If you have no experience in programming, it is recommended that you start learning the basic syntax of python, perhaps by completing the free intro python course at Codecademy: https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-python as well as working through the exercises in Python for Astronomers: https://prappleizer.github.io/ .
You will get a detailed list of recommended items to bring in the Participants’ Handbook.
No, full participation in the 2-week, online, directed self-study program is required of all students. We have discovered in the past that students who do not fully participate in this pre-arrival program are typically unprepared for the on-campus program. Consequently, students who do not fully participate in the self-study program may have their admissions offer withdrawn without a tuition refund, and they would not be admitted to the 4-week on-campus program.
We will provide the link to pay by credit card with futher instructions after admission decisions have been made.
Details about the specific summer program you will be attending, including an explanation of the YSPA Honor Code and program rules, will be covered in the YSPA Participants’ Handbook, which will be sent to you after we receive your tuition deposit. You and your parents should read this handbook carefully. We don’t have many program rules, but the ones we have are important and are strictly enforced, such as staying within the program boundary, respecting the program curfew, and following instructions from the staff.
Please see some short-term health insurance recommendations from the Office of International Students and Scholars.
There is no connection between admission to YSPA and undergraduate admissions at Yale. That said, many YSPA alumni have been admitted to and matriculated at Yale. A summer on campus is a great opportunity to see if Yale is a good fit for you, and glowing letters of recommendation from YSPA faculty can’t hurt your chances for admission to Yale or any other college!
No, students are expected to remain on campus and participate for the duration of the 4-week on campus program. Students who arrive late may lose their admissions offer without a tuition refund.
You can expect to be in class with faculty, working on projects with teammates, observing, and engaged in other program activities (such as meals, workshops, and field trips) for about 10 - 14 hours per day for six days a week (Monday through Saturday). Sundays are “unscheduled” days, when participants manage their own time until dinner, and there are also bits of unscheduled time in the afternoons and evenings.
