<p>Most of the people accepted into MIT have crazy math and science awards and have been in crazy competitions(USAMO, Intel, whatever else is there). But if you come from a high school where no one ever qualifies for these competitions or has ever won an INtel, will MIT hold it against you that you didn't participate in these competitions? 99.6% of the kids in my school do not know what any of these compeititions are.
Does MIT know that your school sucks and has never sent kids to these kinds of competitions?
By the way, the percentage of kids in my school going to a 4 year college is about 53%.
Is that high (I live in New York state)?</p>
<p>You are incorrect. Many if not most acceptees are NOT Intel, etc. award winners. My (sophomore) son had never heard of any of the competitions and awards asked about in the MIT application, and he got a little psyched out reading CC because these competitons and awards are talked about a lot. His HS never made him aware of any of these. As you might expect, of course, he was and is very accomplished in other ways.</p>
<p>Not a single person in my school has done any of those competitions…yet I am going to be a first. I went out on my own looking for competitions, since I like having challenges to apply myself in. Nobody told me about them. You could do this too! :)</p>