along with all of the other applicants, have done yourself a favor just by applying. If you are passionate about science, a rejection from RSI should make little if any difference in the long run, because your dedication to science will pay off (with hard work) in your endeavors. Know that you have done your best, minimize regrets, and just be satisfied with where your life takes you.</p>
<p>@LuoSciOly </p>
<p>Haha, congratz! (I also saw your name on the list ) I crave to take part in RSI 2014 (as a TA or counsellor), although I haven’t experienced an RSI life Seems like you have to apply to be a TA/counsellor as well, right? </p>
<p>@Urantiel</p>
<p>Awesome post!</p>
<p>was anyone accepted from LA/SoCal in general? It seems this area has sent few students to RSI in past years, at least in the last decade.</p>
<p>Yes, based on the “introduce yourself” document in the facebook group there is at least one person from the LA area this year. Interestingly there was no one from SoCal last year (but 5 from NorCal).</p>
<p>Hello Everyone, </p>
<p>As I saw lots of RSI people here, I decided to ask my question on this thread. Lots of people in my school talk about RSI, like “If you get into RSI, you’ll definitely be admitted to MIT and will have a really good shot on top colleges”; “My friend’s third cousin got into RSI and got into everywhere!” </p>
<p>After these rumours, I checked up various College Confidential threads and saw lots of people share the same opinion about RSI. Do you think this true? I will be applying next year, too I would be happy if you helped me, esp. past RSI people…</p>
<p>From TX, I got rejected too from RSI after having published a paper, 3 yrs of research experience. But one door closed and another opened. I got accepted to do research in Harvard Medical School in Neurobiology.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone those who got rejected. Don’t loose hope.</p>