Summer Science Program

Essay Prompts

Important Tips: SSP’s community adheres to an honor code. In responding to short answer questions, we want to hear from you in your own voice. We do not want to read the voice of AI, your parents, your college consultant, or any other individuals. We recommend you compose your answers in a document you save elsewhere, then copy and paste here. Keeping your essay under the maximum helps highlight your key points effectively to readers. The strongly recommended length for each essay below is at least 100 words, and the maximum word count per essay is 180. 1․ What scholarly topic(s) do you currently find most interesting and why? When and how did you become aware of it? How have you explored it? Feel free to discuss a topic in STEM, out of STEM, or both․* 2․ We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you․ Tell us about something you choose to do for enjoyment or relaxation․* 3․ There are many ways to spend your summer․ Why specifically are you applying to SSP, and how might you hope to have changed at the conclusion of your summer with us?* 4․ Communities can be large or small, well defined or informal․ Tell us about a community you belong to and how engaging in that community has shaped your life and experiences․* 5․ Tell us about a non-academic challenge that you have faced, something in your family, your community, or your personal life that you are proud to have overcome and how you grew from the experience․* 6․ Reflect on a time you learned something from someone or a group of people who are unlike yourself and how that challenged your preconceptions or biases․*