Can I get into MIT with a 3.2 GPA and math experience?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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For context, I’m a sophomore. I currently have a 3.2 GPA, which is dismal for MIT standards, but I also know Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, and Abstract algebra, and I should be able to finish up Topology, Complex Analysis, Differential Geometry and Graduate Algebra by the time Junior Year comes around.

By the time I graduate, I’ll have completed the entire undergraduate mathematics curriculum, along with a bunch of graduate courses. Unlike others, I haven’t put any time into math competitions, which in part allowed me the time to do all this other math.

All that being said, I don’t see me raising my GPA past a B- average.

Do I have a chance?

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What were the courses in which you did poorly? Were they all in freshman year?

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You have a 3.2 and anticipate that the best GPA you can get is a 2.7? Highly highly unlikely you would be a accepted even if you get 1600 SATs. Even MIT wants students that are not one-dimensional.

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Short answer: no.

Curious as to what classes brought down your GPA. It is possible you’re either way, way ahead in math, but doing poorly because you didn’t get a handle on the foundations OR you’re bombing the humanities classes because you don’t enjoy them and , contrary to what top colleges expect, you don’t feel as though you should have to put in the time on them. Neither scenario is especially attractive to any top college, much less MIT.

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MIT does require about a quarter of the course work for a bachelor’s degree to be in humanities, arts, and social sciences, including both a distribution and a concentration that include some advanced level courses: https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/academic-requirements/hass-requirement

Presumably, they are not looking for one-dimensional students.

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The typical MIT applicant has taken the hardest classes their school offers AND has a very high GPA. So, no, you have very little chance of being admitted.

The other side of this discussion is why would you want to go there? Your GPA shows that you are either incapable or unwilling to put the work in to get good grades. MIT is whole lot of work and would be torture for you. Set your sights on a school that you could be successful at. You’ll be a lot happier.

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If you think you are that good, go and try the STEP past papers: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/step/preparing-for-step/

Cambridge don’t care about your grades at all if you can ace these tests. I know someone who didn’t attend high school at all who got in just on the basis of his test performance. And all that matters for your degree is the end of year exam. One-dimensional students who love nothing more than doing math are perfectly acceptable (and even desirable) candidates.

But there’s a big difference between studying a bunch of college level courses and having an intuitive grasp of math problem solving. Some math majors who have already graduated from US colleges can’t even do the STEP 3 entrance exam papers.

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So here’s how I would think about @MemeLord69 …

Your academics are very weak for applicants if you don’t see your GPA going above a B- (2.7).
I usually see the top student or two or three apply from public schools, maybe the top quarter or so from very good private schools (college preparatory private schools).

If you’ve pretty much finished the undergraduate curriculum, well, kudos to you, but what do you gain from going to MIT as an undergrad?

You haven’t established why MIT is a great fit for you including aligning with MIT’s mission (which is okay – if you don’t align well with MIT’s mission, you should look elsewhere).

I think the suggestion of looking at the University of Cambridge in the UK is a good one.

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And that’s relevant for MIT admissions because…?

OP, I agree with the above - relatively very low grads at even advanced coursework is not an appealing profile for MIT.

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Where are you taking these courses?

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I think you should first raise your GPA before you engage in all of these amazing math ECs. Also, try to show your passion in mathematics in various ways, not just studying by yourself.

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How are you learning these?

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As an FYI, here’s part of an interview with the T&F coach at MIT…

You get a young man who is a 4:10 miler, or a young woman who’s a sub-5 miler, who fills out the recruiting questionnaire….great, hard working kids, but…….with a 3.5 and 1350 SAT’s. He/she have any chance?

Great question. We have no picks, slots, or likely letter possibilities. We do not even have legacy options. With that said, admissions does try to help, but only when the academic criteria is met. No, a 3.5 and 1350 would have a zero chance of admission. The minimum standards I will successfully recruit are 3.9 unweighted with all A’s in math and science while taking at least AP Calc and AP Physics and the most rigorous curriculum available.

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I apologize for the late answer. This is the first notification I have gotten, and when I first posted this, I was unable to view the post for some reason.

In regards to how I study math:
I borrow textbooks on the topics, read them, and do every other problem. I use StackExchange and reddit for proof verification whenever the answer isn’t obviously correct.

In regards to whether or not MIT would be a good fit:
I wanted to go to MIT in part because everyone I knew was calling it a ‘math school’. I was thinking less about whether or not it was a good fit for me, because I care very little for anything outside of my studies, and (perhaps wrongly) see most schools as the same in what they teach. I just want to be able to study and hopefully conduct research. If I care about anything, it’s to have a quiet, organized workplace with minimal interaction with other people.

