Chance me for MIT + what more can I do?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

This is less of an actual “chance me” thread (because yes, I know, my chances are basically the same as everyone else’s lol) and more of a question as to how realistic MIT is for me and what else, if anything, I could do now to help my application. I’m currently a junior. (For full disclosure, I’m also probably applying to CSULB, Cal Poly SLO, UCSD, UCSB, Harvey Mudd, Stanford, and Caltech. Not really asking about those, though.)

About me:

  • white & Chinese female from Southern California

My credentials/ECs:

SAT: 1560
SAT II: 800s in Math II, Chemistry, Physics; 790 in Chinese with Listening (though MIT no longer considers SAT II tests)
GPA: 4.32 W, 3.85 UW (all my B’s were in freshman year, if that matters)
Rank: 16/465
AP exams: 5 on APWH, AP Chemistry; taking AP Physics 1, AP Spanish Lang, AP English Lang, AP Calc AB this year
Qualified for National Astronomy Olympiad, grades 10-11
Captain of Science Bowl A Team in grades 10-11, 2nd place at Regionals in 10th and 11th grade (against a team that basically places top 10 at Nationals every year)
Participated in Science Olympiad in grades 9-11, many regional medals but no state-level awards
Participated in school club to help the homeless in grades 10-11; I’ll be president of the club next year.
You can see I haven’t done anything particularly noteworthy. For the most part I’d say the lack of activities is because of my home life (divorced parents & the process took years and was pretty violent), low-income status ($30k for a family of 4, has resulted in a lot of stress, evictions, etc), and my family’s discouragement toward me studying science (they’ve mostly laid off now, but back in 8th grade my mom used to purposely break my school engineering projects, if that gives you an idea of how severely they hate that I do STEM). But I feel that’s not really an excuse, especially compared to the rest of the country where I feel like half the students applying to MIT have started their own business or something.

My junior year activities are all done (and even if they weren’t, COVID-19 would prevent me from doing much else). I’ve applied to a few summer programs and am waiting to hear back. Now, I’m planning on just studying more for next year’s science competitions and learning to code. Any thoughts on how realistic MIT is and what more I can do, if anything, to improve my application?

2

Hi tidalove,

I’m not an admissions expert, but I definitely think you have a shot at MIT. From what I know, one of the main things they look for is whether you’ve done the best you can given your circumstances, which it seems like you definitely have. When it comes time for your application, you should definitely use your essays to tell your circumstances and story.

Also, have you looked into summer science/engineering research programs like MIT’s RSI or Stanford’s AI4ALL? The deadlines have probably all passed, but something like this could probably really boost your EC’s.

Good luck with everything! If you’re ever looking for some feedback on your essays when you apply, feel free to DM me (I help a bunch of different people with applications every year and enjoy doing it as a hobby)

3

Thanks for responding! I’ll definitely try to express these circumstances in my essays, and I will definitely keep your offer of help in mind; do you know whether the essay topics tend to stay the same from year to year, so I can begin thinking about what to write about?

The deadlines for RSI and AI4ALL have passed. I did apply to SSP and UCSB RMP (two other research programs that are pretty high-quality from what I have heard), and decisions will be out in a couple of weeks for those. I guess I’m just not sure what else I might do this summer, if I’m rejected from those. I was thinking of contacting local universities to try to do research in a lab, but with the coronavirus and all, I’m not sure if they’d let me in even if they wanted to.

4

@tidalove I think you really have a decent shot at MIT! Do not feel overwhelmed by comparing urself to other ppl with stellar extracurriculars and awards. I think you have achieved a lot compared to ppl in the same circumstance as you are, and that is what matters.
Yeah, participating in summer research programs will really boost ur app since it seems like you do not have any research accomplishment and MIT kinda care about it. I really hope that you get into one of the summer programs that you applied to! (I am participating in RMP 2020 btw. Hope I can meet u at UCSB!) Keep up ur good work!

5

Thanks! I guess the general consensus in this thread is to try to get research experience over the summer to boost my app. If I’m rejected from both SSP and RMP, I’ll also try USC Young Researchers. Hopefully one of them takes me!

6

UCSB RMP is an exorbitant amount of money (10K+) for what I’ve heard isn’t a rigorous research program. They use all that money for trips to Universal Studios and whatnot. Are you applying for financial aid?

7

@penguin2 yeah I’m applying for financial aid. I wasn’t really sure how generous they are, as their website just says they offer aid but doesn’t say how much, so I decided to apply anyway. I had a friend who went and said he really enjoyed it and learned a lot, but certainly if I’m accepted and the aid isn’t enough, I won’t go.

8

Hi ! You definitely have a shot, I don’t have much else to add to what other people have said, but I would certainly look into the Questbridge scholarship program if you haven’t already.

9

Since you are in CA, see if there are any openings for a HS student at Caltech. ( might not be able to fly in a healthy way). Surely none of us can predict if any summer programs will be open. Not just because of your application, but to see more how labs work.

10

Hello, MIT freshman here! I just want to say that you should most definitely feel proud of your accomplishments, and it is difficult for any of us to say what will help your application. I also did not have any “noteworthy” accomplishments- I never competed in any academic competition above the regional level, I never did research or had an internship as a high school student, and I never participated in a large science fair or created my own business or organization. Due to personal circumstances and where I lived, I found it difficult to do many activities outside of school, but things still managed to work out in the end.

I hope this shows that you don’t necessarily need to have a lot of prestigious awards or research opportunities to get in. Good luck on finding a program or other cool activity to do over the summer!

11

I ended up being accepted to SSP, so if aid turns out well which I’m sure it will given SSP’s alleged generosity, I’ll be doing research this summer! Thanks to everyone for your responses, they were very helpful and encouraging :slight_smile: