Salexma: this is not correct about RSI this year "They want people who are unique. They want people who care passionately about one thing, and want to devote their life to it. What RSI wants is someone who will come to them and put all their effort into research and make scientific discoveries that they are passionate about. If there is one thing to take away from this, it is that to get into RSI, you need to show that you care about the work you do, not the awards you may get from your work. ".
@RockyComm actually I would say that @salexma is 100% correct. Speaking from a statistical standpoint, RSI has an applicant pool of over 1600 kids (50 get in = 3% admit rate), which is already a highly selective group by itself. People don’t apply to RSI unless they think they have a decent shot at getting in (which means they have big academic achievements) because frankly no one wants to waste 65 dollars for nothing. These 1600 kids are all the top of their class and have won science fair and Physics, math, chem, etc. olympiad awards and many are even invited to national training camps in preparation for internationals for these olympiads. Having a competitive resume gets you through the first cut in such a process, but to get selected as a Rickoid you must show passion and dedication to prove that you love science. It’s very difficult to be highly successful in a field that you don’t love, and while you can learn physics, chem, or Bio relatively easily, it’s impossible to have true passion for these subjects without already loving it beforehand. If the goal of RSI is to breed the next generation of STEM leaders, which it is, then @salexma is absolutely right about passion.
I got into RSI this year as an indian from Florida, but this is irrelevant because RSI is a solely merit based program.
To clarify, my post is what I have learned about RSI after watching the YouTube videos and reading the press releases, program description, Wikipedia articles, and dozens of Quora articles on this topic. Hope this cleared things up
what makes you think the rejected pool having no kids with great passion and with awesome resume? there are kids out there with much better status and great passion for science this year. Also other race(not your race) has better kids as well.
Whoa folks! Let’s step back from this ugly tone. Here’s some advice from me as a parent who has been around the block many times.
RSI is a wonderful opportunity for everyone that applies. This is obvious to those that get in. Less obvious is the benefit for those that don’t get in, but it is there. That self-reflection that you do in creating those wonderful essays will pay off. Perhaps soon, in terms of getting into another competitive program such as SSP. But certainly next year when you are applying to college, those RSI essays will make your college essays much easier.
For those of you that got in: Congratulations! You are joining a special program whose alumni include people like Terence Tao. But also remember to have some humility. Unless you have the talent of a Terence Tao, it is quite likely that they could have replaced you with any number of other applicants and the cohort would appear every bit as talented. And RSI takes risks on some candidates that look weak on paper, but they see something that they think will make them soar later in life. By the way, the same thing happens in elite college admissions. The admissions office is usually right about that, but not always.
For those of you that didn’t get in: Your life is not defined by whether or not you get into RSI, or for that matter any particular elite college. You might have been objectively better than kids that got in, but it could be as simple as they had several amazing kids in your field (say computational biology), but nobody else with an automotive patent. To you I say that one of the truly great things about the USA is that it is a country that provides many chances in life for you to shine throughout life, unlike other countries where your college significantly affects your future career prospects.
And one last comment. A major component to future happiness is the ability to be happy for others when they succeed, and to show sympathy when they don’t. Those roles could very easily be reversed next time.
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Congratulations!! to everyone who got in…it seems like an amazing program/opportunity.
I didn’t get in - but honestly, it was a long shot for me so it wasn’t a surprise (though I am a bit disappointed after all those ‘whatif dreams’ I had from the time I applied till the decision came in 
)…but no regrets that I tried. The time and the application fee are well spent IMO. Initially I was reluctant to apply but my dad encouraged me to apply saying that the process would help me. As @hebegebe also mentioned above, the self-reflection and thinking process that went into writing the essays can help us. I underestimated the difficulty in writing about myself and articulating my passions/dreams until I completed the RSI app. It may have fell short but I hope this can help me later while applying for colleges.
PS: if anyone have advice in terms of improving application essay writing skills (for RSI or any other apps for that matter) - especially where we are expected to ‘show’ our passion for a subject - do share. That may help others for a better outcome in the future and maybe a better use of this thread.
