Hello! I’m a current junior who is very new to learning about the college admissions process, with a very poor sense of what’s prestigious and what the qualities of a student getting accepted into schools such as MIT are. I was wondering, with my stats, what are other colleges and summer programs that I could consider applying to? Additionally, how could I improve my application for similar programs for next year? Thanks!
SAT: 1390 (took it my sophomore year without really studying yikes)
GPA: 4.0 UW
APS: AP Euro, taking AP lang, APUSH, AP Chem, and AP Calc BC. Self studying AP Environmental and AP Physics Mech and AP Physics E&M this year.
Intended Major: Physics (or astrophysics) definitely! I would like to become a research physicist in the future
ECS:
Literature Honors Society (leadership) 2 years
Science Olympiad 2 years
Model UN (Leadership) 2 years
Freshman Orientation Group 2 year
Robotics (1 year, joined this year)
Speech Team (1 year, quit)
Girls Stem club ( 1year, this year)
Participated in physics Outreach Lecture program from a famous physics laboratory (1 year)
Online quantum computing course sponsored by IBM (1 year)
Online Coding course on scholarship for free for girls during the Summer
part time job (worked around 20 hours a week, a few months)
Data analyst internship (4 months in progress)
AWARDS:
two jv regional awards in science olympiad
one best delegate award from a conference at a t20 school for model un
two speech awards for fifth place at some tournaments
I understand that I’m not a very good applicant, which is why I’m kind of looking for advice! I got into STEM very late but I definitely want to pursue physics in the future. My (extremely unrealistic) dream school is MIT, but of course, MIT is an incredible school and I’m just not MIT caliber. I definitely want recommendations for more feasible schools to apply for, as well as some ways I could improve my application for when I do apply to MIT! Thank you for your help!!
You took the SAT in your sophomore year without much studying. Under these circumstances a 1390 is very good. They are not going to penalize you for trying out the SAT early. You will want to take it again and are likely to do much better after more time in high school and with some more preparation. However, I think that MIT is currently test-optional. I would not submit a 1390 score since they are test-optional, but I would expect that you are going to end up with a higher score that you could submit.
Is your GPA unweighted? A 4.0 unweighted GPA is of course perfect. If this is a weighted GPA then can you tell us what unweighted is, or how many A’s you got versus B’s?
Your ECs look good to me, but it is a long list. I would recommend that you focus on the ECs that matter to you.
MIT does not admit by major. Your ECs do not need to be physics-related even if you want to major in physics. If you are accepted, and if you decide to attend MIT, then they will use your intended major to help them assign you to a freshman year advisor.
You should google “applying sideways MIT” and read the blog that it takes you to. This describes pretty much exactly what I did to get into MIT. I did what made sense for me, did it well, and this happened to be a set of things that MIT saw as a good fit.
Do you know what your budget is for university? If it is anything less than $320,000 over four years, have you run the NPC to see whether MIT is likely to be affordable?
For the purpose of recommending other universities: What is your home state? Also, again your budget would be useful for this purpose.
As an opinion on selecting schools for physics combined with astronomy, consider giving additional attention to colleges with relatively dark and natural night skies and accessible observatories, such as, to varying degrees, Williams, Vassar, Haverford, Hamilton, Wesleyan and Amherst. With an improved SAT score, you would meet the academic expectations of these schools, although your actual admission would depend on the entirety of your application.
MIT is test optional, but make it very clear that they prefer test scores. I believe it’s unlikely they will be test-optional in two year.
Next Fall is the perfect time to take both the PSAT, to qualify for NMS, and take the SAT for the first “real” time. Yiu should have enough schooling at that point, and have the summer to do an unneeded preparation.
@DadTwoGirls how do you feel about OP self-studying APs? I don’t typically see that as a good use of time or beneficial to college admissions. I never suggest self-studying a lab science. But my background is humanities and business so perhaps you have a different view.
My advice to the OP would be to keep up grades, improve SAT/ACT and concentrate on a few ECs you really enjoy (with leadership, if possible). Good for you for asking these questions now. You will do great wherever you land!
Just a tip but build good relationships with both Math/Science teachers and Reading/Arts teachers. MIT wants a LOR from both and I feel like I could’ve had a better connection with my English teacher.
The 4.0 unweighted is very impressive and though you do not list prior classes, it appears from current ones you likely have had plenty of rigor. MIT certainly seems possibly attainable, from what you have shared.
