applying to MIT and other Ivy leagues, critique me.. in a helpful manner please (:

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>MIT is my dream school that id like to attend and participate in their biomedical or chemical engineering programs. Im currently a junior in high school. Here is my criteria:</p>

<p>Freshman Year: A's in every class finished the year with a 4.1 but only took honors mathamatics (i believe that may hurt me but i also have heard freshman year is slightly "looked over")</p>

<p>Sophomore year: I really stepped my game up that year and had a teacher who truly influenced me and kind of "sparked" me into the person i am now.
Honors Bio - A
Honors Modern History - A
Honors Alg 2 - A
Honors English - A
SPanish 2 - A
Programming Java Honors - A</p>

<p>Finished the year with a 4.5 cumulatively</p>

<p>Junior year:
AP Bio - A
AP Lit - A
AP Computer Science- A
Honors History - A
Honors Trig - A
Spanish 3 - A
Honors Chem - A</p>

<p>finished with 4.6 cumulatively</p>

<p>SAT - 2120(plan on retaking them)</p>

<p>Senior year(what i intend to take):</p>

<p>AP Calc
Ap prob and stat
AP chem
AP physics
AP Economics
AP Composition
Spanish 4
Honors history</p>

<p>Extra curriculars:</p>

<ol>
<li>Play lacrosse year round on my highschool team(varsity sophomore year) and various elite club teams that are recognized at participating tournaments
2.Started playing the piano last year and am very accomplished(has become a passion now)</li>
<li>I participate in the science olympiad and went to states </li>
<li>I enjoy building robots with my grandfather(Science teacher & passion)</li>
<li>Got the green chord(award presented to a student for every 100 hours of community service)</li>
<li>I volunteer at soup kitchens and run science camps at my local YMCA during the summer for 2 weeks at a time</li>
<li>Help tutor kids in biology(last year) and mathamatics(maybe not extracurricular? who knows)</li>
<li>Started my own community service committee in my local town and got kids from school to join and participate</li>
<li>Trying to start up my own lacrosse summer club team for the summer with various teammates</li>
<li>I love to make up games, not just random ones in car rides but actual GAMES. Usually they dont involve boards and a bit more complicated compared to the everyday game. My new game involves a pair of magnets along with many objects. (not gonna give away all the secrets (: )</li>
<li>Co president of the Key club (club based on community service)</li>
<li>Member of NHS
13.National Merit Finalist</li>
</ol>

<p>Rank:
Im in the top 4% of my school or more specifically 25/595.</p>

<p>If you havent already noticed i like to do a lot with community service, not just because it looks good on a application but because of the sense of fulfillment i recieve when i know im helping another person. I also have an extreme passion for videogames. I play them all the time ranging across all the different genres. I dont just play them though, i write guides for them, help my friends out with them, make my own videogames, participate in tournaments and attend conventions. Im a perfectionist in them and obtain all the achievements and set my own personal goals within them, i know this is really nerdy and often frowned apon but hey, its what i enjoy doing, isnt that what its all about? (:</p>

<p>Please reply with helpful criticism.</p>

2

<p>Academics aren’t up to par. A 2120, as you currently have, is a weak score to be applying with (especially if you don’t have an 800 or close to an 800 in Math) and make sure you take the required subject tests, etc. Also, class rank is rather weak, though the transcript looks good. But course rigor is a little questionable. MIT kids are the kids who demonstrably excel in math and that isn’t very clear. What kind of institutions does your school normally send the top 5% to?</p>

<p>I’ll just pick some things from what you have listed as your ECs (referred to by number)

  1. Ok to play sports, but not extremely helpful
  2. It’s surprising that you’ve only played for a year and can call yourself “accomplished.” The time you’ve spent doesn’t show prolonged commitment and unless you have any recognition, this passion won’t add much.
  3. Good, be sure to indicate medals you have won
  4. Unless there is something substantial like a convention/competition in which your robot was recognized, it’s hard to convey this as more than a small hobby.
    5&6. Soup Kitchen, YMCA volunteering is good and fine, but from a college admissions perspective, it’s rather bland and doesn’t connect to any passion. Unless you can somehow frame it properly, it would look just like you’re getting hours just for college admissions.
  5. Ok to mention
  6. Good addition to your app, spend some space describing it when you start filling apps.
  7. If you get it off the ground, def. something to mention.
  8. It could be a good essay topic, but nothing more.
  9. Good because of leadership position.
  10. Almost not worth mentioning, but you can add if you want.
  11. You sure?
  12. Videogames? Not sure if that would be taken seriously, may be a good essay topic though.</p>

<p>Weak academics, not a whole lot of demonstrated talent for math/science, ECs a little on the weaker side for not as much leadership and achievements. Also the videogame thing leads me to assume that you’re a male and MIT has more than enough male applicants. </p>

<p>It’s your dream school so apply, but MIT is insanely tough. It’s for the academic powerhouses, the math science geniuses that qualify for USAMO every year. Just don’t be to emotionally invested in the one school, make sure you plan properly and come up with a good list of schools to apply to.</p>

