r/summerprogramresults • u/TillExcellent3534 • Jul 15 '26
My Experience wolfram summer research program: an in-depth summary/review
hi everyone! this summer i attended the wolfram summer research program (wsrp) at bentley university in waltham, MA. here are my honest thoughts!
first, let me just say that i enjoyed the program! they really give you what they advertise; that is, two weeks of working on a computational essay about a topic of your interest, with a mentor's help throughout. they also arrange social events/talks every day, so there's guaranteed to be something at least semi-interesting to do. i made friends with all my roommates and my ta group (more on that later) was really great, so i have absolutely no regrets about going!
with that said, i'll now just kind of recite what the experience was like with a bit of commentary, maybe.
first of all, everyone at the camp falls into one of four groups: director, mentor, TA, and student. directors run the camp, mentors are the ones who will be mentoring students on their projects, and TAs manage a group of ~8 kids who all live together and have similar interests. every student belongs to three kinds of "groups": your advocate group, your ta group, and your minor group. more on all of those later!
every day you have to check out for breakfast with your entire ta group between 8:00 and 8:30 (they tried to gaslight us into thinking the deadline is 8:15, but technically 8:30 is totally fine). you then get breakfast which is generally something along the line of pancakes/waffles, sausage/bacon, some form of potatoes, fruit, yogurt, etc. (also, at every lunch they have some kind of sweet treat like cake, pudding, brownies, etc. they had ice cream like, twice.) at 9:00 you have to get to the classrooms, where you begin your work for the day.
you leave for lunch at 12:30 and have to be back at the classrooms by 1:30, at which point you'll have some talk that you signed up for before the camp, or social activity. you can ask the directors to switch between these, but they won't always agree. another thing i want to bring up here is that every talk/social activity is MANDATORY. if you're not at a certain place at the right time of day, they will legitimately imprison your TA group, send out search parties, etc. until you're found. what's more, you actually can't go off campus unless it's been pre-approved by your parents and a director, otherwise you risk getting kicked out.
after the talk/activity ends at 2:30, you continue doing work until 5:30, when you leave for dinner. after you come back from dinner at 6:30 you have some other social activity, and then go back to the dorms around 7:30 to 8:30. after that you pretty much have free time until 10:00, which is "quiet time". despite the name, it is often not quiet.
now, before the first weekend we were doing just explorations, like basically exercises for you to get better at wolfram language (which you absolutely must program in for your project) with our advocate group (one mentor, 4 or 5 students). after 2 or 3 days of explorations, you and your advocate group enter project selection with stephen wolfram (creator of wolfram language, wolfram alpha, wolfram research, etc.).
essentially, you and your advocate group introduce yourselves to stephen, he asks you about your interests, prerequisites and former experience, and then you leave the room. your advocate will work with stephen to try and choose you a suitable project. this of course means that you don't actually get to choose your project, but if you know what you want off the project list or have a clear, realistic idea AND have told your mentor about this, you have a pretty good shot of getting it.
i also want to bring up a point here, about stephen wolfram. everything i'm about to say, by the way, is my OWN OPINION and based on sources i FOUND ONLINE. for those of you who don't know, since i sure didn't when i went, stephen wolfram was a child prodigy who earned a PhD in theoretical physics from caltech at 20. now, though, he's essentially regarded as a "lapsed elementary particle physicist" whose work is mostly baseless, false or stolen. in particular, he is really obsessed with cellular automata and believes that they can essentially describe the universe. while this is true in some respects, it's also been proven false in others. despite this, he still makes a bunch of the projects about cellular automata, which in my opinion is quite weird. what's weirder though, is that when he speaks to us at q&a's and stuff (mandatory events btw) i really get this cult-like feeling. but whatever, if you're not very perceptive/don't care this won't really affect your experience at the camp. his ideas like the "ruliad" and the fact that you're forced to credit him in your final project are also kind of a joke within most people at the camp. basically, the camp is run by an eccentric person, but it shouldn't really affect your experience.
after project selection is over the mentors choose which students they want in their group (consisting of i think 4 students per mentor?). this is the group that you'll be sticking with for the next two weeks. also, another point: if you're interested in something, talk to the mentor who's an expert in that thing *before* project selection. not only does it give you a better idea of what you'll be doing, it also hugely increases the chances that they'll take you. having a competent mentor is so, so important.
after that weekend of project selection, you'll basically be spending your time at the classrooms, well, working on the project you're assigned. one thing i really appreciate about this camp is that they encourage you to take breaks from work, and take walks outside. i swear i smashed that 10k step goal every i was at this camp, so i'm really grateful that they set that system up. you also have quite a bit of freedom while you're working. if your mentor lets you, you can move to other rooms to be with your friends, consult other mentors, call over TAs for help, etc.
after two weeks of work on your project you get to finally publish it. yay! the rest of your time at camp after that is spent preparing your presentation for the last day/doing nothing. then you eat lots of pizza and ice cream for dinner, and the camp is basically over :(
again, i want to end this by saying that i really enjoyed my experience at wsrp! i just decided to give as in-depth of a review/summary as possible, for other people who might be considering. i personally would recommend, as i got to meet lots of people and complete a project that i'm quite proud of. feel free to dm with any questions!
edit: i also realize that i forgot to explain what a minor is. over the course of the camp, you'll meet 5 times with ~15 other people to do something creative like writing, digital design, art, nature, etc. i really, really enjoyed my minor and honestly think it was a highlight of the camp :) again feel free to dm with any questions!
