<p>GPA: 3.65 uw, 4.0 w
SAT I, 800 Math, 630 Verbal, 640 Writing
SAT II, 800 Math IIC, 750 Chem, 800 Japanese
AP test: Chem-5 Envi Sci-5 Bio-5 Phys-5
Ap, Honors classes: Chem AP, Envi Sci Ap, Phys AP, Bio AP, English 10,11,12 H, American History H, Humanities H, Calc BC, Pre calc. I took every Ap, and honors for englsih math, science, and history
EC's: Aikido Black Belt (teachers assistant), Varsity Chess, Varsity Tennis, Tutor Club, Key Club, Internship at local Biochem company, National Honors Society, Bellevue Youth Symphony (concert master), made playoffs for violin contest, awards from orchestra teacher, Tennis team captain.</p>
<p>So do You think I can make it? tell me if each one is a reach/match/etc;</p>
<p>I think MIT and Cornell should be considered reaches for everyone. I mean, the admission process is so unpredictable that once you get to these top college, it's hard to call anything a match/safety. </p>
<p>Do you go to Bellevue High School by any chance?</p>
<p>Based on the pattern of admits and rejects I've seen on here, I don't think your chances are great at MIT. Your extracurriculars are cool, but sound an awful lot like application padding rather than passion. The probability you will be admitted to Cornell is significantly greater than the probability you will be admitted to MIT, as with everyone. The selectivity of the two schools is not comparable.</p>
<p>I would also tentatively guess that your extracurriculars would go over better at Cornell. In my lay opinion, you are justified in applying to both schools and considering yourself to have a meaningful chance of admission at either, but would be making a significant error if you did not also apply to schools with less competitive applicant pools.</p>
<p>If "aikido black belt" doesn't say passion, I'm not sure what does. Or 800 in Japanese, for that matter. While I, too, would say that MIT shouldn't be considered a match for anyone who has to apply (they have ways of recruiting the 12-yr-old geniuses, I'm sure), I wouldn't consider you all that removed from a successful applicant. Exploit your unique points. Stress your love of violin. Don't talk about academics in your interview or essay, the stats will speak for themselves. Passion is subjective, so the best advice is to really just put time into your app and make sure you feel comfortable that the whole you is being represented.</p>
<p>Actually, I feel overall you'd be a strong candidate. Obviously serious about academics while pursuing excellence in several extracurricular fields, and though you haven't exactly focused on volunteerism you have enough listed to show some sort of human empathy (or resume padding, same thing ^_^)</p>
<p>Oh, and if you want to say that you took all the APs available without coming across as being obsessed, list your APs on the app and then include a sort of school-info flyer. If one isn't pre-made for you, perhaps you should make one for them to reproduce for all the seniors ^_^ Nice things to include are curriculum and extracurricular offerings, past matriculation stats, # of students in each SAT score range, avg GPA, #1 public school, perhaps a mission statement to take up room so it looks official... supplements are key when you use them correctly! I was going to make up a flyer like this for my school's multimedia program since we had a lot of programs that fit under one heading and it was somewhat hard to explain how on the app, but then I found that such a flyer already existed for visitors and incoming students.</p>
<p>And remember, if 11 people apply to MIT, 10 are qualified and 1 gets in. Good luck!~</p>
<p>Wow, laureno, that schools flyer thing is an awesome idea. I had never thought of it until now. I think it would be especially useful for my school, since it is outside the USA. </p>
<p>Getting my school to print something like it would be an impossible task though! The administration is so bureaucratic.</p>
<p>that's something a guidance counselor will sometimes take care of. it's their job to present you in the context of your school, not yours. provided, of course, that you have a non-lame non-hosed non-worthless guidance counselor.</p>
<p>right... if you've seen the counselor's recommendation form on the MIT app, there's specifically a place where they check off whether or not you've taken the highest-level course your school offers in each of your specific subjects (math, bio, chem, physics, especially, but I think also english, foreign language, and history?)...</p>
Really? To me, an 800 in Japanese doesn't say "passion", it says "I grew up in a Japanese-speaking household." If that's not accurate, then I'd agree that it's something exotic and cool.</p>
<p>Are you planning on taking the SAT again? Try to boost your verbal and writing scores if you do. Your GPA also seems a bit low. I would say that you are very likely to get into Cornell, though, as long as you have good essays and good recommendations. Good luck!</p>
<p>Is it a typo? Or am U seeing a 3.65uw? With your course load, you would need at least a 3.91. Many well rounded people with ~10 AP and 4.0uw gets rejected every year. If my source is correct, 3,000 class valedictorians applied last year to MIT. But who knows? After all, the admission process is a mystery.</p>