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Applications |
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Other Opportunities |
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- What is the Summer Residential Program?
- What does SMYSP and the Summer Residential Program offer me?
- Do I qualify to be in the Summer Residential Program?
- What if I am smart, but I haven’t gotten the best grades?
- How do I apply?
- What if my high school has not received a Summer Residential Program application?
- How will I know where I stand during the application process?
- What is the application review process?
- How will I spend the majority of my time during the Summer Residential Program?
- What if I'm not Eligible for the Summer Residential Program?
- Evaluation Results
What is the Summer Residential Program?
The SMYSP Summer Residential Program (SRP) is an annual five-week science- and medicine-based enrichment program that takes place from mid-June to late July, and is held on the campus of Stanford University. It is open to low-income and ethnically
diverse high school sophomores and juniors who live in northern
and central California. The program bolsters student’s science skills while introducing
them to a host of health-related careers. There is
no cost to participants. Students
must be able to attend the entire duration of the program to be eligible.
Students live in a residence house on the Stanford campus the entire
time, and family members are invited to visit each Sunday.
What Does SMYSP and the Summer Residential Program Offer Me?
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SMYSP offers students:
- a full scholarship for the Summer Residential Program covering student expenses including tuition, books, classroom fees, and room and board.
- an intense and rewarding educational experience.
- staff members who work with each student’s innate talents to broaden understanding of the basic sciences, health and social sciences.
- an opportunity to attend lectures given by Stanford professors, medical professionals and staff members.
- to participate in computer and writing seminars, and anatomy and pathology laboratory workshops.
- real-world hospital experience wherein participants are placed in a volunteer internship two days per week at either the Stanford Hospital & Clinics or the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System hospital.
- a mentor who is a Stanford medical student, graduate student or health professional.
- opportunities to develop leadership skills to be effective leaders and role models in their school and communities.
- letters of recommendation to its graduates for college applications, scholarships or job applications for participants as needed.
- opportunities to develop important friendships; living, eating, and working with other students for five weeks is a great way to get to know people really well.
In addition, Summer Residential Program participants receive one-on-one and group college admissions counseling, essay and resume writing guidance, presentation skills and PowerPoint training. Stanford University professors, staff, and medical personnel also participate in the program. A full-time staff of ten Stanford undergraduate students directs the program and lives with participants during the five-week program.
Special
attention is given to developing leadership and interpersonal skills,
with offerings such as workshops and discussions on networking, public
speaking, and multicultural issues. The atmosphere is supportive, and
without an emphasis placed on testing or competition. Rather, SMYSP
follows a team approach to learning and encourages peer teaching.
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Because of our funding guidelines, only applications received from the following California counties will be considered. No exceptions can be allowed: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Madera, Marin, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, and Yolo. |
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Do I Qualify to be in the Summer Residential Program?
You qualify for the SMYSP Summer Residential Program and are invited to apply if you:
- are currently a sophomore or junior in high school who lives and attends school in one of the northern or central California counties from which we recruit. Preference is given to students who are juniors.
- are from a low-income family, and/or a family with little or no history of attending college.
- have demonstrated interest in science classes and have received a B-average in some of them.
- have demonstrated an interest in medicine- and health-related careers, and show maturity, intelligence, initiative and curiosity about the world around you.
What if I am Smart, but I Haven't Gotten the Best Grades?
The program recognizes that certain circumstances often prevent some
students from demonstrating their full academic potential. Therefore,
SMYSP is not looking for A-average students only. If you fall into
such a category, we encourage you to apply. Note that you must have
taken adequate science and math courses to understand the lectures
and labs.
How Do I Apply?
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As a sophomore or junior high school student, you can easily apply to our program when applications are available.
A complete application includes the following:
- An initial online application where the applicant provides basic background and contact information.
- A completed participant application form and accompanying essays.
- A copy of your high school transcript.
- Two letters of recommendation. One letter should be from a science teacher and another from a teacher, counselor, principal or mentor. Mail these with your application!
What if My High School Has Not Received Any Summer Residential Program Information?
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When Summer Residential Program applications become available, we send information to high schools in the selected 20 northern and central California counties. If your school is located in one of the counties (listed in the box above) but has not received information about our program, please email us a request so we can send information to your school next year.
The request should include your school's complete name, mailing address, and a school staff contact person (such as a science teacher or counselor) to whom the information should be sent. Please include an email address for this contact. (We follow-up our mailing with an email announcement as well.) Please e-mail your request to: . Alternately, please send the request to the following address:
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program
Stanford Prevention Research Center
Stanford University School of Medicine
MSOB, 1265 Welch Road, X3C32
Stanford, CA 94305-5411
How Will I Know Where I Stand in the Application Process?
Once we have processed your paper application, you will receive an "application
received" email from us. (If you do not have an email address, we strongly encourage you or your parents or guardians to register one for free with Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or some other free email hosting service.) In our email, if we have any questions about your application,or there is something missing, we will ask you to contact us immediately. It will be your responsibility to check your email regularly and respond to us.
If you submit your
application close to the deadline, it may take several weeks for us to get
this notification sent back to you, at which point it may be too late to submit missing items or to resubmit an
application that was lost in the mail. Additionally, incomplete applications will not be considered. Plan ahead! Everyone
is also notified via email about his or her status during the application
process. Given the size of the applicant pool, please do not call us
regarding your status. Final selection will take place approximately
three weeks after the On-Campus Interviews.
What is the Application Review Process?
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After all applications have been received, the review process begins. From the entire applicant pool, up to 100 applicants will be selected to participate in a telephone interview conducted by a Stanford staff member. Up to 45 finalists are then invited to participate in personal and group interviews on Stanford’s campus. (These on-campus interviews typically take place in late April or early May.) Students must attend the on-campus interviews to be eligible for selection. Finally, 24 students are selected for the program.
How Will I Spend the Majority of My Time during the Summer Residential Program?
Participants divide their time between instruction, group project work, anatomy and pathology laboratories, hospital volunteer internships, educational field trips, evening discussions, and time with mentors. Innovative and enjoyable group activities keep you busy from morning until night. There is not a lot of downtime, so be prepared to work hard!
What if I'm not Eligible for the Summer Residential Program?
We have a list of summer programs from around the country that were brought to our attention. We cannot recommend or endorse any in particular, as we're not familiar with them all. Additionally, you would need to investigate eligibility and tuition requirements for each. Click here for a list of alternate summer programs.
Evaluation Results
The Summer Residential Program (our university-based program) has been rigorously evaluated since its creation in 1988, showing outstanding results.
Key findings:
Of the first 500 students selected for the 5-week Summer Residential Program
(an average of 24 students each summer from Northern California schools):
- 100% have been from low-income families
- 61% have been from under-represented ethnic minority groups (African-American, Latino, or Native American)
- 100% have successfully completed the program
- 97% have been followed for up to 21 years through annual surveys
- 100% have graduated from high school*
- 99% have been admitted to college*
- 84% have graduated from 4-year colleges* (compared to 15% of low-income youth in California)
- 47% attend or have completed medical or graduate school* (at top-tier universities such as Stanford, Harvard, and U.C. Berkeley)
- 43% are becoming or have become health professionals in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, and mental health.
*of age-eligible alumni