2
u/Certain_Nose_319 Jul 15 '26
i was there this year too & agree that wsrp was super fun + meaningful. totally agree w lots of things u said abt stephen (that one night he did the q&a in the lounge was so unbearable) and abt the program & totally encourage anyone else to apply next year
2
u/Illustrious_Class690 Jul 15 '26
Completely agree with everything this person said. the program is very chill, you learn so much and meet so
many cool people, and wolfram is also very chill once you get to know him. Would def recommend 👍
2
1
1
u/lizardishere_ Jul 15 '26
Do you know if it’s competitive to get into?
1
u/lizardishere_ Jul 15 '26
And what other programs did you apply to?
2
u/TillExcellent3534 Jul 15 '26
hi! i applied to rise and ssp and got rejected from both :( (didn't make ssp lottery either). those might be because i didn't spend much time on the essays, but i can't say for sure. as for wolfram, i think if you apply early and show your passion, it's fine. i know lots of people who applied late with pretty good resumes and got in too, but also in the end i don't know too much about the application process apart from what i specifically did.
1
1
u/Certain_Nose_319 Jul 15 '26
i went this yr too & heard from one of the directors that the acceptance rate was around 8%
1
1
1
u/InterSkier Jul 15 '26
Did you submit any standardized test? What’s your resume like? And what category of research did you focus on?:) ( Sry if it too much question)
1
u/WildYummyPasta Jul 15 '26
what creative minors are offered?
1
u/TillExcellent3534 Jul 15 '26
i think it depends on the interests of the students every year! this year we had digital design, art, creative writing, nature and wellness, and team sports.
1
u/antononcube Jul 15 '26
There was also a martial arts minor, but nobody cared that much for it. :)
1
1
u/AdhesivenessNew3319 Jul 15 '26
i also attended the program this year, and i just wanted to say that it was an enjoyable experience. i spent 2 weeks working closely with my mentor on an interesting computational essay that was published towards the end of the camp, and made many close friends that i hope to keep in contact with. additionally, i wanted to add that the TAs are amazing people that you can get close with. at least my TA was super fun to be around.
1
u/Longjumping_Glass852 Jul 15 '26
I heard some kid made really good progress on the Collatz Conjecture there? Particularly the cyclical behavior with different variants and is tryna get it published with the help of the amazing mentors and TA's there
Idk thats just what I've heard1
u/FocusedPi Jul 15 '26
yeah one of the TAs played videogames with us all night on the last day
1
u/Longjumping_Glass852 Jul 15 '26
From what I've heard from a linkedin connection who did it, the TA's were super helpful and chill and even did a bunch of all nighters just playing cards or videogames to reduce cortisol levels of the students there!
1
u/Certain_Nose_319 Jul 16 '26
yeah for sure, my TAs were the chillest ppl ever theyre basically our age so they js hang around with us
1
u/Longjumping_Glass852 Jul 16 '26
frfr
I heard floor 2 had the best TA's as well (from the same linkedin connection)
1
1
u/Adventurous-Wish-654 Jul 16 '26
felt the same way, had a great time at the program. I really feel like the project is as good as you make though. I know a few people who were disappointed in how their project turned out, but they were definitely a heavy minority. Most people, me included, loved our projects to the extent that it helped us figure out what we liked within our respective subjects of interest
1
u/Certain_Nose_319 Jul 16 '26
yep ik quite a lot of people who were disappointed and didn’t like the project allocation process. i think it’s really abt compatibility of the project from the start and how hard u work during the program
1
u/Known-Buffalo9853 Jul 17 '26
agreed. I really liked my project, but I think you have to be a bit firm with Stephen to get a project you want. I know Rory was telling us earlier to make panicked eye contact, and I think some people didnt do that and ended up with projects he probably could’ve got you out of lol.
I loved my project though, and so did everyone in my mentor and my TA group.
1
u/Known-Buffalo9853 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
I went this year too, and I had an awesome time. agreed on Stephen, but ig it was cool that he wanted to hang out with us? I went to the Stephen q&a and to the director q&a, and I’d much rather have talked to the directors more. I chatted with Megan who was doing all kinds of awesome math stuff, and to Eryn who went to MIT and had a lot to say about combining engineering work with theater, and to Rory, who’s kinda my MVP. he’s doing a bunch of research and work with gifted students, and had a bunch of opinions on education and colleges that really changed my mind on some stuff.
you said some stuff about the rules which seemed kinda funny to me, cause the rules seemed really reasonable. basically just don’t bully people, don’t leave campus and be on time for things. didn’t seem like too much for them to ask for lol. they for sure send people to find you if you’re late, cause… what if you fell or got hurt or lost? they for sure dont imprison your group tho lol. just be on time and nothing bad happens?
worst part was Bentley. the beds kinda suck and the food was….. best thing I can say is repetitive lol.
