<p>@Siserune:</p>
<p>Mollie’s husband had an SAT score of 1400 (combined verbal and math). Back when he applied, colleges combined only the verbal and math scores, remember? MIT did not consider the writing score (the school still doesn’t, as far as I know).</p>
<p>That SAT score alone placed him among the top 2% of college applicants in his year.</p>
<p>Well, it’s worth noting that MIT doesn’t look at the MIT writing at all, so like CalAlum said it was evaluated as a score of 1400/1600, not 1840/2400.</p>
<p>Still, it’s not a very high score in the context of the MIT admissions pool, so Mollie’s point remains valid.</p>
<p>^ I agree.
I think Mollie and Laura, along with many other posters, have kept trying to point out that it’s not all about the stats. Not sure everyone is listening, though.</p>
<p>And although CalTech is comparatively very much about the stats, I clearly remember sitting in a Caltech admissions presentation in San Jose several years ago and hearing something like this:
“We’re looking for kids who have participated in science fairs, math clubs, research, and so on. But we’re also looking for the sort of kid who likes to build stuff in the garage. So if you’re the type of person who has never participated in math or science competitions but has designed software, built electronic components or designed your own models or robots, please let us know. We are very interested in that kind of person.”</p>
<p>And since Mollie’s husband “liked to build rockets in his free time,” he would very likely have been a pretty good match for Caltech as well. In my opinion.
:-)</p>
<p>Caltech seems to be careful about the scores, but I can tell you that they certainly, as CalAlum says, emphasize out of class maths/science involvement. This is the impression of students there, is something they pretty freely state themselves, and is simply evident from many of the people they admit. I think I know less about MIT’s process :D</p>
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<p>Quite frankly, I was under the impression it was explicitly stated by either MITChris or other admissions folk that beyond clearing low 700 and high 600s on the parts of the SAT considered, the stats on the SAT are not considered any real asset to students.</p>
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<p>Exactly my reaction…</p>
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<p>So the ski team doesn’t compete in freestyle/mogul?</p>
<p>My memory might be fuzzy, but I do think that before the new 3 part SAT, MIT did consider the writing score as a required subject test. I believe you were required to take the regular SAT (verbal and math, out of 1600), the writing subject test (out of 800), a math subject test of your choice (out of 800) and another subject test of your choice (out of 800).</p>
<p>So the three parts of the SAT were actually considered, just not as one lumped score. They stopped considering the writing score when it was rolled in with the other sections because I believe they also changed something of the format as well, so it was an “untested” test, and no one really knew what the scores would represent at first. </p>
<p>Of course, I might only seem to think that writing and math were required because that’s what I took (perhaps they were required explicitly for another school I applied to), but it does make sense.</p>
<p>^I don’t think the Writing Subject Test SATII was required anywhere. I remember it being recommended by Harvard (but not required), but I don’t think it was even recommended anywhere else. Maybe I’m wrong about that. To my recollection, MIT used to require 3 SATII’s but I don’t remember if they had any specification. Maybe this changed in the period after I applied but before the 3-section SATI went into effect.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t think the old writing subject test (SATII) is equivalent to the writing portion of the SATI. I’m pretty sure there was no grammar portion on the writing SATII. It was just an essay.</p>
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Nope, just alpine. (As far as I know, there actually aren’t any college freestyle teams – it’s a pretty small sport, and it’s run more by mountain-based teams than school-based teams.) </p>
<p>He called himself the MIT Freestyle Team when he competed in college, though, and he managed to convince DAPER to waive the PE requirement for him since he’d been competing. 
