Who wouldn't want a $750 stipend for seven weeks of research in a prestigious summer program?

That's just part of the reason why application for the Anson L.

Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University is so cutthroat.

Here's how you can do it.

Eligibility Requirements Prospective applicants must be at least 17 years old by the program start date and on track to graduate in either 2024 or 202

5. (Summer before senior year or after graduation).

Participants must hold U.

S. citizenship or permanent residency status.

Why Should I Apply?

Apart from the stipend, the Clark Scholars program facilitates hands-on practical research experience with exceptional and seasoned faculty members.

To add, since only 12 students are selected, it looks exceptional for your college applications.

Alums have gone on to elite colleges and establish themselves within the expansive network.

Furthermore, the program is free of charge, covering essential expenses such as on-campus meals, room and board, and weekend activities and programming.

However, participants are responsible for their travel to and from the program location, personal expenses, and medical expenses.

Application Checklist Application Essays: Prepare short essays based on provided prompts and character limits.

Start working on them in advance of gaining access to the application platform.

High School Transcripts and AP Scores: Upload transcripts and any AP test scores.

Official documents are not required.

College Admissions Standardized Test Scores: Enter test scores and upload a score report.

A PSAT score is mandatory if SAT or ACT scores are unavailable by the deadline.

Recommendations: Get three recommendations, with a minimum of two from teachers.

The third recommendation can be from a teacher, research mentor, principal investigator, or a representative of a volunteer organization.

Top 5 Activities: List your most significant involvement activities and accomplishments, which may include academic honors, research programs, and extracurricular activities within and beyond school.

Official 2024 Application Details Crafting Your Story Writing a compelling personal essay for an academic program, especially Clark Scholars, involves expressing sincere motivations for joining, outlining future aspirations, and reflecting on meaningful service experiences.

Introduce yourself concisely, highlighting key aspects of your background and achievements.

You will have two essays.

1. About You: Clearly articulate your reasons for applying and how the program aligns with your academic and career goals.

Share your long-term aspirations and explain how participating in the program will contribute to your future success. (2,000 characters including spaces)

2. About Your Service: Reflect on a significant service experience, illustrating its impact on your character and worldview.

Finally, refine your narrative, ensuring clarity, coherence, and authenticity throughout. (1,500 characters including spaces) Suggested Stats Academic performance plays a crucial role in the selection process.

While there is no explicit minimum GPA or standardized test score requirement, applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong academic record.

This includes achieving high grades in challenging coursework (

4. 0+) and excelling on standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT (1500/34+).

Admissions committees also consider the rigor of the applicant's high school curriculum and any advanced or honors courses taken.

Extracurricular Experience In addition to academic achievement, admissions committees are interested in applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to extracurricular activities.

This may include involvement in clubs, sports, community service, or other pursuits outside of the classroom.

Applicants should showcase their leadership abilities, creativity, and passion for learning through their extracurricular involvement in personal projects and research.

Keep in mind that this program is for seasoned upperclassmen, so your competition will be tough—ECs will help you stand out.

Not sure where to start with research?

Take a look at Rishab's Guide Understanding Research Interests The list of research disciplines available for Summer 2024 and likely future years is shown below.

For the best results, you should categorize your application into one of these even if your interests are interdisciplinary.

In the application, you will get to write about a primary and secondary (optional) interest.

Nutritional Sciences: Investigating nutrient-gene interactions and the endocrine function of adipose tissue in obesity-associated inflammation and metabolic disorders, particularly focusing on diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Biology/Cellular & Microbiology: Researching microbial interactions during infection, cellular differentiation in biofilms, metalloregulation of bacterial physiology, microbial symbiosis, high throughput genome and transcriptome sequencing, bioinformatics, population and comparative genomics, confocal microscopy, phylogenomics, and microevolutionary analysis.

Also studying inflammation, particularly macrophage responses to pore-forming toxins.

Computer Science: Exploring areas such as Virtual and Augmented Reality, Big Data Visualization and Visual Analytics, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Animation, Statistical data analysis, Data-intensive computing, Parallel and distributed computing, High-performance computing, Cloud computing, Computer architectures, and Systems software.

Neurobiology: Investigating how hormones modulate adaptive features of the stress response.

Mechanical Engineering: Researching targeted delivery of nanotherapeutics, multi-modal image-guided surgical interventions for cancer, and nanosensors for early disease diagnosis and monitoring.

History: Exploring topics such as Modern American Politics, Conservatism, and Texas Sunbelt political culture, particularly the post-1945 fusion of the South and West.

Chemistry: Studying inorganic synthesis, (Supra)molecular Materials, and Smart Molecules.

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Researching RF/Analog Circuits and Microwave/Millimeter-Wave sensing for Healthcare, Security, and Human-Machine Interface.

Preparing for Interviews In some cases, applicants may be invited to participate in interviews as part of the admissions process.

These interviews provide an opportunity for applicants to further demonstrate their qualifications, discuss their research interests, and showcase their personality and communication skills.

Applicants should be prepared to discuss their academic background, extracurricular involvement, and future aspirations during the interview process.

Didn't Get In?

Don't stress.

Since the program has less than 3% acceptance rate, you should not be doubting your abilities.

Moreover, focus on your own research during the summer so you have a shot at other programs!

Here are some of the best prestigious programs: Top 10 Free STEM Summer Programs.