BU RISE: Research in Science & Engineering
Boston University's premier six-week research program.
Work 40 hours weekly alongside distinguished faculty, contribute to real scientific breakthroughs, and launch your path to Regeneron finalists and published researchers.
~8-10%
Acceptance Rate
6
Weeks of Research
40
Hours per Week
~190
Students Selected
The Full Research Immersion Experience
BU RISE isn't a summer camp with lab tours. It's a full-time research internship where you spend 40 hours per week in a working university laboratory, contributing to real scientific projects alongside faculty, postdocs, and graduate students.
Every summer, approximately 190 rising high school seniors from across the United States converge on Boston University's campus for six weeks of intensive research. The Internship track places you directly in a faculty lab, tackling projects designed to develop genuine technical and analytical skills. The Practicum track offers structured, collaborative research in computational neurobiology or data science. Both tracks culminate in a Poster Symposium where you present your findings—a preview of the academic conferences you'll attend throughout your career.
What Sets BU RISE Apart: Faculty Matching Process
Unlike programs that assign you to a lab, BU RISE uses a matching system where faculty researchers review your application and choose whether to host you as their intern. You'll list three faculty members whose research interests align with yours—and you'll only receive admission if a professor agrees to mentor you. This mutual selection means you're working with someone who genuinely wants you in their lab, on research that genuinely excites you.
Real Lab Immersion
40 hours per week in working research labs. You're not observing—you're contributing to ongoing scientific projects using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques.
🔬
Regeneron Pipeline
BU RISE alumni regularly become Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists and scholars. Your summer research can become your senior year competition project.
🏆
Publication Opportunities
Alumni have coauthored papers in Physical Review Letters, IEEE Xplore, The Astronomical Journal, and other peer-reviewed journals. Real contributions to real science.
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College Preview
Live in BU dorms, eat in dining halls, experience campus life. Six weeks of independence that prepares you for undergraduate research and beyond.
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The Competitive Reality
The Simons Summer Research Program receives far more applications from qualified students than it can accommodate. With approximately 40 spots available and an acceptance rate hovering around 4–5%, Simons is more selective than most Ivy League universities.
2
Max nominations
per school
Simons Summer Research Program
MIT RSI
Rockefeller SSRP
Clark Scholars Program
Stanford SIMR
3
Mentor preferences
required
Program
4+
Hours of essays
in application
Acceptance Rate
~5%
~3%
~3%
~3%
~3%
6
Essay questions
to answer
But here's what makes Simons particularly challenging:
you must be nominated by your high school before you can even apply.
Each school can only nominate two juniors per year. This means that before the selection committee sees your application, you've already had to distinguish yourself as one of the top two STEM students in your entire school.
Spots Available
~40%
80–100
~35
12
60
Duration
7 weeks
6 weeks
7 weeks
7 weeks
8 weeks
The program officially states that prior research experience is "not a prerequisite"—but the reality is more nuanced. While you don't need research experience to be accepted, the vast majority of successful applicants have demonstrated their scientific capabilities through lab work, competition achievements, or independent projects. An applicant with stellar grades but no hands-on STEM experience faces long odds.
What Simons Actually Values in Applicants
By analyzing the six essay prompts Simons requires—and understanding what separates accepted applicants from rejected ones—we can reverse-engineer exactly what the selection committee is looking for.
The Core Philosophy
Simons wants students who have already demonstrated that they think like researchers—students who ask questions, solve problems independently, and approach challenges with creativity and rigor. The essays are designed to reveal whether you have the scientific mindset, not just the scientific interest.
1. Specific, Process-Focused Goals
The first essay asks why you want to participate and what your goals are for the summer. This isn't asking about vague aspirations—it's asking whether you understand what you still need to learn as a developing scientist. Successful applicants identify specific technical skills they want to strengthen: navigating peer-reviewed literature, understanding statistical methods, communicating findings effectively, developing mathematical maturity, or building better models. These goals reveal someone who has done enough research to know where their weaknesses lie.
2. Crystal-Clear Long-Term Vision
The second essay asks about your long-term academic and career aspirations. Simons wants specifics: the highest degree you intend to pursue, your subject area, the type of career you're targeting, and how that career will create positive impact. Generic answers ("I want to help people through science") won't cut it. They want to see that you've thought seriously about your path and can articulate exactly where you're headed and why.
