COSMOS Alums Make Promo Video
This video was made by two identical twins who attended COSMOS during the Summer of 2014. They are recent graduates of UC Berkeley where they double majored in mechanical engineering and business administration. They currently work as Program Managers at Microsoft and have both interned at Apple, Tesla, and Microsoft. In the video, they speak about their experiences in Clusters 5 and 6, and highlight the impact that attending COSMOS had on their future decisions to study in the STEM fields in college.
Cluster 1 Promotional Video
This video was produced for The Computer Science Channel for the UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering department. In the video, you will hear from students who were studying in Cluster 1, Computers in Everyday Life, as well as from the Teacher Fellow for Cluster 1 and one of the lead Faculty for the cluster. This video summarizes the four week program and includes a quick look at some of the actual projects that students worked on.
COSMOS Alum Article
Elizabeth "Lizzy" Wang recently wrote an article on Medium called Reflection on an Unlikely Education in Computer Science about her experience with COSMOS. In it, she reflects on the impact that attending Cluster 1, Computers in Everyday Life, had on her academic career. Specifically, she writes: "COSMOS truly helped me to solidify my decision to apply to universities as a Computer Science major, thus defining the course of my academic life."
California Globe Article
A recent article in the California Globe highlights the impact that attending COSMOS has had on California students since the program's inception in 1998
Student Testimonials
“In fact, I could not stop thinking about the environmental impact even while we were enjoying the great scenery in Hawaii. During the vacation, our family couldn't stop talking about climate change and its impact. We simply don't want to imagine what climate change will do to beautiful Hawaii, and our planet earth. There were 3 other families went with us. Throughout of the trip, I found I couldn't stop sharing about what I learned from from the COSMOS program. My parents also join me in sharing those information. We were talking about the actual steps to cut down all the families carbon footprints, such as consume less beef, drive less etc. My parents were inspired and educated by my group's presentation and other groups' presentations on the final day. My dad kept saying how amazed he was with the quality of our presentation. I felt very proud to hear his comment and felt proud to be part of such a great group.
I cherish those great memories of learning and work with my team and other classmates. Most importantly, I want to thank you and other teachers for your dedication and support. I feel more empowered now to explore and pursue the subject of environmental science.” - Yuting M.
“After COSMOS I have seriously considered a major in civil engineering. I have been building some models since it ended and I find it really fun. Here is a small video of a model theater I built.” - Aaron C.
Testimonials from 2023 Cohort
“I honestly loved being here at COSMOS. I had an amazing time and I learned so much. I'm going to miss the people I met here.”
“I found COSMOS to be a great experience, not only for the academic aspects, but also with the social activities. I felt like I met many cool people here from all over California that I never would've been able to interact with if I didn't go here, and the academic content is still interesting.”
“Cosmos was definitely a different experience for me. Meeting new people, exploring different subjects of learning, and participating in social activities is very interesting.”
“Although I was very busy at COSMOS, I didn't feel tired or exhausted from learning more in class or doing residential activities. COSMOS was a great, engaging environment to learn new concepts and topics from very accomplished faculty, but it was also nice to relax and have fun with the res life activities.”
“Rigorous and highly challenging, COSMOS will definitely grow and mature you as a student and a person. It is an amazing place to get a taste of college in a controlled environment without all the responsibilities.”
“I would say cosmos gives you a chance to be more independent of yourself and expand your horizons in multiple with people a new chance to gain a new education you never thought of needing. In my cluster, I was able to experience a whole new side of tools to make music and new ideas of what more I can major in with something I enjoy doing. I was also able to be challenged in a fun way and letting go of home for a while I was able to find peace with a new group of people.”
“It was an incredibly enriching experience, both academically as well as socially. I made best friends that I'm sure will keep in touch forever.”
“It’s a very accepting and friendly community + you learn a lot that you couldn’t learn anywhere else within a month!”
“It was busy but I enjoyed every second of it. After the first two days, time passed by super fast, and I'm sure any person who is interested in STEM would also enjoy this program.”
