Looks like it’s called iResearch Insitute. It’s the same thing but just for 4 weeks instead of 6 in SSI. To put this into perspective, RSI is 6 weeks and its barely enough time to grind out an actual project and paper so I don’t think iResearch will be enough if you actually want to finish your project and publish it to journals and submit to competitions.
In the end, it’s about how much work you’re willing to put in, regardless of the program.
@researchscholar20
Can you describe your experience with iResearch Institute? Thanks!
Has anyone received a full scholarship from SSI? I am concerned about the legitimacy of the program and the intentions of those running it after reading this thread…
How are they going to manage 120 research projects? I don’t think it is realistic for a group of 7-10 mentors to manage thAT many projects. Even RSI does not have that many projects going on…
SSI Staff probably punching the air rn after seeing this thread lmao.
@dhuang7878 I get what you’re saying, it’s definitely a great opportunity and their handbook does seem well planned out. One of my concerns is how someone on this thread had said they were admitted without finishing their essays, so, in general, how easy it is to get in. I hope this experience is afforded to those with merits (not that the student didn’t deserve it, but it gives me skepticism on the process as a whole) rather than just those who can pay for it
Coming from the person who was admitted without finishing my essays:
I’m not saying that I couldn’t have possibly been admitted because I was a good applicant, but they advertised that they received over a thousand applications. Why would they accept me with an incomplete application if they had an abundance of complete applications? I have been admitted to two other fairly competitive programs, so I am not saying that I’m not a competitive applicant, I just wasn’t technically an applicant at all since I didn’t submit.
@ssianonymous no clue honestly
wow i’m coming back to this thread now and it seems like so many people got in…I just got rejected 
lol this kinda sucks… my stats aren’t even ~that weak tbh, i feel like CC might just be a self-selecting crowd. does anyone have any recs for other summer research programs that are still open? I feel like everything is closing up really fast
@crystalpalace you can try applying for iResearch if you want, else I would suggest to start cold emailing professors and PIs.
On the website it is mentioned that Bootcamp lectures will be given twice a day so that international students can still attend live lectures and ask questions. I hope they have enough bandwidth. Does anyone know how many kids have been admitted to bootcamp?
Has anyone who has been accepted been given a date which they must respond by? I was told to respond by tomorrow but I am still quite skeptical about this program…
Alright someone was bound to ask this question. iRI vs. SSI? In terms of prestige, what we’ll get out of it, and the level of mentoring/guidance?
@fluffypancake78 I also got accepted but didn’t apply for financial aid (but rlly need it). I emailed them about 2 days ago. Have you gotten a reply?
I just heard from a friend (who was also admitted) that SSI has extended admission offer to ~275 students for Bootcamp. He was not sure about how many of those were research students
I just applied to their research program yesterday. As a middle-income international student, I was super pumped about their financial aid policy. I’m a highschool freshman in Monterrey, Mexico so I still don’t have a lot of amazing awards or extracurriculars.
I definitely felt the strongest part of my application were my essays. I talked about my passion for biology and how I like to occasionally ignore schoolwork to study bio on my own, because my school doesn’t offer that science class. I also wrote about my experiences inside hospitals as a medical volunteer, teaching assistant at a leadership program for young kids and teens, and how I want to pursue a biomedical research project on the pluripotency of stem cells in the human body inside their digital research summer program.
If anyone wants to chance-me, Id be more than happy to give you more details about my application.
May 22nd was the date I got as well.
I applied to SSI early May (the 5th I believe) and I received notification of the admission decision on the 17th, and I got into the research program.
I made sure not to apply to financial aid too early, knowing how businesses are, and I was planning on applying after receiving an admission decision. Then I saw their financial aid policy, and you can only apply 3 days after applying. I became really skeptical of this program afterward.
I think you guys put up some really valid points regarding the validity of this program, and it is certainly sketchy how the people who did apply for financial aid only got accepted into the bootcamp/masterclass.
I’m really on edge whether to accept this. I’m trying to choose the decision that I will regret the least. If this program is really what it says it is, then I really want to do it, but at the same time, there’s no guarantee.
If anyone has any questions for me, I’ll be sure to hit you up asap!
Looking at earlier posts, there were people who got accepted as early as May 4th, and it seemed like they were able to apply for financial aid after knowing their admissions decision. If they added that later it must have been because of people taking advantage of this(?)
But at the same time, how will they address the people who applied earlier with the intent of applying for financial aid after knowing their admissions decision? Obviously, they can no longer apply since 3 days passed for them already.
So far, this program is running as well as you would expect from a student-run organization… It really is a shame because I’m running out of options in terms of data science research.
@NYkid_Bear How did your friend hear about the number of people accepted into the program? I emailed SSI and they said that they could not disclose the exact number.