Chance me for Stanford EA or MIT?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>I'm currently a senior and I'm international. My school doesn't offer APs or IB but it's one of the best high schools in Turkey(we have to take a test to determine which high school to attend, and I was in %5 on that exam.) Our school has a special science and maths curriculum which is considered harder than IBs in my country. </p>

<p>My GPA: 93/100 but will get higher. I'm the 5th at my school. </p>

<p>Have several extracurriculars ;
Duke of Edinburgh bronze medalist
president of the school council for 3 years
National Biology Olympiads Silver medalist
won bronze medal in a national biology exam
attended Duke's Talent Identification Programme in Mathematics and got all 5s in evaluation form.<br>
participated in 7 clubs such as chemistry club etc... , editor in school newspaper, founder of School's biology club and founder of MUN club in a college in my country, in debate team and quiz show team
was a scout for 7 years
self-thought computer programming
self thought several APs
piano for 5 years,school's volleyball team,tennis for 4 years
done about 500 hours of volunteer work last year
thought biology to olympiad students
know German
attended two 2-week programmes for olympiad students, take college courses in biology from college professors
attended a 2-week summer programme in genetics in a college in my country
done an internship and completed a project in astrophysics in a college in my country
have some certificates about clonning and stem cell research, attended some conferences
currently doing a project about nanomedicine and hoping to attend the best(by saying the best, I mean the most prestigious ) national science fair in my country and ISEF afterwards if possible. Actually, I think I found a pretty good idea and it was about a research currently being done in MIT; so I'm planning to contact the professor doing that research if possible. I'm very hopeful about this project, maybe a publication could be made.
done a project, it won first prize in the best science fair in my country and attending an international science fair but my name isn't on it, and we're planning to make a publication with it in Cancer Research magazine, maybe in New Scientist (this time my name will be on it.) currently I'm trying to find a sponsor
And I don't know if it's important, but I have amazing extracurriculars from my elementary and middle school. </p>

<p>Jobs;
worked in a lawyer's office during the summer after my freshman year (like an internship but I was paid)
worked in an advertising agency </p>

<p>And just got admission for an internship position in a Harvard-MIT lab (will work in research about biomedical engineering for six months) I will be the only high school student there. </p>

<p>This year I'm also planning to make my GPA higher, do an internship in Harvard-MIT lab (for 6 months), take SATs again (I'm sure it will be somewhere between 2000-2200 for SAT 1 and above 750 for math1, math2 and biology. ), take APs in computer programming, biology, chemistry, physics and calculus. Also I'm planning to apply to Clark Scholars Program in Texas Tech University for next summer. </p>

<p>So, my question is; if we assume that I have 2200 in SAT and I made a publication in an international science journal with 8 points, what are my chances at Stanford's early action or MIT, which is my dream school?? I know that my chances aren't very high, so I'm planning to wait one year and apply again; so what would you suggest me to do during that year?</p>

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<p>I think its a bad idea to wait another year just so you can re-apply to two ultra competitive schools.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your reply! You may be right, but I’m dreaming about MIT for a very long time. Also we have really good schools here which I can easily be accepted. I know that there are many many better schools there but there’s no point in living on the other side of the world(20 hours from Turkey), if I don’t go to one of the schools I want. When I say waiting one year, that means I’ll get in a school here and apply there again next year as a freshmen. </p>

<p>I know that I can add many ECs and higher my scores during that year. </p>

<p>So, do you think that it’s impossible for me to be accepted this year?? To be honest, I feel like it is.</p>

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<p>And I forgot to add my GPA is 5.0/5.0. ( I don’t know what weighted or unweighted means?) </p>

<p>Also I’m going to do a 2 or 3 week internship with a neuroscience professor (actually he is the head of neuroscience lab) in October.</p>

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<p>Again I forgot to say that he’s in MIT :)</p>

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<p>I think you got it bro. IBO medals are very high in the prestige and no university will turn you down.</p>

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<p>You can’t go to school in turkey and then apply as a freshmen. They will consider you a transfer and it will be even harder to get in. To even have a shot at MIT, your classes would have to mimic their freshmen year schedule.</p>

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<p>@aznbboixnaruto oh I wish it was a medal in IBO; but unfortunately it’s only national, it’s not that prestigious. Actually it is “more than nothing” standards I guess. :frowning: Though it’s not anything regional, I was the 6th and if I was 4th, I would be on IBO. </p>

<p>I have only hope from this publication thing, it will be on a prestigious science journal and we will take money from it.</p>