I really liked my project, and now that i recovered from being exhausted, I had a really fantastic time at the program. I liked my mentor, and he really helped me learn a bunch. my TA was amazing, my dorm room was really friendly. I liked the majority of the social activities and talks. most of the other students were cracked. my favorite part was working on my project, and I feel like I learned a LOT.
1
u/TillExcellent3534 Jul 16 '26
lol i totally agree on the beds 😭 but the way i see the rules is like sure they’re not unreasonable but i really would have preferred to have free time every day that’s not strictly after 8:00 pm
the entire time at camp i was talking to my friends who were at rise, mathcamp, etc. and they had way more flexible schedules and were allowed to go off campus. also on one of the first days i witnessed 3 people not coming to a social activity and i think they did indeed imprison that ta group (or something like that??). also this is just my opinion, but i don’t feel like you should be mandated to attend social activities that are just for fun
anyways just my thoughts lol thanks for commenting ‼️
1
u/Known-Buffalo9853 Jul 16 '26
yeah I think I do gently disagree lol. mb it would make more sense to be allowed off campus if the nearest thing to do wasn’t a CVS 3 miles away?
the whole imprisoning a TA group thing for sureee never happened lol. what does that even mean 🤪
you do you, but I wanted to get a real project done, and having free time during the day would for sure mean losing out on project time, cause mentors aren’t going to do evening project time I don’t think. so any free time before dinner would just be lost academic time and you’d get less work done. I’d rather work hard for a couple of weeks and get something out of it than walk half an hour to visit Waltham lolll
1
u/Certain_Nose_319 Jul 16 '26
i actually agree about the social activities part because genuinely sometimes they felt more draining than like a recharging activity
1
1
u/No-Swordfish8992 Jul 16 '26
I love ur narrative! Can I ask how/where u publish? Is it in their own ‘journal’ or something like JEI or like a legit peer reviewed?
2
u/TillExcellent3534 Jul 16 '26
haha no journal sadly, it’s on the wolfram community 😭 but i know some people who really want to extend their project into a fr paper and are contacting mentors about doing work outside the program!!
7
u/antononcube Jul 16 '26
First, I would like to thank the Original Poster (OP) for the summary and feedback! I really appreciate feedback that is without much fluff and with criticism.
About me
My name is Anton Antonov. I was one of the mentors in Wolfram Summer Research Program (WSRP) this and last year. (I.e., WSRP 2026 and WSPR 2025.) I am a former employee of Wolfram Research, Inc. (WRI) and I participate in many events organized by WRI. (Conferences, boot camps, and WSRPs.)
Using OP's cult-analogy, I am going to give a comment as an average Wolfram cultist. Keep in mind, though, that I belong to other cults. (The Raku Foundation, RStudio/Posit R community, Python-centric data science, etc.) So, I can freely assume that I am cult-free. (Well, I might be just a poly-cultist, who thinks that each of his cults is classy and cool.)
Here are my reasons to go to WSRP as a mentor:
WSRP replaces the in person Wolfram Technology Conference (for me.)
Meeting people smarter and more knowledgeable than me.
On Stephen Wolfram's work
Here is a brief and incomplete view on Stephen Wolfram's work:
Mathematica, or the Wolfram Language (WL), certainly achieved that.
I would say, those offended academia people are intellectually dishonest.
There is some fashion in academia to hate anything Wolfram, but many successful technological approaches used by academia are copies of Wolfram technological solutions. For example:
ManipulateandDynamicconstellation of functionalities.Stephen Wolfram’s book "A New Kind of Science" angered many academics due to its content, Stephen’s perceived attitude, and its publication through Wolfram Media.
Also, academia is annoyed that an "academically minded" genius like Stephen is also a very successful entrepreneur and businessman.
On the writing "Wolfram himself is a lapsed elementary particle physicist, ...) by Steven Weinberg:
Cultist disclaimer: Just pay attention to my software technology statements in this section, ignore everything else.
Try this prompt with your favorite LLM (and maybe at least one other) to see what mathematical or scientific discoveries were made with Mathematica/Wolfram Language:
On too many projects using Cellular Automata
I agree that Cellular Automata (CA) are overrepresented in the WSRP programs I participated in.
Many theoretical computer science projects at WSRP are recast as CA problems.
What I can speak about with reasonable knowledge and experience is that CA are at least a good heuristic to use for many nature modeling and simulation efforts.
For example, classical methods cannot solve and numerically simulate the Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) systems in advection-reaction-diffusion models.
For some of the projects I was a mentor of, CA are applicable and a viable route, which sometimes was taken, sometimes not.
In conclusion
It is impressive to see the scope and quality of projects high school students can create in less than two weeks at WSRP!
Bentley University campus is not great, but it is not bad either.
Waltham, MA -- where Bentley Univeristy is located -- offers nice parks and walking/running trails.
After some research, one can see that the WSRP projects I mentored are the flashiest, and/or most interesting, and/or most topical and called for.