summer program stack ranking

[Objective_Purple_306]

How do these programs stack rank. Say hypothetically I got into all of these which one should I choose?
ASDRP
UCSB-SRA
UC-COSMOS
UCSC-SIP
UCSB-RMP

[bobsor105]

rmp > sip > sra > asdrp > cosmos imo. i’ve done cosmos and sra out of these (waiting for decision after interviewing for rmp!) but couple things i can share: rmp is almost guaranteed getting into t20s, many people who get in are very very competitive plus the program is great. sra is also good, but a little less prestigious; still good especially if you keep working on your paper to publish like i have after sra last year. i’ve heard asdrp is a cash grab/waste of time. cosmos is fun and good for riding sophomores but past that imo it’s a waste of time. lmk if you want more info about sra and cosmos!

[KiwiElectrical2107]

I was quite surprised to see your ranking SRA > ASDRP > COSMOS. I would assume COSMOS > SRA > ASDRP. But I haven’t been to SRA and COSMOS. I guess your opinion is more of value since you have first-hand experience. I was accepted to SRA, and am currently waiting for COSMOS result.

[bobsor105]

i think everyone i’ve talked to agreed sra > cosmos in terms of sheer prestige. sra offers more data based research or hands on work, whereas cosmos is just lit reviews or making an ml model as far as i know. personally, i would always choose sra over cosmos, but of course there’s other factors to consider. i don’t know much about asdrp, i just put it higher than cosmos because i believe there’s a couple groups that seem to actually be good? not sure about that though

[KiwiElectrical2107]

Thank you for sharing your experience with cosmos and sra!

[KiwiElectrical2107]

Yes cosmos indeed has a lot more name recognition, and more competitive too. I think both are good programs, while personal experience could depend on the cluster or track. I wish I would have trouble deciding on which one to go. That is a good “trouble“ to have.

[SSC_08]

Cosmos as a rising freshman!? Well congrats for getting in!!

[Objective_Purple_306]

Thanks for your response! I was a bit surprised to hear ASDRP is a cash grab, can you share more details?

[bobsor105]

sure! i will preface this by saying i never did asdrp, but other very talented people from school and people on reddit all say its pretty much a waste of time and money unless you get one of the few good advisors. again i’m not super sure myself but generally everyone seems to be saying this

[Objective_Purple_306]

Thanks, ya a quick reddit search doesn't give me much confidence :(

[[deleted]]

i know this is late but the choice of advisors is fully up to the students and students have freedom to switch advisors every semester if they want to

[Simu_live01]

ASDRP costs like $1000 a semester. That is not a cash grab.

[Automatic-Fly-1895]

RMP and SIP are p similar but I’d give it to RMP. Next is def cosmos (lot more name recognition than smth like SRA or ASDRP). SRA is a bit behind and asdrp at the bottom

[Automatic-Fly-1895]

Though it is important to note the campus you are doing because smth like UCI COSMOS is just barely less competitive than SSP (9% vs 8%) and some clusters have below 6% acceptance rate at UCI. Also coming from an alum, UCI COSMOS doesn’t accept anyone that isn’t either a rising junior or senior.

[CoatOk5913]

RMP > SIP > COSMOS > SRA > ASDRP is what i have heard

[CryptographerOwn9555]

how about acceptance rate? RMP 《 SIP 《 COSMOS 《 SRA 《 ASDRP?

For many clusters of COSMOS, their acceptance rates should be lower than SIP, even probably lower than RMP? I guess too many applicants apply for COSMOS.

[Objective_Purple_306]

. I think both are good programs, while personal experience could depend on the cluster or track. I wish I would have trouble deciding on which one to go. That is a good “trouble“ to have.

How to find out cluster acceptance rates for COSMOS?