<p>Dear CC geniuses, </p>
<p>I'll make this post brief so you can help other neurotic people :b.</p>
<p>My question: How important is independent research/ publishing research when applying to MIT? Is it a major thing, or is it WAAAAY below SATs/GPA/etc.</p>
<p>I have a poor GPA and am hoping this can make up for it.</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Independent research looks good. If you get published that’s REALLY good (even college students don’t usually get published).</p>
<p>MIT (like most other top schools) seems to not care very much about SATs and GPA after a certain extent. So if you have a 2100+ and a couple of B’s, it really doesn’t matter much, and research will definitely help you.</p>
<p>How poor is poor? (CC students often exaggerate “horrible” grades. I want to know what we’re actually working with here.)</p>
<p>Well, here are my stats:</p>
<p>SAT: 2170
Math: 760
Writing: 750
Reading: 660</p>
<p>SAT IIs: USH: 680
Math II: 730
Physics: 710</p>
<p>A few B’s and a 97-ish weighted GPA.
Rank will be about 20.</p>
<p>And yes, the company I’m interning at already has a deal to have the stuff published by SNAME.</p>
<p>For an MIT applicant, my stats and rank are pretty low.</p>
<p>oh, and again, thanks</p>
<p>noooo…where did everyone go?</p>
<p>hahahahahaha…but seriously…</p>
<p>I don’t think your gpa/test scores will break your application.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/939227-reminder-no-one-not-even-me-can-give-you-accurate-chance-mit.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/939227-reminder-no-one-not-even-me-can-give-you-accurate-chance-mit.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways[/url]”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways</a></p>
<p>Your SATI is ok, but your SATII’s are a bit low (though people have gotten in with scores like that.) In general, it behooves a science applicant to elite schools to have 750+ on SATIIs and 800 on the math SATII.</p>
<p>Your grades are ok, particularly if most of the B’s are in humanities classes. If you got a string of B’s in all your science/math classes junior year, that wouldn’t be good.</p>
<p>I have/had a B in:</p>
<p>H PreCalc…yea…I know…I skipped Alg 2 and got destroyed by it…end grade :86 Non-weight
H Spanish 3 & 4 - Like 88/86’s unweighted
Sophmore H History like 88 unweighted </p>
<p>All my other science/math are 95+…still low for MIT… :b </p>
<p>I’m 100% retaking SATs in fall to get CR up…im not sure about SATIIs…is it worth it to take them again?</p>
<p>Again…THANKS!</p>
<p>Edit: If you guys really care and are nice, I’ll send you my full app 
… I know for a fact that my grades aren’t getting me in, but hopefully my unique ECs and applying sideways will…or my app will be quickly thrown away ;)</p>
<p>Skipping algebra II was a bad idea, but if you did well in calc the pre-calc grade won’t hurt as much. I bet skipping algebra II hurt your math II score too.</p>
<p>MIT says that 700 and up is all the same to them. However, I’m assuming you are applying to other elite places. If it was me, I would take it again. You may just not have the proper background, so you may have to study on your own. The SATII’s should feel like baby stuff when you are taking them. BTW, it might be worth mentioning to your counselor that you had trouble in pre-calc because you skipped algebra II.</p>
<p>Well I didn’t actually skip it; I took an online class, but it was a joke.</p>
<p>And yes, I did pretty well in calc, so that hopefully can make up for it.</p>
<p>The Math II wasn’t too hard, but I thought I was running out of time and started rushing/bugging…still no excuse, I know…I guess I’ll re-take then…I just don’t want to waste time/energy/money on going from 730 to like 780</p>
<p>Back on subject, if I can raise this and I get my research published, do I even stand a shot at MIT?</p>
<p>Again, thanks!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sure, you stand a shot.</p>
<p>Yeah, those grades aren’t poor. There on the low end of MIT standards - but either way, the only way to make this impossible is to not apply at all.</p>
<p>You stand a chance. So, sure, continue your research, mention it on the application. If you get published, all the better. Try to pull up your stats, but don’t give yourself nightmares over them :)</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the advice guys!</p>
<p>Yeah, I had the same question as schemmy888.</p>
<p>I have been deeply involved in research, but I don’t think I can do publications 
I have a bad gpa about 3.4ish(B- & B in Science ruined it) but ok type sat’s 770s, u think i shld bother applying ?</p>
<p>^Of course you should apply… What do you have to lose?</p>
<p>How impressive exactly is published research?</p>
<p>^ As I said I can’t publish anything in my name, as other PhDs & Prof are also involved.
Btw I’m working on Advanced Control Systems & automation techniques, guided with navigation systems, but my preferred major would be EECS :)</p>
<p>As Chris frequently says, “the only way to be a 100% sure of not getting in is to not apply,” or something around that</p>
<p>Does publishing a mathematical lecture(on topics already known; not anything I derived for the first time) on an external website work as an example?</p>
<p>@ptcbot That was more of a personal question because I have a published paper, and I don’t exactly know how impressive it is to have one.</p>