Chance a Black Kid from Arkansas

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>I'm new to this site and have seen many chance threads so I figured I'd make one as well. MIT has always been one of my top choices and now that I'll be a senior, it's finally time to apply. Any chances or feedback would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>I attend a large public school in Arkansas and will be graduating next year, very few attend HYPSM (maybe one every couple of years)</p>

<p>Interested in: Biology or Chemistry, Pre-Medical</p>

<p>Rank: 1 out of 467</p>

<p>SAT Score: 2310 (800 Math, 790 Critical Reading, 720 Writing) ...This was my first time, should I retake?</p>

<p>SAT II: 790 Math Level II, 800 Chemistry, 790 Biology, 720 Spanish </p>

<p>ACT Score: 35</p>

<p>AP's: 5 on AP World History, waiting on AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Psychology and AP United States History (expecting 5 on all of them, except possibly a 4 on US History), will take AP Physics B, AP Comparative Politics, AP Language and Composition next year. </p>

<p>Race: Half Black, Half White</p>

<p>EC's: </p>

<p>Class President (10th and 11th grade)
Peer Leadership (10th to present) - Founder
Model UN (9th to present) - President
Young Democrats of America (9th to present) - Vice President
Pre-Medical Society (10th to present) - Treasurer
Science Club (10th to present) - Secretary
Math Team (9th to Present)
JV Tennis (9th)
Varsity Tennis (10th to present)
School Newspaper (9th to present) - Pretty involved, no leadership positions here though</p>

<p>Jobs/Internships: </p>

<p>I work throughout the school year about 20 hours a week at a local grocery store since 9th grade
Summer after Freshmen Year: Worked at local grocery store 30-35 hours a week
Summer after Sophomore Year: Paid internship at local hospital, shadowed a cardiologist
This summer: Internship at hospital-shadowing the head of cardiology at local hospital</p>

<p>Volunteering:</p>

<p>I work with Habitat for Humanity and help re-build homes for those in need - About 20 hours/month
Volunteering at local church</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

2

<p>Interesting that HYPS and M have always been your top choices. Do you feel they have something in common?</p>

3

<p>

</p>

<p>haha, yes. very ‘interesting’…</p>

4

<p>Great chance, but you knew that…you do need a few matches/safeties though, maybe Cornell, Washu, Northwestern?</p>

5

<p>Is it just me, or is everyone from HS who goes here a little… obsessed about getting into somewhere good? Because remember that most people who get into HYSPM need not be complete academic all-stars, i.e., valedictorians. </p>

<p>But yeah, these seem fine; it puts you in the pool with the thousands of other stellar applications.</p>

6

<p>Haha, yeah…I actually wasn’t considering MIT until I went up to Boston to visit Harvard and decided to check it out…after visiting, I definitely pictured myself fitting in there well… I also think Stanford would be a great experience in part because of it’s location and Yale and Princeton have always been on my mind (largely due to their reputation)… Thanks nesh, I definitely do need more not-so-super reaches on my list lol…if you guys have any other suggestions about possible schools, I’d appreciate it!</p>

7

<p>^How about Duke? And also, if your pre-med, you should think about applying to JHU…
Those schools are still hard to get into, but they are “not-so-super reaches”</p>

8

<p>Yeah, I’d go with Duke. It’s still hard to get into but not as much of a reach. </p>

<p>I never really thought about MIT until the beginning of this year, actually. It was kinda only after I looked into it more that I decided I would probably love it.</p>

<p>And lol, Cornell isn’t a safety even if it is the most looked down upon among the Ivies.</p>

9

<p>

affirmative action case heYUHHH
-__-</p>

10

<p>HarvardHopeful–You look like a shoo-in everywhere. But don’t limit your options to only the most “elite” and famous schools. There are many great colleges and universities out there that would love to have you–and that you might love in return. Do your research!</p>

11

<p>

</p>

<p>Are you kidding? Did you read his stats?</p>

<p>HarvardHopeful, you have as much chance as any other valedictorian, class president, with excellent SAT scores. (Don’t retake the SATs; those scores are impressive, especially since you did it in your first sitting.)</p>

<p>No one is a shoo-in for any of the elite schools, but my guess is that you’ll get into somewhere wonderful.</p>

12

<p>OK, Momwaitingfornew is right–no one is a shoo-in for the ivies. Still, you’re an incredibly appealing candidate. Keep your options open. Don’t ONLY look at the top 5 colleges/universities. Look for the best fit–somewhere you’d be thrilled to spend four years of your life. Good luck!</p>

13

<p>I want to clarify that I think the OP is an excellent candidate for any top school, regardless of his race. </p>

<p>It does top students who also happen to be URMs a great disservice by implying that they get a pass because of race. This student has clearly worked hard to get where he is.</p>

14

<p>I agree completely!</p>

15

<p>The OP has pretty much maxed out performance in terms of test scores, grades, and school leadership. He is a solid candidate for any top school. However, he lacks academic awards in which he might distinguish him in the pool of candidates across the country. Normally, I’d say he would have a shot to get into any school in the country, but he also might very well be shut out of the ivies. His chances go up because of his URM status, though it still is not guarenteed.</p>

16

<p>I just wanted to beg you to not retake your SATs - 800 and 790 on the 2 sections that really count are more than good enough. Retake them and you would (rightfully) look a bit obsessive.</p>

17

<p>Very good chance at MIT. African American applicants have a much higher acceptance rate so that the adcoms can even out the large asian body. lol it’s true.</p>

18

<p>You look like a fairly competitive candidate without taking into account your race; with that factored in, I would be very surprised if you didn’t make it.</p>

<p>A 2310 is fine, don’t bother retaking the SAT.</p>

19

<p>Uhm I convinced myself that I would NEVER EVER say this, but I seriously don’t see myself being wrong about this (after lurking on these boards for so long and absorbing as much MIT knowledge as possible)… you’re in. You CAN screw this up if you don’t have your essay reflect who YOU are. I know kids who had great stats as yourself (and black), but they didn’t get into places like Stanford or Caltech, and they KNEW this was because their essays did not truly reflect their personality. How much would it suck if you didn’t get in because you weren’t yourself? Yeah, pretty bad.</p>