Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

So, who here has been accepted into either TASP or MIT's Women's Technology Program?

I've been accepted into both, (TASP at UT Austin) and I can't decide where to go.

I had no idea that this would happen; I applied to the programs knowing that they were each very competitive, so I figured that I'd have a better chance of having *somewhere* to go for the summer if I tried for both. I never really considered which one I would prefer... they both sound lovely.

In any case, I have to make my decision very soon because MIT needs to know whether or not I'm going by Saturday so that they can give the spot to someone on their waiting list. Does anyone have any advice as to which program to choose?

Oh, and however silly this sounds, I have a fear of spiders and I hear that TX has black widows, brown recluses, and other unpleasant critters...
Living in NY, I've never encountered spiders larger than a quarter, so I'm... terrified by the idea of plump, venomous ones crawling around. What are the chances that I'd actually see one / have to deal with them if I attended the UT Austin TASP? (pathetic, I know *blushes*)

By Moxiepoxiedeux (Moxiepoxiedeux) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 05:19 pm: Edit

congrats glucose!
hmm, i hate it when people ask me this question b/c i love both, but are you more of a humanities or a science person? if you love both equally then maybe tasp would be better because i heard that they had lots of humanities, obviously, but some interesting scientific discussions (not too advanced i assume, but thought-provoking?) i don't know much about wtp though. youve got 2 great choices..

By Lki (Lki) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 05:28 pm: Edit

Congrats on your acceptance to the Austin Tasp. I just got into Cornell 2.

Regarding your dilemma: how does the MIT program compare to RSI? The reason I ask is that, as you probably know, TASP is very hard to get into and is intellectually elevated to a degree that the MIT prog might not be. Also, how big are they? THe Tasp is only 16 people which could be both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Is the MIT program free?
Finally, what kind of gender distribution do you want.

Hmm... now I'm starting to wonder whether i should have asked for Austin... No... the weather's better in Ithaca in July ;-)

By Saera (Saera) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 05:41 pm: Edit

I'd say go with the one that most closely coincides with your interests...if you like EECS, go to WTP. I don't know much about TASP, so I can't really comment on that...

Good luck on deciding, although really it's a win-win situation...either way you'll spend the summer at a good program.

If you end up deciding to go to WTP, you might want to msg me on AIM...I'm going, and it'd be nice knowing someone before going.

By Glucose (Glucose) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 05:52 pm: Edit

*bites lip*
I think I'm leaning toward TASP... I'm pretty good at science, but EECS sort of... scares me. I don't know how good of an indicator this is, but people have attempted, on several occasions, to teach me BASIC... they sort of quickly lost patience.
On the other hand, this is also one of the reasons that I wanted to go to WTP; I want to be introduced to computer science... gently.
WTP strikes me as my *last chance* to learn about that sort of thing because I fear that when I go to college, if I were to try taking a compsci class without any sort of previous backgroud that I would be completely lost.
So... yeah... that's my kinda-sorta-coherent reasoning at the moment.
Heh, keeping you guys posted, I guess.

By Portlander (Portlander) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 10:10 pm: Edit

Definitely TASP...admission is much more competitive, and plus (my opinion) the experience would be much better. And, I agree with moxie. TASP is great for both humanities and science.

By 123456789abcdef (123456789abcdef) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 10:32 pm: Edit

I don't know much about TASP, but having spent my summer up at MIT with WTP, I can say that WTP is truly an awesome experience. We had a LOT of fun and met a lot of really awe inspiring (and surprisingly modest/nice) people. This year, WTP is far more competitive than the past 2 years with 40 kids out of 700 being admitted. I'm actually going to be back up at MIT for the next four years for college! If you like science...WTP is tremendous! I guarantee that you'll have a really fantastic summer

By Phira (Phira) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 07:56 am: Edit

Congrats! Well, Austin is pretty urban I think, so I don't imagine you'd be encountering lots of critters on a day-to-day basis . I would base your decision on how you want to spend your summer: do you want to spend it reading and talking about books (philosophy, lit, etc.), or learning computer skills? (I'm sure you can tell my bias.) If you're feeling lukewarm about the actual intellectual content of the TASP, don't go. But if that stuff seems exciting to you, don't worry about spiders!