I’m almost 100% sure that RSI is completely merit based. While they might take into account race, I don’t think it will be a major factor in deciding whether or not an applicant is admitted to the program.
Yes, while the program’s acceptance is 3%, I would like to point out that the true statistical figure is somewhere between 0.1 - 0.2%. I say this because, as mentioned above, only the cream of the crop apply to this program. We are talking about people who are more than likely going to end up at T20 schools and have a fine set of STEM accomplishments. This means that by getting chosen into this program, you are essentially the pinnacle of all the top STEM students in the world.
Does anyone know when decisions come out for the ones who were waitlisted?
@hebegebe facts ?
To everybody who didn’t get in - don be discouraged! As you know, RSI is extremely selective and there’s also a geographic diversity factor. Last year my son didn’t get in, and we tried hard to figure out who in our state has a more impressive resume, only to find out eventually that nobody from our state got in. I’m not sure if it was related to the fact that they took two students from our state the year before or it’s just that nobody had a really great application. But he got a very valuable experience writing the essays, had a paid internship instead, and was accepted to Caltech this year. You are already so accomplished you’ll do well in college and beyond.
@hs2020kid - read the book “Hack the College Essay”, it’s free online and has some great advice. And I cannot overestimate the importance of starting early, ideally as soon as your junior year is over.
Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone has ever got off the waitlist … Every person accepted to RSI will go unless something major happens such as an injury or a natural disaster.
This is untrue. The very strong math kids sometimes give up RSI to instead go to MOP.
The MOPers I know would rather go to RSI, since it’s a one time opportunity. They’ve already been to MOP and don’t see a reason to go again.
The ones willing to give up RSI are the ones likely to make the USA team.
Thanks for posting your stats. This was a bold decision.
You are right about following passion. You did it and it worked out at the end. Would you please talk a little about your invention? I assume that it must be something extraordinary - as that is the thing that stands out in your profile. Also, how did you go about patenting. What is the process for that?
Usually we assume that Rickoids are off the charts - both in research and grades. Vinjai was giving TED talks in 7th grade and later went on to be valedictorian at Phillips Exeter. Franklyn Wang made MOP, USACO Camp and Physics camp before coming to PRIMES and RSI. William Yin was valedictorian, took some 20 AP courses and went to ISEF few times before RSI. Dhruvik won ISEF Intel Young Scientist prize. Some have already presented at a major research conference.
Also, for the Aero internship, is there a web page or name people can apply through?
Sorry - too many questions. But the world wants to know how to get in RSI.
I stand corrected. Yes, there is the occasional person who will turn down RSI in pursuit of other academic interests such as MOP or another academic team.
As for the type of people who get into RSI, I would say that they have to be extraordinary in some way. A person that I know of who got in this year was doing research with Harvard on economics and computer science. In addition, he/she published his/her own book about the applications of machine learning on the stock market.
@GoBears2023 and @cognizance yeah some of the people have done research at a major institution like Harvard, but many are just normal kids who take the initiative to go out and find opportunities in their own community. From the dozen or so of us that have gotten to know each other, its become clear that we all have the proper test scores and academic competition/olympiad achievements to qualify for RSI, but most of us aren’t at the National Camp level for the olympiads that we compete in. Rather, we all have a good deal of research experience at local universities and institutes and have demonstrated true passion for our subjects, which is rare in itself. And while some do win science fairs with their research, many, like me, have never won an ISEF award (or been to ISEF )
One of the most important things to the application that seems to be underappreciated are the essays. Looking at the situation objectively, there are only so many kids that are absolute geniuses and incredibly accomplished in olympiads. The number of “normal” kids is significantly larger than the number of geniuses, and while a few spots are undoubtedly dedicated for olympiad winners, there are still a number of spots for kids who are passionate and entrenched in research. This passion can only be shown through essays, making them the most important part of the application imo.
Also, if you got into RSI this year plz DM me so you can be added to the FB group
@PhysicsGod1337 Can you DM me?
@PhysicsGod1337 Can you DM me as well?
@PhysicsGod1337 Can you DM me too?
Between SIMR Program and Simons Summer Research Program, which program is more prestigious? What have you heard about the different programs?