Welcome to The Thirsty Scholar newsletter—if you’re an international high school student in India and elsewhere, looking to study at a top college in the US, UK, and beyond, this is exactly where you need to be!

Over these years, I have mentored and worked with students and guided both undergrads and MBAs to top universities in the US and UK, including Stanford, Wharton, Harvard, Columbia, MIT, Amherst, Williams, Brown, Northwestern, Dartmouth, Duke, NYU, Carleton, INSEAD, LBS, Imperial and many more. Through this newsletter, I am keen to share my insights and demystify the entire process for as many students (and families) so that we unlock the secrets of college success and make the very best of educational opportunities accessible to all.

Each summer, 100 of the world's most accomplished high school students (specifically 11^th graders/ Year 12 in the UK) gather at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the Research Science Institute (RSI). RSI, founded in 1984, is the first cost-free to students, summer science & engineering program to combine on-campus coursework in scientific theory with off-campus work in science and technology research. Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE), RSI is entirely free for students accepted into the program, making it accessible regardless of financial background.

Participants from around the world experience the entire research cycle from start to finish at MIT Cambridge, Massachusetts. They read the most current literature in their field, execute a detailed research plan, and deliver conference-style oral and written reports on their findings.

RSI scholars first participate in a week of intensive STEM classes with accomplished professors. The heart of RSI is the five-week research internship where students conduct individual projects under the tutelage of mentors who are experienced scientists and researchers. During the final week of RSI, students prepare written and oral presentations on their research projects.

If you’re a rising high school senior (11th grader/IBDP 1/Year 12 in the UK) with a strong background in STEM and a passion for research, RSI offers an opportunity to dive into real-world projects under the mentorship of MIT faculty and researchers.

You may contact me at [email protected] for any questions.

RSI is an intensive, research-focused summer program. The first week includes advanced college-level STEM courses taught by MIT faculty. For the first four days, students read a humanities book (a recent selection was Frankenstein), encouraging broader critical thinking. This introductory week includes a small essay competition to help students acclimate to the program. The remaining five weeks involve working on an independent research project in your chosen STEM field under the mentorship of experienced researchers, culminating with both written and oral presentations of findings.

Students might work in labs at Harvard, MIT, the Broad Institute, or local companies. Guest lectures, held three to four nights per week, feature Nobel laureates and leaders from top companies. The program concludes with students presenting their research paper, which fosters academic and professional presentation skills.

To watch a video, click here

The RSI 2025 program will run from June 22 to August 2, 2025 in Cambridge, MA (USA)

RSI is one of the most prestigious high school research programs, with an acceptance rate between 3- 4%. The program’s selectivity reflects its access to top-notch resources, free tuition, and mentorship from leading scientists at MIT. Selection is based on academic achievements, standardized test scores, recommendations, and a demonstrated interest in STEM.

RSI is open to high school juniors (students entering their senior year). U.S. applicants, including U.S. citizens studying abroad, apply directly through CEE.

International applicants apply through designated agencies in their home countries. Although there is no minimum GPA, selected students typically rank in the top 1-5% of their class.

Do note that high school seniors (12^th graders/ Yr. 13 in UK) are not eligible to apply.

RSI is fully funded, covering tuition, room, and board for all students. However, travel expenses are typically not covered for international students. If travel costs are a concern, CEE suggests discussing options with your country’s RSI representative.

Yes

International applicants apply through country-specific processes managed by educational agencies or national science organizations partnered with CEE. Countries such as India, China, Bulgaria, Israel, and Singapore have designated RSI agencies. If uncertain, applicants can contact the CEE team for guidance. Please write to Maite Ballestero, Executive Vice President of Programs, at [email protected]

Each year, over 3,000 students apply, and only 100 are selected, including around 30 international students. Selection is entirely merit-based.

Applicant Personal Statements

Why did you choose these research fields?

Articulate why the research fields chosen on the previous page are intriguing and exciting to you. For each sub-field, state what you perceive as the one or two most interesting questions or problems in this area.  Explain why these sorts of questions interest you. Your responses are shared with mentors. Please respond with clarity and specificity, including what specific prior research/coursework/etc experiences have prepared you to "hit the ground running" in these fields at RSI.

What are your long-range goals?

What activities and/or hobbies demonstrate your leadership, creativity and uniqueness?

Describe your participation in extracurricular or community outreach activities.

Why are you applying to RSI? What aspects most appeal to you?

Please tell us in more detail about how you learned about RSI and why you chose to apply. What makes this the way you want to spend your summer? 

RSI projects span various STEM fields, such as modeling ocean acidification, optimizing AI algorithms, or exploring genetic modifications. Projects involve data collection, analysis, and applying theoretical concepts.

Distinguished papers and presentations can be viewed here

Students complete a written research report and an oral presentation. These presentations are reviewed by peers, mentors, and RSI faculty, providing valuable feedback.

RSI is considered a “Tier 1” extracurricular, particularly valuable for STEM-focused college applications. Alumni often credit RSI with helping secure strong recommendation letters and improving their research skills.

RSI is possibly the most prestigious high school research opportunity. 33% of RSI alums go on to attend Harvard, 22% to MIT and 12% to Stanford. As far as I know, it doesn’t get better than this.

International applicants should contact Maite Ballestero, Executive Vice President of Programs, at [email protected] for country-specific application guidance.

“My advice for international students applying to RSI would be to have strong answers to essays and I think strong recommendations play a very important role...make sure to show that you are curious and want to learn and highlight your passion projects or things that you are doing or keen to do which is unique and not very commonplace in the field of STEM or whichever topic you are working on. Again, every application is unique and there is no pattern one can decode of who gets into RSI...so the best thing to do is to be absolutely honest and to be YOU.”