SMaRT Camp or ERIRA?

Pre-College Topics Summer Programs
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<p>I am a current high school junior interested in math and astrophysics/astronomy and have been accepted to two summer programs that run simultaneously and I need to choose one. I’ve been weighing the options and I just wanted another opinion or two. They are:</p>

<p>SMaRT Camp at Texas A&M University [SMaRT</a> Camp, Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University](<a href=“http://www.math.tamu.edu/outreach/SMaRT/]SMaRT”>Department of Mathematics, Texas A&amp;M University)

  • Free other than flights to and from Texas from North Carolina
  • 20 high school students talented in math
  • Two weeks
  • Introduced to new advanced topics in mathematics and have to work together and alone to solve new problems</p>

<p>ERIRA at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, WV through a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill <a href=“http://www.physics.unc.edu/~reichart/astr111l.pdf[/url]”>http://www.physics.unc.edu/~reichart/astr111l.pdf&lt;/a&gt;

  • Costs about $300-400 (near the same as the flights)
  • 15 undergraduate students, mostly from UNC, with 1 or 2 ambitious high schoolers
  • One week
  • Two college credits (two research papers required after the camp)
  • We’ll be working in teams to map out most of the Milky Way galaxy then breaking off and doing mini-research projects of our own</p>

<p>I’ve already accepted SMaRT Camp and am afraid it won’t be taken well if I decide to not go. As far as fun goes, I think SMaRT camp would be better just because I’m with people my own age, have more free time, will be exploring a college town, and it’s a little less intense. ERIRA, however, seems to be the opportunity of a lifetime to do real research in a field I’m interested in with professors and students who are much more learned in the field. It will probably be more difficult but as far as how it looks on college apps, I know ERIRA would be outstanding. However, I think I would have a great time and fantastic learning experience at both programs. Any thoughts from anyone? Or anyone out there ever participated in either program that may have some insight? Thanks so much!</p>

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<p>I haven’t attended any of these programs but I can say, from experience, that you do not want to go to a program where other students are vastly more qualified than you. Now I don’t know how much you know about Astronomy/Math but I am assuming that the over 10 undergraduate students they take at ERIRA out of a total of 15 spots will know much more about any field than you (or me). I can say this because I am in a mathematics program that runs year long. They admit only 10 students from a vast applicant pool. The problem is that 7 of the students are undergraduates, 2 are high school seniors, and I am the only high school junior. Needless to say, they did not proceed with the program to accommodate the lowest common denominator (me). For much of the program I had to “catch up” with the other students who understood almost everything the professors were saying. </p>

<p>I think going to a camp where you are studying with students your own age, who share similar problems and are at almost the same level academically, will be much more of an “experience”. You won’t just be dragged around in a fast paced learning environment because you won’t be the only one experiences difficulties (if you do face difficulties). Furthermore, the social aspect will be much easier to adjust to when you are with kids your own age. </p>

<p>Again, I do not know your level of intelligence in either Math or Astronomy. I can just say that from experience, you will get much more of out a program when you are paired with kids who are at similar stages in life.</p>

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<p>be SMaRT, you can’t do much real/meaningful research in 1 week</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice guys. Also, it says there’s no prior knowledge of astronomy required for ERIRA (though I know some). It’s basically a intro course for non-astronomy majors and astronomy majors. So I’m assuming that some of the undergrads will know more than me and others won’t? Do you think that makes a difference? I don’t know how much you read about the actual ERIRA program but that’s the feel I got from it.</p>