Just to confirm, are you currently a junior? What are your plans for the SAT this year? Did you take the PSAT in 10th and in 11th(last month)? What was your 10th PSAT score? I understand your 10th SAT was not really prepped–I am trying to get a better idea of your baseline.
There is no need to self-study APs: do something else with your free time.
It feels a bit like maybe you’re trying to make up for lost time with APS. You took AP Euro in a previous year and are currently taking 4 more APS at school this year as a junior, which would give you five total. Is that why you are also self-studying 3 more - so you can have 8 AP tests on your applications? Or are you self-studying those because your school doesn’t offer them and you want/feel you need them? Taking four is already a lot in one year; seven seems like too many.
A frequent comment I see here on CC (and that I think DramaMama2021 was hinting at) is that schools do not count self-studied APs as equivalent to taking AP classes when looking at your application. They may give you college credit if you get a good score, but that only happens if you’re accepted. Somebody else here can probably explain it better. I may not have that quite right.
Thank you; I am making up for lost time with APs to be honest. I didn’t take any APS my freshman year (I only could’ve taken AP World History instead of honors, though). I did take all honors courses, but not the most rigorous courses I could’ve my freshman and sophomore year. Alongside compensating for my lack of APs earlier on, I’m self studying ap physics, mostly because i want to be a physics major! It’s not practical, since it’s very hard to self study physics, but it’s more just because I want to get further ahead in physics earlier. Within my schedule, I’m not able to take the course until senior year, so i wanted to have more physics experience early on if that makes sense! However, many people are saying that self studying APS is mostly a waste of time for college applications; will self-studying APS successfully compensate at all? Thanks!
I am not a big fan of self-studying for APs. Self-studying for one or two might be okay, but only if it does not take away from (i) getting your school work done, (ii) participating in the ECs that you want to participate in, and (iii) getting enough sleep and staying sane.
I would be cautious about self studying for APs.
By the way, it was a very long time ago, but in my experience regular freshman year physics at MIT was very good and very well taught. It would be well worth taking and I am glad that I did not AP out of it.
Thank you!! I am a junior, and I am taking the SAT later in the year, but I have not received my PSAT score. Regarding AP Euro, I got a 4, which isn’t the greatest, but not the worst!
To be honest, during the past few practice exams I’ve taken, I have trouble getting beyond a 1450, but hopefully I can improve it in the near future!
Ok. Here’s my opinion: While your stats are really good, MIT turns away literally tens of thousands of kids each year, many with 4.0 GPAs, perfect SAT or ACT scores, more than eight AP classes, 4’s and 5’s on the exams, and/or great ECs like yours. Your schedule for the past two years lacks the rigor they will be looking for, and I don’t think you can make it up by doing a lot of AP self-studying. Apply, but try not to get your heart set on it and look around at other schools with great physics departments. There are plenty that will want you, and you need some safeties that you’d be happy to attend if MIT doesn’t work out.
Also, as someone else asked, do you know what you and your family can afford to pay? If not, the two most important things you can do this year are to have a very frank financial discussion with your parents and then run the net price calculators you can find on every college’s website so that you know which ones you can afford to attend. Good luck!
You’re trying to build your list from the top down (i.e. starting with the most competitive possible schools) which is a recipe for stress and disappointment. Super-reach schools are easy to identify. Start by looking for safety and match schools that you could be happy with.
What’s your home state? What honors programs are available at your state flagship?
You haven’t mentioned your financial circumstances. Could your family even afford a school like MIT? Are you eligible for financial aid, or would you need to pay full price at a private university that doesn’t offer merit aid?
There are all sorts of schools that are highly-regarded for physics and astronomy/astrophysics, without being insanely difficult to get into. Consider, as just one example, the Honors College at UCF For Those Who Dream of Space, UCF is the Place . In the category of competitive but not MIT-level competitive, look at Smith College, which has a terrific reputation for STEM including physics, and also has cross-registration with the rest of the 5-College Consortium… and Reed College in Portland, which produces a disproportionate number of future PhD’s for its size, in a variety of fields including physics. In fact, this list of PhD-producing institutions could be a great place to get ideas: Top Feeders to Ph.D. Programs Of course, it includes tippy-top schools like MIT and Caltech, but it also includes others that may surprise you.
Certainly, have some reach schools on your list. But think about what kind of experience you’re looking for as an undergraduate, and find less competitive schools where you could be happy, as well. The career you’re aiming for will require grad school, if you stay on that path, so play the long game and aim to end up in a top grad program, with as little student debt from undergrad as possible. You can accomplish this from many, many places, so think about what kind of environment would work best for you and allow you to thrive.