In regards to CLEPing out of classes:
I actually have the official big purple book that has a test for each of the CLEP subjects in it. In that book, I tried and passed the mathematics, humanities, and literature courses.

In regards to showing passion for math:
I first thought that just sending TeX copies of my notebooks and schedules would suffice to show passion, since math takes up at least 30 hours of my week, and leaves little time for anything else. I’m currently studying for the PRIMES entrance exam, and if I get in, I would suppose the actual math research I would do there would suffice to show passion.

Misc.
Nearly all of my bad grades were freshman year, or more accurately, worse than this one. I now have a B+ average (3.3 GPA). I recently learned I can test out of high school classes, so I’ll only have to go through 1-2 hours of hell next year, rather than 6.
I think that this will help to improve my GPA, both directly, by taking higher-weighted advanced classes, and indirectly, by not taking boring classes. That being said, I can only attempt to test out once, so this is becoming a gigantic object of stress for me. Every test I don’t pass is 200 hours of my life wasted per year of high school.

I just hate high school. It’s so boring, and the more I learn about a subject, the more distorted and evil the high school interpretation of it seems. I hope that college will be better.

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You aren’t going to get away from studying other subjects at any college (certainly including MIT). Top STEM-focused schools (MIT/Caltech/Harvey Mudd) all have humanities/social science requirements that are even more stringent than nearly all general-purpose schools, not to mention their STEM core requirements in physical/natural sciences. MIT, for example, requires you to take at least one such course each semester (and some of them have to be writing-intensive courses). Grad school is where you may be able to focus almost all your energy on the subject you’re most intereted in.

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It sounds like you may have a combination of unique talents and challenges that will make it more difficult for you to navigate life. High school may appear to be what is holding you back only because that is where you find yourself, rather than because moving on quickly to math-centric higher education will improve your situation.

Two idiomatic phrases/expressions came to mind for me when thinking about your posts:

  1. From the game Monopoly, “you have to pass Go to collect $200.” If you are unable to play by the rules of the game, i.e., circling the board, you do not get paid. The exceptions to this concept in life are extraordinarily few. Fast-forward 10 years and imagine you are a young math faculty member at a prestigious university. Will you be able successfully collaborate with colleagues, teach (sometimes dumb-ass) undergraduates, or serve on an inter-departmental diversity committee? Don’t allow your desire to get out of your current circumstances to mislead you into thinking that future will be easier than your current challenges.

  2. “Square peg in a round hole.” High school may be extremely uncomfortable because you are a square peg that does not fit. But, there will be round holes for you to navigate throughout your entire life. Instead of rushing into a path that will help you grow into the largest square peg you can become, perhaps you should spend some time thinking about whether all of who you are would fit into a hexagon instead of a square. If you are not doing so already, try to imagine dedicating 10 hours a week to music, martial arts, a part-time job, or a meaningful volunteer opportunity.

Individuals who are intellectually extremely gifted can often benefit from working with a psychologist experienced in working with that population. If you think that suggestion is meant as an attack or suggestion there is something wrong with you, you are incorrect. I am trying to be helpful.

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There is a maturity issue here. MIT might be a great choice for graduate school.

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Unfortunately, independent study of advanced mathematics is not in itself going to cut it for purposes of MIT admission. if you are accepted into PRIMES that would be a huge leg up, but as it stands now it is hard to be optimistic about chances for MIT undergrad here.

(Are you Boston local, or do you mean PRIMES-USA?)

I second the suggestion of looking into Cambridge, if your family can afford to send you. Unidimensional would not be an issue if you are highly gifted in mathematics, and the entrance papers will remove the need to substantiate your independent study to date.

And, honestly, MIT has been highly focused on contest math for quite some time. I could not imagine a better place to study pure math than at Cambridge.

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Mantra for the HS student:

Do not think 'Every point I get off of a homework or test is a point away from going to MIT."

Think: “I need to do my best, and there will be a college that is right for me when I graduate.”

Do not think “If I don’t go to an MIT/Ivy League School/Top20, I am doomed forever.”

Think: “No matter where I go, I can bloom where I am planted. I can get involved and shine.”

Do not think: “My life is over…the kid in my math class is taking 20 APs and I am taking 5. I will never succeed.”

Think: “I need to challenge myself, but only to the point where I can still do well.”

Do not think: “I am not that strong in math in class but will somehow study outside of class to impress the top STEM college in the world”

Think: “I need to work hard in my HS Math class and do the best I can and find a college that fits me”

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Look into graduating early and dual enrollment so you get credit for your studies. Attend a public university with a mathematics PhD program so you will have access to undergraduate research opportunities, high level course work and mathematicians that can guide you.

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