<p>@redroses Thank you, I didn’t know that. :frowning: That would be a really bad mistake then. So what would you guys suggest for safeties? Do I even have a little chance at MIT?</p>

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<p>And do you think if I wait one year that will be a disadvantage for me in applications?</p>

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<p>Your best option would be not to start college. I would take the SAT and then access your chances before deciding. If you’re not looking for aid there are many good colleges that could be backups. CMU and Berkeley are 2 that should be no problem with a 2100.</p>

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<p>Thank you. :slight_smile: I’m kinda sure I’ll do 2100+ maybe 2200+ this October and 760+ in Subjects. Of course I wouldn’t wait if I was accepted in Berkeley. Also I’m not looking for aid in top colleges like Berkeley, ivies, MIT, Stanford… </p>

<p>Also people who did internships at the Harvard-MIT Lab which I will work in all got admitted to MIT, Caltech and Cornell. Especially MIT and Caltech. Do you think good (extra) recs from there and from a professor at MIT would help? </p>

<p>Or maybe if I will be a semi-finalist at ISEF? </p>

<p>So what do I need for MIT? Making the SAT even higher would be enough? Or do I need to found a million-dollar company? :slight_smile: Sorry about being so difficult, but it’s my dream since I was a child and I don’t know much about the qualities of people who got in there. :)</p>

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<p>And what about Johns Hopkins?? Or Stanford’s early application?</p>

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<p>Or Cornell maybe ??</p>

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<p>WOW…ok, you’re in. I’m not kidding you’re in.</p>

<p>I’m an upcoming Stanford freshman right now, and I was nowhere as talented as you. :slight_smile: I did a lot of journalism/writing stuff, and won awards, but…yups. Was fairly normal.</p>

<p>Essays for both MIT/Stanford are extremely important. They stress that very heavily - even more so than the Ivies. So make sure you take a lot of time to prune and edit them.</p>

<p>But other than that, breathe. You are one of those givens that will get in. I’m not kidding. I think you have an extremely good chance!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>No, there is no internship that helps college admissions that much. Clearly the internship program is mostly accepting the MIT worthy.</p>

<p>Berkeley is much easier to get into than Stanford, MIT and Caltech, if you’d be happy there then delay starting college.</p>

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<p>@redroses Thanks for your reply :slight_smile: Internship is again “more than nothing” I guess. So what I should do is study for the SATs and try to get the highest that I can. After that, I will consider waiting one year or not. </p>

<p>@funkadoodledee Thank you for cheering me up. :slight_smile: And congrats for being accepted in Stanford! I really don’t think I’m surely in in one of those colleges, before I have any SATs and stuff. But even knowing that I have a chance is great! Thanks very much:)</p>

<p>Which score do I need to take on SAT to get in ivies or Stanford, MIT etc. (and please consider I’m international! ) :)</p>

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<p>One more question: what are my chances as a transfer student, let’s say from Berkeley or Carnegie Mellon to MIT, if I really do good there???</p>

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<p>@redroses about the internship thing, I agree with the fact that an internship couldn’t help that much. But they apply after they do internships, so I don’t think what you said is true completely. They probably had more than only internships, but it’s really hard to get in there too, they consider your CV and you have to find a novel idea about the research being done there. Still thank you for your replies though, they really help.</p>

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<p>“I think you got it bro. IBO medals are very high in the prestige and no university will turn you down.” </p>

<p>“oh I wish it was a medal in IBO; but unfortunately it’s only national, it’s not that prestigious. Actually it is “more than nothing” standards I guess. Though it’s not anything regional, I was the 6th and if I was 4th, I would be on IBO.”</p>

<p>Please don’t glorify the IBO. An IB diploma or medal is horribly overrated. I have one, and it isn’t nearly as useful as I thought it would be. All hindsight though, so I don’t blame you two for over-valuing it.</p>

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<p>You may be right, but you see I have this friend who has an IPhO golden medal and now he’s sure he’ll be admitted to MIT. I think my over-valuing it is caused by these kinds of things. Also you should understand that if I got maybe 2 questions right, I could have one right now. I lost it pretty close so it’s still a big deal for me and of course congrats to you too. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>And in Turkey if you have a IBO medal, you don’t need to do anything more than that to get in any college you want. Also you are paid during your undergrad education, you have scholarships too of course. </p>

<p>And I totally agree that IB is overrated. I hope people in admissions office know this too. :)</p>

<p>And how IBO didn’t help you? I mean, which college are you in right now?</p>