Acing STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Essays 2025
SEES is a competitive and intensive hands-on science and engineering opportunity for talented sophomores and juniors. Participants in this program will work with NASA scientists and engineers on solving problems critical to understanding more about the dynamics of our planet, including climate change, through learning in depth how satellites work, helping these satellites perform their functions, and analyzing the data they collect. There are both in-person and remote options available, and students have access to subject experts in other fields, such as planetary science and astronomy. This program is great for both sophomores and juniors, but especially sophomores because it is a quality opportunity to gain experience that will make them competitive for ultra-selective programs such as RSI, Simons, and Anson L. Clark that only juniors are eligible for, and can help secure admission into elite universities. This article will guide you on how to write stellar essays for this program.
1. Discuss what subjects interest you most, your current academic path, and your career plans. How might SEES affect these plans? (250 words)
To stand out from other applicants, begin this essay with a short anecdote unique to you that demonstrates a personal connection to your subject of interest. This could be a story about wondering how something worked, a revelation while watching a documentary, or a life-altering event that gave you a clear goal best achieved through studying this subject. Once you establish a strong personal reason differentiating your connection to your subject from others, discuss your passion for this subject.
While sharing your enthusiasm, discuss how you're currently exploring it in school and through extracurriculars. Name specific classes and cite extracurricular programs where you're pursuing this interest.
Whether your career plans are definite or uncertain, avoid vagueness. If you're unsure about your path, present a list of compelling options you're considering. Show thoughtful consideration by either describing the common thread connecting these options or highlighting the positive impact each could make. If your career path is clear, discuss how you'll gain or improve specific technical skills that will help execute short-term plans advancing your stated career goal. If you're undecided, explain how technical work will help narrow your interests and identify which aspects of research you excel in and enjoy the most, informing you of what you should dedicate more time pursuing.
(You can choose to do either 2a or 2b, you don’t need to do both)
2a. Discuss your important academic experiences in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) such as courses, formal science fairs, school-sponsored competitions, etc. (250 words)
The key for this essay is to clearly convey your roles and responsibilities, highlight your personal contributions and accomplishments, and explain the outcomes of your research endeavors. For each experience you mention, make sure to specify the exact questions your group was addressing.
When discussing programming languages, be sure to mention the specific packages you are proficient in, such as PyTorch or NumPy, and explain the types of mathematical calculations or models you can build using those skills. When talking about competitions, make sure to mention what exactly you did to win a certain prize, what problems did you solve. For coursework, cite the name of the classes and if they had any final projects, and what you did for them.
For all applicants, it is crucial to conclude the essay by reflecting on how the skills you’ve developed and the experiences you’ve gained have shaped your aspirations as a researcher.
2b. Discuss important life experiences in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) that you or others engage in outside of school, such as using the scientific process in cooking, caring for animals, and exploring nature; developing video games and computer codes; hobby astronomy, mathematics clubs, or competitive robotics, or making, tinkering, repairing, and crafting. (250 words)
If you haven't done supervised research, won major competitions, or are 4 years ahead in math, this is the better option. If you can discuss placing competitively in robotics, the previous question would be best; however, if you're more of a hobbyist, this prompt would be more suitable.
For this question, show the reader that you're having the time of your life solving problems as you pursue STEM hobbies and activities. It's very important that for each STEM activity you discuss, you clearly identify which problems you solved and what your goal was in participating in this activity.
Given the wording of the prompt, explain how each hurdle you overcame impacted your relationship with STEM and your goals in the field. This essay doesn't need to be a masterpiece, but rather a first-person account of you enjoying specific problems in your STEM activities, along with your motivation and goals for spending time solving these problems.
3. What skills have you learned from your extracurricular activities that will be valuable to you as a research team member? (250 words)
For this essay, research your chosen areas of study for this program and clearly demonstrate how your programming experience, understanding of statistics, Excel skills, fascination with the unknown, and grit will benefit your research team. Show the reader how you use NumPy or scikit-learn to perform calculations relevant to planetary geology, such as cross-validating a planetary image classifier, or how spending all night trying to denoise an image won't demotivate you.
Paint a picture of yourself applying your hard skills, complemented by your soft skills, to help your research team accomplish their goals. If your strengths primarily lie in soft skills, focus on how these have fostered perseverance and autodidactic abilities, enabling you to learn quickly and independently. Discuss how these qualities have made you unafraid to ask questions when uncertain and have given you an open mind.
Even if emphasizing soft skills, try to reference specific technical scenarios that might arise during your participation in the research group. Demonstrating that you've researched what your chosen area typically entails will impress the reader. To conclude the essay, discuss how you look forward to further developing these skills by testing them, understanding their limitations, and transcending them in a real-world, intensive research environment.
4. How did you hear about the SEES Internship Program? Have you participated in similar STEM enrichment programs or opportunities or is there a lack of STEM opportunities in your area? (250 words)
This is not a throwaway question. They give you 250 words, use them! Talk about your fascination with research and how it started. Discuss the moment when learning from textbooks wasn't enough to satisfy your hunger for knowledge and desire to challenge yourself.
From there, describe how you sought to satisfy this hunger for research, whether through participating in other programs or applying to programs such as SEES. Explain the resources available to you, such as accelerated courses, research opportunities provided by your school, or family limitations that made expensive summer research programs inaccessible.
Discuss what you've done on your own to fill any gaps created by a lack of opportunities. Finally, explain why you want to attend SEES, cite their focus on planetary science and satellites, and mention your desire to meet peers with whom you can "nerd out" about the latest topics in science and engineering.
If you want help applying to SEES or any other summer research program, or would just like someone to help you strengthen your overall extracurriculars, schedule a free consultation with an admissions expert today.
