class rank: irrelevant? (done by UW GPA benefiting those who take only basic requirements and easy electives)
one sitting on all tests
ACT: 35 composite (35M, 36S, 33R, 35W)
SAT (new): 1520 - (790M, 730CR/W)
SAT II Math II: 800
SAT II Spanish: 750
SAT II Physics: 740
Rec Letters:
IB Physics teacher: scored 100% on multiple unit exams (others were struggling to pass), participated in class, engaged outside of class with talk of my internship pursuit
IB Anthropology teacher: taught me for two years, I always present my ideas clearly, and we have had deep conversations outside of class (TOK)
PSU professor: mentored me for my internship, happy with my work and published my paper as adviser/editor
Varsity rower; practice 18 hours/week 44 weeks/year for the last three years
fall 2016 varsity eight; placed 7/85 at the Head of the Charles; won San Diego Fall Classic
full time summer research internship in civil engineering last summer at a local University
published my own official report for the department of civil and environmental engineering
other than that, my ECs are weak (a few clubs, no real leadership)
~100 hours of service time
teaching kids in Spanish immersion, dismantling computers for recycling, outreach programs for my rowing club, ivy pulls/the usual cleaning up parks
@oPhilippos
I like to believe that admissions is not a crap shoot. However, it is reasonable to think that there is some degree of luck involved. But with at least a dozen people looking at any application before it goes in the admit pile, the variance must be fairly low
I might be totally wrong, but from the details you’ve given there’s a fair chance we went/go to the same high school, and I was the only one from that school who got into MIT last year, so hopefully this will help you.
The class rank issue. I had the same issue! Just ask your counselor to use the weighted rank instead of unweighted. Weighted I was first, unweighted I was barely in the top 10%. It definitely didn't stop me from getting in to schools.
Don't know how much sports will help you; last year there was a kid in my grade who was recruited for football at MIT and still didn't get in.
The research and publication won't help that much unless you also submitted to contests like STS or Siemens and was recognized.
MIT barely takes kids from the school district, let alone the school. Of course, this is me guessing about your whereabouts, so if you're not in the Portland Metro area, you can ignore this.
Chance threads for any top ten school are kind of pointless since even the top students in the US have relatively low chances.
Anyway, the answer you’re probably looking for is yes, you should definitely apply. Your chance isn’t going to be resoundingly higher or lower than the average applicant, which is still extremely low, but hey, that’s why they call it ultracompetitive admissions.
Did you ever speak with the coaches at MIT? Personally, I’ve spoken with the lights and am hoping that can aid in my application. Also, congrats at HOCR, Rose City performed really well.
It’s still here, but it’s locked. Pity, I have some comments I would like to make, but in a general sense. I wouldn’t want to do this on an individual’s “Chance me! Chance me!” thread.