Chances for MIT

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, all</p>

<p>I've finally started my college application and am hoping for some words of wisdom. I have pretty average stats but am hoping that my circumstances may help me enter the fine establishment that is MIT, they are listed below.</p>

<p>Academics:
-GPA: 4.0 (Unweighted) Approx. 4.5 (Weighted)
-SAT: 2170 first take (790 Math, 720 CR, 660 Writing - 8 essay) Aunt offered to pay for it, and I'm financially unable to retake.
-Class rank: Academic Top Ten (No ranking system aside from this, would be number one by weighted gpa)</p>

<p>-Sophomore Year: AP US(5), AP Bio(5)
-Junior Year: AP Calc AB(5), AP Chemistry(5), AP World(5), AP Psych(5), AP Lang and Comp(4, expected 5)
-Senior Year: 7 AP with math/science focus, Self studying Physics Cs concurrently with Physics B</p>

<p>EC's:
-FIRST Robotics: Charter member of a team, head electrician. (9-12)
-Student-led Tutoring: Freshman (Not offered 10th-12th due to school change)
-Cross Country Varsity: 11-12
-Track and Field JV: 10-12
-Mathlete: 11-12
-Nazarene Bible Quizzing: 7th-12th grade (8th grade: regional qualifier(Competitors from 4 states) 12th grade: first place winner overall for 1st State invitational, Expert division [highest possible] )
-500 Mile Running Club: Charter member (11-12)</p>

<p>Work Experience:
-Fundraising chairperson for FIRST robotics team
-Business administration experience w/ mom and pops
-Building experience (Summer work under the table @ various locations with my dad, he wants me to succeed and lets me focus on school in the academic season)</p>

<p>Circumstances:
-First generation Russian American whose family immigrated for religious freedom (born in USA)
-Parents made less than $10,000 for the past 3 years in gross annual income
-House has been in danger of foreclosure for the past 3 years, multiple scares
-Father is a chronic alcoholic, often out of work
-Near death of father on my 15th birthday, heart attack; he has since then had a stroke and broken his hip(was unable to work for a year)</p>

<p>So there it is. Do you think these circumstances make up for my lacking academic and extracurricular stats when compared to some other applicants? I am writing essays on both my cousin's and my Americanization as well as my father's alcoholism and recent trials my family has faced.</p>

<p>My hook, though obscure, would have to be the Nazarene Bible Quizzing. The competition goes up to a national level and I have a good chance at qualifying this year (unfortunately, it takes place in the June). Essentially, there is a round of twenty questions on a certain book, and every person goes head to head in a round robin for a spot in the top 12. A "quizmaster" will read questions to two or three teams and they will jump to set off a buzzer. The buzzer may be set off before the question is finished, in which case you must finish the question and give a correct answer. To compete in the highest levels you have to have a very deep understanding of the text (oftentimes people memorize it) and be able to extrapolate possible questions from the cadence of the speaker, syntax of questions, and general knowledge. Suffice to say, it is very mentally taxing. I haven't done so well in previous years, but this year I have stepped up my studying to full memorization(the book is Matthew) and am hoping for a trip to nationals (at this rate, going to regionals is assured).</p>

<p>Thank you for your time.</p>

2

<p>I think that more than anything your situation could be your hook. Rather than focusing upon some obscure activity, I would focus instead upon your hardships and the difficulties you have undergone. I would imagine that if you wrote great essays you would have a good chance.</p>

3

<p>I guess I’d start by saying that neither your academics nor your activities look particularly weak to me.</p>

<p>Your SAT-W is a bit low, but honestly, I don’t know how much MIT weights this section.</p>

<p>Your family situation seems more relevant (I agree with Rickfoop here). It is something your GC should write about in his or her letter.</p>

<p>As to the time and effort on the Bible Quiz – possibly an interesting essay question. It can show how you have stayed with an activity even if you weren’t ‘the best’ and that you were willing to put in the time to improve. To the extent you show significant improvement as a result of the work – so much the better.</p>

4

<p>I’ve seen two guys with circumstances as yours with even lower SATs 1900ish and got in, so I don’t see why you shouldn’t. But don’t let in get in your head these colleges are capricious.</p>

5

<p>You look very good. However, almost all of MIT is a reach so be wary of that. Look at some other state Us like U of Alabama or colleges like Beara/ College of Ozarks. Both give good fin aid and merit aid</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the replies. I guess I underestimated my circumstances as a hook, I will definitely be writing about them in some of my essays, and I am currently scrounging together some nice clothes for an interview (lol). Any other suggestions for applying to MIT, by the way I speak Russian pretty well, I would consider myself bilingual.</p>

7

<p>Bumping, hoping for some more input. And by the way, I have not told these things to anyone outside of my family, so I couldn’t really get my letter-of-recommendation writers to talk about them, I’ll have to bring them up myself.</p>

8

<p>You look good for MIT. But you look even better for Stanford, considering your situation.</p>

9

<p>As others have said, play up your hook. You’re in an unfortunate situation and you seem to have made the best of it; this in itself is extremely impressive. You don’t have to focus entirely on it, but weave it into whatever you are writing about.</p>