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<p>At least when I applied, MIT required 3 SAT IIs, of which one had to be math Ic or math IIc, one of which had to be in a science, and the third of which had to be in a humanities area. And the old writing SAT II did have a multiple-choice section – I think it is somewhat different from the current SAT section, however.</p>
<p>Ah, that sounds about right. I trust Mollie’s memory better than mine. I suspect I took the Writing test because it was required for some other school, and it happened to fit the “humanities” requirement for MIT. </p>
<p>Wikipedia says “The writing section of the SAT, based on but not directly comparable to the old SAT II subject test in writing, includes multiple choice questions and a brief essay…The multiple choice questions include error identification questions, sentence improvement questions, and paragraph improvement questions.” This sounds pretty similar to what I remember from the subject test, but apparently it was changed enough to be considered untrustworthy. =)</p>
<p>I think the requirements changed between when I applied and Mollie and LauraN applied. I’m almost positive I didn’t need a humanities SATII for MIT. In fact, I think the writing SATII may have changed even before it was incorporated in the SATI. I don’t remember the multiple choice at all.</p>
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<p>@mollie, was he successfull at MIT?</p>
<p>I find the whole question about “what does it take for a white guy to be admitted to MIT” to be amusing since a whole lot of them are admitted.</p>
<p>And the fall back for people who complain about being “smart” but not getting in is to blame women and URM’s.</p>
<p>Frankly - it is likely white rural kid who did better on his interview, had to overcome more obstacles, and had a more interesting application got in because of you. May not have had perfect scores - but since scores are only given a cursory look before the total package is evaluated, I’d say the discussion and speculation are moot.</p>
<p>Why didn’t THAT specific white male not make the cut - maybe that year the application pool was much stronger. OTHER white males had better applications. If he wants it so badly, reapply. Shows true commitment.</p>
<p>But my opinion - if the attitude is “someone else got ‘my spot’” don’t waste MIT’s time reapplying. He isn’t the type of candidate MIT is looking for.</p>
<p>Approach to life means more than a score.</p>
<p>The chances for admission for most white male applicants really, really, really suck. For most everyone else, they just really, really suck.</p>
<p>It’s honestly no more complicated than that there are probably more white male applicants than any other category. The fact that there are more applicants in that one category is necessarily going to make it a little tougher for them. This isn’t a situation where MIT is admitting unqualified applicants at the expense of white males. They are just choosing which QUALIFIED applicants to admit, with an appropriate eye toward having a diverse class that will make the college experience better for ALL admitted students. It’s disappointing when you are a qualified applicant who doesn’t make it, no matter what your race or gender (my son was among the disappointed this year) but MIT isn’t doing it any differently than any other University, and they aren’t acting unfairly or irrationally. There are just more beans than the bag can hold.</p>
<p>I’m giving you a shout-out and honorary alum status for that wonderful answer, MilwDad!</p>
<p>By the way - I once got a bit testy with admissions over a particular student (white male) that I thought they had missed the boat on. It was the only time in three decades of interviewing that I objected to a decision. I give his race because I’m URM. </p>
<p>MIT were very thoughtful about walking me through the ins and outs of that specific year’s applicant pool and that they don’t reverse decisions even if an alumni pleads the student’s case after the fact. In the end, the student went to another well-known college, graduated early and got a jump start on his PhD.</p>
<p>MIT is a great school. But it’s not the only one turning out amazing scholars. I believe the universe puts us where we belong if we’re open to the message when picking schools to apply to.</p>
<p>If your son is anything like you, he’s got a good head start and I suspect the world will be hearing more about him in the future.</p>
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He graduated as one of the top students the aerospace engineering department had educated in the previous decade. He’s an outstanding engineer, and a gifted aircraft designer – just doesn’t care much about standardized tests.</p>
<p>Despite receiving comparatively fewer applications from these groups, every year MIT admissions constructs a class that is comprised of approx 24% black and hispanic and 47% female. those are the facts. they are not in dispute. rationalize them any way your personal socio-political prejuduces require.</p>
<p>@mia - </p>
<p>I would point you towards this thread: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/882019-statistics-mit-2014-admissions-cycle.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/882019-statistics-mit-2014-admissions-cycle.html</a></p>
<p>no hope, MIT only takes asians. Have a nice day!</p>
<p>You’ll be fine.
Write some good essays. That’s what I did, and it apparently worked. For MIT…at least…</p>
<p>“no hope, MIT only takes asians. Have a nice day!”</p>
<p>If MIT takes away all its political agenda, and admits students entirely merit based, you will see a Caltech or UCB or UCLA. White guys are not the one being discriminated against in MIT.</p>