3. Scientific Thinking in Everyday Life
The "free time" essay is deceptively important. It's not asking about hobbies—it's asking whether the scientific method is so ingrained in your thinking that you apply it even when you're not in a lab. The strongest responses show applicants using quantitative reasoning to optimize card game strategies, applying physics to analyze science fiction, or bringing statistical thinking to everyday decisions. This essay reveals whether science is something you do or something you are.
4. Original Problem-Solving Ability
The fourth essay asks you to describe tackling a specific problem. This is about showing, not telling. Simons wants to see that you can deviate from textbook approaches, remain comfortable with uncertainty, and think both originally and critically. The best responses put the reader inside your mind as you confronted challenges, wrestled with unknowns, and pieced together solutions. They want evidence that you'd thrive in research, where the answers aren't in the back of the book.
5. Demonstrated Research Experience
If you have prior research experience, the fifth essay asks you to summarize it. Be direct and specific: your exact responsibilities, your personal contributions, the questions your group addressed, the outcomes, and the technical skills you developed (including specific programming packages like PyTorch or NumPy). Don't just list skills—show how you applied them. And crucially, demonstrate that you acquired new skills through the experience, proving you can learn rapidly in a research environment.
6. Understanding of Contemporary Scientific Problems
The final essay is the most technically demanding. It asks about contemporary, unsolved problems in the research areas of your chosen mentors. This isn't about intellectual excitement alone—it's about demonstrating that you understand your field well enough to identify what remains unknown and why those unknowns matter. The strongest responses connect these problems to personal experience, showing why you specifically are motivated to contribute to their solution. The reader should want to root for you to solve them.
The Simons Experience:
Seven Weeks That Transform Your Trajectory
The Simons Summer Research Program runs from late June through early August—seven intensive weeks that will permanently change how you think about science and your future in it.
Daily Research Immersion
A minimum of four hours daily working with your mentor and research group—but most fellows work considerably more. You'll be embedded in an active lab, working alongside graduate students, postdocs, and faculty on real problems.
Weekly Faculty Seminars
Distinguished Stony Brook faculty present their cutting-edge research, giving you exposure to the breadth of scientific inquiry happening across campus. These seminars expand your understanding of what's possible in STEM.
Workshops & Special Events
Professional development workshops, lab tours, and networking events throughout the program. You'll build skills beyond research—communication, collaboration, and the professional practices that define successful scientists.
Closing Poster Symposium
Present your research findings conference-style through a written abstract and research poster. This experience prepares you for academic conferences and demonstrates your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. Fellows receive a stipend award at the conclusion.
Research Areas at Simons
Stony Brook University is a major research institution with faculty working across virtually every STEM discipline. Simons Fellows have conducted research in areas including:
Life Sciences
Biology, biochemistry, neurobiology, genetics, ecology, marine science, biomedical engineering
Physical Sciences
Physics, chemistry, astronomy, atmospheric science, geosciences
Mathematics & Computing
Applied mathematics, computer science, bioinformatics, data science, statistics
Engineering
Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, bioengineering
When you apply, you'll select your top three preferred mentors from the published list of participating faculty. This is one of Simons' most distinctive features—you have real input into what you'll be researching. Choose strategically: select mentors whose work genuinely excites you and whose research areas intersect meaningfully with your prior experience and future goals.
Why Cosmic Is the #1 Firm for Simons Preparation
Most admissions consultants can help you write essays.
Very few can help you develop the scientific foundation that makes those essays authentic.
The Simons application is unique among summer programs. It doesn't just ask about your interest in science—it asks you to demonstrate scientific thinking. The essays require you to identify frontier problems in your field, articulate specific technical skills you want to develop, and show that you apply quantitative reasoning even in your free time. You can't fake this. Either you've developed a genuine scientific mindset, or you haven't.
Our Consultants Are Scientists.
PhD physicists.
PhD biochemists.
Software engineers.
Computational neuroscientists.
We don't just know what good science sounds like—we know what good science is. When you work with us, you're learning from people who have lived the research experience you're aspiring to.
What We Provide That No One Else Can
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We can teach you the actual science, not just help you write about it. Whether you're interested in quantum mechanics, protein folding, or machine learning, our consultants can guide you through the technical foundations that make your interest authentic.