3

<p>Alright let’s go ahead and be clear here. His (i’m assuming it’s a guy) academics are by no means weak. Straight A’s with great rigor! You’ve gotta be kidding me! I think if he stays true with all of the essays and does well on the sat II’s than he’s got an ok chance at MIT.</p>

4

<p>Discount dblazer’s advice at your peril. This was a fair, balanced, detailed post which is urging realism. Hound714, “you’ve gotta be kidding me!” As well meaning as you are, you clearly know very little about admissions criteria for MIT.</p>

5

<p>thankyou very much for all the criticism! and to both of you my school sends kids to various ivy league schools and recently one of my good friends just went to princeton! and yes ima national merit finalist i scored a 222 on it !(: and i agree i need to bring up my SAT math score but i also know the kids(the ones in the top 5% ) who have gotten low 700s and gotten in, heck the one girl got a 700 in math and her main EC was dance, had no affiliations with anything science or math ;p but thankyou again for the criticism, its very highly appreciated (:</p>

6

<p>I’m not saying that the OP should disregard dblazer’s criticism. For the most part it is true and very helpful. But I stand by my “are you kidding me!” The idea that someone with a 4.0 taking difficult classes has weak academics, even with a 2120, is ridiculous. But besides that one comment I agree with dblazer’s thoughts.</p>

7

<p>i agree i agree, and i am accomplished at the paino as hard as it may be to believe i can play some of the most difficult pieces due to the dedication ive put into learning it, and sports do make an impact especially when you play a sport such as mine (lacrosse) where its not too common amongst other applicants. And i know that variety is what MIT is looking for in their community so im sorry, i do believe playing a sport will be considered with my application.</p>

8

<p>I agree with db.
Academics are not up to par.</p>

<p>MIT is a serious reach for you and every unhooked applicant.</p>

9

<p>Very low chance at MIT. This is one school where you need serious achievements in math and science. Place in some state or national competitions and you might be in the running.</p>

10

<p>what exactly is not up to par? say i bring my scores to a 2300?will that be competitive? i mean ive taken all AP math and science classes my school offers and won states in the science olympiad, what else academically do i need? (all my other classes are also AP or honors) and my gpa is well over 4.0</p>

11

<p>im just confused what you guys are saying about these “math and science accomplishments” but yet ive had friends who got in solely off their dancing passions and instrumental passions (no science/math accomplishments whatsoever)</p>

12

<p>Hmmmm how good are you at lacrosse? Push the SAT to 2300+ for a good chance. Are you predicting National Merit Finalist. Your ecs lack breadth D:.</p>

<p>Chance me?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1355000-chances-economics-good-econ-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1355000-chances-economics-good-econ-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

13

<p>If you have 2350, MIT is a high reach.</p>

<p>All of my friends and I had 2350+ and 35+ and 3.96+ and multiple 800 on SAT IIs.</p>

<p>None of us got into MIT.</p>

14

<p>well yea 2300 but even then looking at the academic statistics for the past years 2300+ is at the high end of there applications, most get 2200+… and whats wrong with the ECs? i thought starting up my own community service asossiation is great! that took a lot of work man! and obtaining the green chord is a great honor(plan on getting another one) and i have a passion for the whole community service thing ^^^^ see ? i mentioned it (;</p>

15

<p>Well if you have outstanding ECs in dancing or music such as all regional, all state ensembles ornperformances in halls like Carnegie, that is different. But your ECs really aren’t that impressive. You are competing against kids at the top of their class, have better test scores, and have multitudes of medals and achievements in math and science such as te amc, aime, usamo, usabi, usnco, intel, Siemens, etc and have exhausted their schools math and science curriculum by abouth 10th grade and have moved on to college level math classes in 11th and 12th grade and even some of those kids don’t get in. Thus, You simply have very little shot at MIT.</p>

16

<p>20more did you have good interview? was your essay stellar? im not trying to boast but im a very skilled writer and believe my essay is what will really push me over the edge along with my interview. And besides of course your not going to get accepted off of excellent grades alone, as you said you’re just another fish in the sea then, even i understand that. I also know for certain its not required to have a 2350+ to get in (or anyone for that matter lol)</p>

17

<p>The good news is that you can get an excellent and basically equivalent biomedical or chemical engineering education at other schools such as Cornell, rice, or Carnegie Mellon. Aim for MIT for grad school.</p>

18

<p>okay so heres my issue with this, i reported all of this to my best friends father who went to calTech and said he did not do nearly as much as me and still got in, he said the key was his essay about collecting certain objects and his interview.</p>

19

<p>Interview does not matter very much at all.
(Yes, I had great interview.)</p>

<p>Great essay will not make up for academics or ECs or awards.</p>

<p>Apply and hope for the best.</p>

20

<p>and thankyou im gonna aim for cornell most likely, what about johns hopkins/ gerogia tech?</p>