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How to Create a Science Theme for Your College Application

The Science Theme is similar to the math one. It follows the same formula
but instead of math, it is replaced with a science – biology, physics or
chemistry.

Remember the five main areas to cover when constructing an

application theme:

1. Academics
2. Extracurriculars – Club/Leadership
3. Extracurriculars – Academic/Scholarship
4. Competitions/Achievements
5. Major and Supporting Documents

1. Academics

Pick one of the three main sciences (biology, physics or chemistry) and
build a theme around it. It starts with your courses: it’s extremely
important to have taken an AP course in your science by the time you
apply. Taking APs in the other sciences are important as it shows that you
are a strong, well-rounded science student, but not necessary. There are
many pre-med students who take AP Bio and/or AP Chem but not AP
Physics.

2. Extracurriculars – Club/Leadership

There are usually a smattering of science clubs so many times it’s a matter
of what you do as a member of the club that’s important. You should be
devoting somewhere between 4-6 hours a week doing interesting activities.
Experiments are a science club staple and hopefully your science club
sponsor is active in this area.
Community projects are also helpful. For example, a biology or chemistry
club could help clean up pollution around the city. Taking it a step further,
your club could help analyze the pollutants and figure out the impact such
pollutants are having. A chemistry club could analyze the chemical makeup
of the pollutants and present its findings to the school, school board or the
city council to advocate for changes in policies or more funds to support
clean up efforts.

Speaking of advocacy, this type of activity always looks good on a college

application. Discussing the ways you persauded the powers-that-be to
change their outlook, policies, laws or regulations is an impressive
accomplishment. That could mean changing the types of school food you
get, getting more volunteers for cleaning up the city, getting support to
create programs that will help protect wildlife or any other school,
neighborhood or city policy that has a negative impact on society. It all
starts with simple awareness. So identify a problem, find its causes and
effects and then present it to people. You could use the presentation to
persuade students and parents to sign a petition that you could send to
officials. Enlist the help of the school newspaper, A/V department or a
photographer and make posters exposing the problem at hand.

FAQ:

Do I need to take APs in English/Social Studies if I’m building a science

theme?

Counselor Gwendolyn Roberts: No. Top math/science

programs like well-rounded students, but they love outstanding achievers.
Rather than spending time getting that extra AP US History, spend your
time and energy getting into the AIME.

Counselor Edward Northington: Yes. Top schools still like to see well-
rounded students who are good at many things. Having lots of APs in itself
is an accomplishment. In your essays you can explain how you love
learning, which hard-core academic schools like U of Chicago and
Princeton love, and that that love of learning extends to many different
areas. The reality is that most successful scientists are smart in humanities
areas as well.
 
3. Extracurriculars – Academic/Scholarship

The other way to go with a science club is, as with the math club, to help
each other prepare for competitions. Here are numerous science fairs and
competitions that can help a great deal. Olympiads, Intel and Siemens are
the most prestigious and they require year-round efforts. Work with your
sponsor on a plan or overall strategy a year in advance. Once your sponsor
registers through the proper channels start working on your project right
away.

If you don’t have competitions available to you, then focus on writing

research papers. Work together with your sponsor or science teacher 3-4
hours a week and write a research paper that you can talk about in your
college applications as well as attach an abstract of it to the supplement
applications or the additional information section. Andother option is to
attend the many summer science programs and work on something there.
Here is a list of some of the top science programs. One caveat is that many
science programs in the US are not available to International students.

Research Science Held usually at MIT, RSI is the crème e la crème

Institute (RSI) of math/science programs for high school
students. Acceptance is extremely difficult to win.
But once there you will work with a graduate
student 1-on-1 for 6 weeks on a research paper.
Participants regularly win the Intel Talent Search
and the Siemens Competition in Math, Science &
Technology. For more information, click here.
Summer Science Available after your Junior Year, SSP takes place
Program (SSP) at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology and Westmont College in Santa
Barbara, California. The research focuses on
college-level astronomy, physics and math. The
 curriculum is organized around a central research
project: to determine the orbit of a near-earth
asteroid (minor planet) from direct astronomical
observations. For more information, click here.
Boston Leadership Held at Bentley University in Waltham,
Institute: Biological Massachusetts, this program is one of Counselor
Research Joseph Smith’s favorites because the 3-week
program offers hands-on lab work and field
research giving students a real glimpse of
professional, scientific research. For more
information, click here.
Research in This program is one of the best if you’re
Biological Sciences interested in biology. Held at the University of
(RIBS) Chicago, the program accepts rising juniors and
teaches them in labs about real biology research.
Once there, make sure you shine, because you
could be one of the lucky few who get asked back
the following year to work on an actual research
project with a University of Chicago research
scientist. This program is one of the very best
ways to get a research paper under your belt. For
more information, click here.
Minority A strong program for students of minority
Introduction to backgrounds, MITES is six weeks long and held at
Engineering and MIT. Students choose 5 courses out of 14
Science (MITES) challenging engineering and science courses. For
more information, click here.
Women’s WTP is a 4-week program designed for female
Technology Program students, taught by female students (female MIT
(WTP) graduate students). There are labs, team-based
projects and courses focusing on either Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science or Mechanical
Engineering. For more information, click here.
Boston University A 6-week program, RISE is one of the few
Research Internship research internships available to high school
in Science & students. As an intern, you will be doing work,
Engineering (RISE) not just studying. For 40 hours a week, you will
work on a project designated to you by your
professor. Another great way to write a research
paper. For more information, click here.

4. Competitions/Achievements
Nothing shows off your passion for science than winning a competition.
Winning, medaling or placing at competitions starting in the 9th all go
towards improving your college application. Usually these competition
with gradually widen geographically and competition level, proceeding
from local to regional to national. The further you can go, the better.

The most prestigious and noteworthy competitions are the national ones.
Some of them you can take at your school or by yourself. Others you must
travel with your team and a sponsor teacher and compete with other
students directly. Here is a list of the most prestigious ones:

Science Olympiad

AKA US Olympiads, the Science Olympiad are the most recognizable,

prestigious science competition in the US. It is different form the
International Science Olympiads (ISO). K-12 are eligible; the high school
division is known as Division C. It is a team competition and all teams
gather one day at a select college campus and compete in 24 different
subjects. Ask your science teacher if your school has a team; without an
existing team in place, it is nearly impossible to participate. Please see our
detailed guide on the Olympiad here.

International Science Olympiads

This international competition starts with country-wide competitions that

seek to find the best 4-6 students in a wide range of subjects from
astronomy and geology to philosophy and linguistics. If you are an
international student (you're nationality is not the US), contact your
country's ISO head by searching here.

Science Fairs

There are numerous science fairs. But the ones you want to pay attention to
are affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
This national competition is extremely prestigious and awards large
scholarships. You must win at a regional fair to get the state fair. Winning
there will get you into the ISEF and a chance at science fair glory. For more
information, please see our guide here.

Google

The great thing about this contest is that it's online and open to anyone
ages 13-18. It's sponsored by Google, CERN and Scientific
American, among others. The Grand Prize includes a $50,000 scholarship.
For more information, click here.
 
5. Major and Supporting Documents