<p>I have a terrible high-school GPA, but I'm doing good in SAT.
I'm doing very good(750+) in Physics Subject Test,Math 1 Subject Test and Math 2 Subject Test.I'm also an international student from turkey, and whole education system is based on memorizing.I haven't seen many of the SAT subjects(eg:haven't seen 3d Cartesian coordinates, or polar coordinates) in school I self-taught myself and because I understood subjects instead of memorizing I did well at test.I'm also doing good at IQ tests(Active Mensa Member,Founding Member of National Mensa), I'm very curious for every scientific subject.I usually read books like "Handbook of Electrical Engineer" just for fun.But haven't won any contests(haven't participated in any neither).</p>
<p>Do I really have a chance at MIT or stanford?
Or I shouldn't even try, becouse if I try for MIT or stanford I will loose my chances at local schools</p>
<p>Why do you lose your chance at local schools if you apply to MIT and Stanford? Can’t you apply everywhere?</p>
<p>Admissions for internationals is extremely hard. With small fluctuations due to changes in yield from year to year, internationals are capped at about 8% of the incoming class. That is 80 people, so it is likely they would admit 140 or so (I don’t remember our typical yield.) For some countries, only 1 to 2 people get into MIT. </p>
<p>However, your essay explaining your situation and your educational philosophy will surely help. If you can do well at some kind of national exam (international physics, math, chem, or bio olympiad) to show that you are one of the top people in your country, that would greatly increase your chances. As an international, I think you’ve got to do something to stand out. </p>
<p>Could you do some research in electrical engineering/circuits this summer or something? Harvard used to have a very interesting summer course in circuits, too. If you could ace a class like that, it might cancel out some of your grades…</p>
<p>System of my country is cheap.All your schools look only the test score when they are taking students; the OSS test.It isn’t like SAT, its 3hour long, no breaks, you do tests about every subjects in one 3hour session.And there only one OSS per year.So if I start working on SAT to improve my score I won’t have time to study the OSS.</p>
<p>I do research on electrical engineering/circuits just for fun.If I can write dozens of them.Does writing more than many helps?I can write many research papers on serious engineering subjects.I’m little late to win something.I’m graduating from high school in two months.Is there a another way to stand out than winning competitions.
Thanks</p>
<p>Is it possible to stand out with essay?I have been through very bad experiences, not breaking up from your girl friend bad, more like 2x"seeing the death of the family member" bad.</p>
<p>In that case, I would study for the OSS. If you have already taken the SAT and your scores are 750+, you have pretty much maxed out the test. Improving from 750 to 800 won’t improve admissions results at MIT.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you are thinking about applying next year since it is too late for this year’s admissions. The most typical way of showing interest in a technical area other than contests is by doing research in the field. And by research, I mean working in the field–like going to a university for a summer and designing circuits or something. Whether or not doing this is possible for you, you should still try to communicate that you read about electrical engineering in your spare time.</p>
<p>As for your essays, I believe they have a question about overcoming an obstacle or setback, so you could talk about your negative experiences and how you dealt with them in that essay. Also, I suggest you have a native speaker proofread your essays.</p>
<p>thanks, for advices.Your advices really helped me.I don’t really thinking about OSS I’ll keep working on SAT.Even I make a good score in OSS education at local schools don’t satisfy me.I want a real education so badly, I am willing to risk a whole year to increase my chances at MIT or stanford %1 and who knows maybe the story ends happily.</p>
<ol>
<li>I think Admissions likes to see a strong GPA more than a strong SAT, simply because it shows you can put the work in rather than just be a good test-taker. I don’t have anything to back that up, though, so take it for what you will.<br></li>
<li>That said, international admissions is already extremely difficult. Try to pull your GPA up.</li>
<li>Even if the chances are low, there’s 0 chance you’ll get in if you don’t apply If you’re interested in research, I’d definitely pursue that for a year or two before applying to MIT. Time off is fine as long.</li>
</ol>
If you’re interested in research, I’d definitely pursue that for a year or two before applying to MIT. Time off is fine as long.</li>