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We help you research Stony Brook faculty, understand their work, and select mentors whose research genuinely aligns with your interests and experience. Your mentor preferences matter—choose wisely.
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The "free time" essay reveals whether you think like a scientist. We help you develop and articulate the ways quantitative reasoning and the scientific method already shape how you approach the world—or help you start developing those habits if you haven't yet.
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Essay six asks about frontier problems in your chosen fields. We can help you understand what's actually unsolved, why it matters, and how to connect those problems to your personal experience in ways that feel authentic, not forced.
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If you don't yet have research experience, we can help you find and pursue opportunities—cold-emailing professors, identifying competitions, designing independent projects—that will strengthen your profile before application season.
The Cosmic Simons Preparation Timeline
The Simons application deadline falls in early February of your junior year. But preparation should begin much earlier—ideally, years before you apply.
8th–9th Grade:
Foundation Building
Begin developing your STEM spike. Take accelerated math and science courses. Start participating in competitions (Science Olympiad, math competitions, coding challenges). Develop relationships with teachers who can eventually write strong recommendations. Begin exploring what research areas genuinely interest you.
10th Grade:
Research Development
Pursue your first research experience—whether through a local university, a summer program, or an independent project. Deepen your competition involvement. Take advanced coursework that demonstrates your commitment to your chosen field. Build the technical skills (programming, statistical analysis, lab techniques) that will make you a valuable lab member.
11th Grade (Fall):
Application Season
Secure your school nomination early—only two students per school can be nominated. Research Stony Brook faculty and identify three mentors whose work genuinely excites you. Begin working on your six essays well before the February deadline. Request recommendations from teachers who can speak to your scientific abilities and research potential.
Application Deadline:
February 5, 2026
The application must be completed in a single sitting (approximately 4 hours). Recommendations due February 13. Decisions released in early April. If you're not accepted, don't be discouraged—the program explicitly encourages applicants to pursue research through other means, and Stony Brook faculty may still be willing to mentor you independently.
A Reality Check: Who Gets In?
Let's be honest about what the Simons selection committee is looking for. Analyzing successful and unsuccessful applicants reveals clear patterns:
What Accepted Applicants Have
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While technically "not required," the vast majority of accepted students have worked in a lab, completed research projects, or demonstrated scientific inquiry beyond coursework.
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Science Olympiad, Math Olympiad, ISEF, coding competitions—evidence that they can perform at high levels in competitive STEM environments.
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Specific programming skills, lab techniques, or mathematical maturity that would make them immediately useful in a research group.
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A focused area of interest with demonstrated commitment, not a scattershot of superficial involvement in many areas.
What Gets Applicants Rejected
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A 4.0 GPA and high test scores aren't enough. Without demonstrated research initiative, you're unlikely to be selected.
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"I love science and want to help people" won't distinguish you from thousands of other applicants. Specificity matters.
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Claiming to be curious and hardworking is worthless without concrete evidence of curiosity and hard work in action.
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Choosing mentors whose research has no connection to your stated interests signals that you haven't done your homework.
"Despite their near-perfect academic stats and strong school ranking, this student lacked one critical element: prior research experience. Simons isn't just looking for high GPAs and test scores—it seeks students who have already shown initiative in hands-on scientific exploration."
— Analysis of a rejected applicant, IvyMax
The Bottom Line
The Simons Summer Research Program is one of the most valuable opportunities available to high school students who are serious about STEM research. Its inclusion on your resume signals to college admissions officers that you have already proven yourself capable of genuine scientific work.
But getting in requires more than strong grades and test scores. It requires demonstrating—through your experiences, your essays, and your technical knowledge—that you already think like a researcher. That you ask questions, solve problems independently, and approach challenges with creativity and rigor. That you've developed the scientific mindset, not just the scientific interest.
If that describes you, Simons could be transformative. If it doesn't describe you yet, we can help you get there. Our consultants have the technical expertise to mentor you through research projects, prepare you for competitions, and develop the scientific foundation that makes a compelling Simons application possible.
And if you're already a strong candidate, we'll ensure your application does justice to everything you've accomplished.
Ready to Start Your Simons Journey?
95%
95% of Cosmic applicants are admitted to a Top-3 Choice school.
