Summer Science Program, Astrophysics

- Dougal Sutherland '07

I personally had a great time at SSP. It's definitely not for everyone-- there's a significant amount of lecture time, and in many ways it was just as stressful as a (somewhat shorter) term at Andover. But for the physics/math/compsci geeks among us, SSP is an amazing experience, from observing your asteroid to 2 AM adventures up the mountain to the local hippy commune to late-night measuring fests, rocking out to Led Zeppelin. In terms of academics, there won't be a whole lot of new math for someone who's taken 580 or 600, nor a ton of new physics for someone who's had 550 or 580. But the material is covered quickly enough that you won't get too bored; there's a good chunk of astronomy that's definitely not taught in any PA class, some cosmology that's only taught in the cosmology class :), and a good bit of programming that's very different from what most physics kids have had and even from what's taught in Andover compsci courses. Plus, at least when I went, the kids there were awesome. All in all, highly recommended for anyone who really likes physics.