By 123456789abcdef (123456789abcdef) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 03:15 pm: Edit

hehe, Phira's def. biased towards TASP. Just to let you know, at WTP you don't really learn computer skills...only how to make a handwriting recognition program and you get to build your own motor which runs at about 3000 rpm. Mostly tho, its all about the fun you have in Boston and at MIT. The program really tries to recruit you to attend MIT the following year (as you can see it won me over)...and it pretty much guarantees admission to MIT unless you do something really terrible w/ your application.

By Glucose (Glucose) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 03:44 pm: Edit

So, how much knowledge do you actually walk away with after attending WTP? Would I learn a lot, or would it sort of float by without being absorbed, or is there not that much information offered in the first place? This is something that is a key factor in my decision because I think I'd have a good time at both programs.
As for guaranteed admission, I'm not really planning on attending MIT at the moment, mostly because I have no idea what I want to do in life and I think that I would be better off at a college with a more balanced curriculum rather than a technology school.
I feel bad about turning down either program though, because I'm afraid that no matter where I go this summer, my head will be full of "what ifs" ... also, I called WTP with some questions today and the woman I talked to was *reeeally nice*.
I think I need to decide today, so quick, people that have been to WTP, how much do you learn?
:-) Thanks,
Mariya

By Philthecow (Philthecow) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 04:21 pm: Edit

If I were you, I'd go to TASP at UT Austin. I mean, I'm going to be there, so it's obviously going to be a party. *slightly creepy grin*

From what I can gather, it seems that TASP is slightly more selective and will look slightly more impressive on an application. (Although certainly not what you should be worrying about, I feel obligated to mention it...)

1. Is WTP free?
2. TASP is six weeks, WTP is four weeks. Does that have any effect on your decision?
3. I guess it comes down to whether you'd rather discuss humanities or learn engineering. I know what I'd do, but it's different for every person.

But seriously, congratulations on the acceptances! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time no matter where you end up.

By 123456789abcdef (123456789abcdef) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 04:21 pm: Edit

ooo, the lady you probably talked to was probably Cynthia, the director. She's a SUPER DUPER awesome person!! As for how much you'd learn...it depends on how much you WANT to learn. Before I attended the program, I had already taken Discrete math and AP comp sci so much of the stuff I learned at WTP was hands on application of previously acquired information. EECS was extremely interesting and new. However, I haven't applied much of what I learned to AP Physics this year...with the exception of maybe AC circuits and the motor we built. In my opinion, the best part of the program wasn't the classes, it was the amazing 39 other girls I met and the really cool scientists we got to interact with.

I'd say go to WTP if you really like science and want to meet some people who share your passion for science....and fun (among other things)! If you're into tough late night studying for the summer, you'll probably find most of the other girls out shopping or touring Boston til the curfew.

I felt that every single one of the girls was down to earth and sociable and REALLY nice!! I made a lot of great friends...from all over the country!

As for colleges...I don't know about my summer but the summer b4 us, exactly 75% of the girls are currently at MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or Stanford (and excluding MIT, all very balanced schools.) The rest are at BU, Oberlin, Rice, and the UCs.

Like another poster mentioned, the program itself is probably not as "intellectually elevated" as RSI or TASP. On the flip side, I'm willing to bet that the people attending it will be just as intelligent, accomplished, talented, and wellbalanced as those from either program.

I don't intend to sway you either way because the truth is there are pluses and minuses to every program once you sit down and evaluate it. But, with the 10 people waiting list for WTP, they don't hold grudges... you can't go wrong whichever program you choose because you're bound to have an awesome time

By Glucose (Glucose) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 05:02 pm: Edit

Final decision: TASP.

I mailed the *I'm not going* letter to WTP today, so there's no turning back.

Yay! TASP! ^_^

Thanks for all of your advice!

By Texas137 (Texas137) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 06:37 pm: Edit

I live 2 miles from UT Austin. You are unlikely to run into arthropods of any kind in the dorms or classrooms. We live in an old house surrounded by trees, so we'll occasionally get critters in the house. The spiders are very small, and mostly noticeable because of cobwebs. Most people from other parts of the country are more freaked out by the roaches ("water bugs") which can come indoors when it gets really hot. Even that is much less offensive than the occasional mouse I had to deal with in older campus housing in the northeast. Again, you are not likely to see anything while you are on the UT campus. You'll probably be in fairly new buildings, and they're all well sealed to conserve airconditioning.

By Netmet (Netmet) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 06:41 pm: Edit

GOOD CHOICE

By Vtoodler (Vtoodler) on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 10:09 pm: Edit

glucose, I wish that I were in your position.