“COSMOS is an absolutely amazing program that really fosters STEM Learning. Because you are so engrossed in your projects, the month whiles by extremely quickly. Have fun and always enjoy every second of your being in COSMOS.”
“Participating in COSMOS was an amazing opportunity. The people I connected with and the information I learned will continue to stick with me. COSMOS will definitely be one of the most memorable experiences in my life.”
“COSMOS was a super fun and educational experience. I felt like I learned a lot while also making a lot of friends and having tons of fun with them. I would recommend that anyone who is interested should apply for a super awesome summer program”
Testimonials from 2022 Cohort
2022 has been our 1st in-person cohort since 2019.
"Attending COSMOS has not only left me with lifelong memories, experiences, and friends, it's solidified my decision to pursue environmental science and given me the opportunity to have academic experiences I would never find in a high school classroom."
"COSMOS is certainly a door opening experience, and not just in STEM, but many other fields in life
If you want hands-on mechanical experience, application of electrical knowledge, or challenges with software, COSMOS can provide all of that for you!"
"The cluster activities were really interesting, and the instructors taught interesting concepts and the TAs and teacher fellow were all very helpful and approachable. I loved spending time with the RAs and the experience of living on a college campus."
"Imagine social skills to be a chemical reaction: COSMOS would be its catalyst. My experience in both this cluster and COSMOS as a whole has improved almost every aspect of my character. I feel more confident going into college prepared even if this is not an exact replica of what college life is like."
"This is one of my best experiences because of the friendship and bond I made with my cluster. I enjoyed all of my time here because it started with activities forcing us to get to know each other which made us learn how much fun we could have together. Once we started to get to know each other, we went to activities and spent time together as a cluster which made the experience very fun. I even enjoyed the time in class because while working on the project it was fun working with partners and talking to other people in the cluster. This is a program that I would definitely because I came into the program with low expectations, but left with many of my best and most memorable experiences which was formed from the strong friendship with my cluster. I fully expect us to stay in contact even after the program because of how much fun we had together as a whole cluster."
"I loved this experience at COSMOS, I came in thinking it would be very academically rigorous with no free time and I was very worried I would not make friends. Turns out it was the exact opposite. I made amazing friends, learned a lot of information from experts about the cluster while having fun and taking part in activities. This experience could not have been better."
Testimonials from 2021 Virtual Cohort
“Even virtual, COSMOS is the best 4 weeks I have ever spent.”
“Thank you so much for providing me this experience at COSMOS. It is single-handingly my most fun summer that I've had yet. I've loved to be able to talk to my peers, the mentors, and the esteemed teacher staff. I definitely recommend COSMOS to anyone interested in applying.”
“Being from Nevada, this program opened up the possibility of applying to a UC school. I have gained an immense amount of knowledge not just about engineering, but also about preparing for college and how to best maximize my college experience.”
“My experience was unique, unlike any sort of class or program I've taken- its extremely organized, I feel more accomplished after finishing the course, and more prepared for college.”
“It was awesome to learn from professors and guest speakers from UCSD and beyond. I learned a lot more than I expected and gained even more respect for the scientific community.”
“I loved COSMOS 2021! I feel I learned a lot and made some good relationships with the people in my Cluster and while we weren't in person, it still felt like one community, even through the computer. Thank you COSMOS!”
“I loved it, it's an experience I will never forget. It felt like an actual college class, integrating socializing and work, but overall it just felt satisfying and refreshing.”
“COSMOS is a summer program every student needs to experience as it not only gives you confidence and knowledge in future careers you are interested in but leaves you with some amazing connections and friendships.”
“The environment at COSMOS is something special. With so many like-minded people around, learning happened without even noticing. Reflecting back on my four weeks at COSMOS, I realize that I have met fantastic people, made many new friends, learned more than I could have imagined, and found direction for my life after high school. I unknowingly gained new skills including dedication, patience, and commitment. My COSMOS summer, and its impact, is one that I will cherish for a lifetime.”
“Even though the program was online, COSMOS did an excellent job making an engaging, informative, and fun course. I discovered new concepts and was given freedom to chase the concepts that interested me most, resulting in an unforgettable experience.”