Consolidated EA/RD 2016 results thread

WaitingGirl · March 14, 2012, 7:27pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (780M/760R/770W)
• TOEFL: 113
• SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Bio, 800 Chem
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Weighted GPA: 4.86/5
• AP (place score in parentheses): Calc BC (self study, 5), Chem (5), Bio (5)
• IB (place score in parentheses): none
• Senior Year Course Load: 6 AP’s including Lit, Gov, Physics B, Comp Science A, Music, and Stats. 2 additional AP’s self study: Physics C Mechanics and Physics C E&M.
• Number of other applicants in your school: I’m the only person.
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I had some national math and science awards when I was a freshman in China. But no other awards.
Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Founder of a school English newspaper in my school in China, founder of a diversity club when I was in school in America, tennis varsity No. 1 singles player, piano
• Job/Work Experience: none
• Volunteer/Community service: about 120 hours.
• Summer Activites: Nothing special. Lots of community service, and flying back and forth from China to America.

Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):
• Essays (include subjects):
o What You Do For Pleasure: An internship engineering project at the University of Kentucky (I attend high school in Kentucky.) 7/10
o Department at MIT: ECE!!! Passion for robots! 7/10
o Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Humor 9/10
o World You Come From: my family comes from poverty in China, and both of my parents are first generation college goers in China. I talked about how this background has inspired me to work hard and give back to the less privileged. 10/10
o Significant Challenge: My exchange year (my first year in America)
o Other: why I decided to become an exchange student in America and how that decision has shaped my entire life. (The ironic part is that I went to a small rural town and attended a Kentucky rural school, but the experience was so enriching.)
• Teacher Recommendation #1: AP Bio teacher last year at the school where I did my exchange program.
• Teacher Recommendation #2: AP Lit teacher in my current school.
• Counselor Rec: My Counselor said I’m one of the top few students he had encountered in 13 years or so.
• Interview: my interviewer said my story was very encouraging!
• Art Supplement: piano!!!

Other
• Date Submitted App: probably on the last day before the deadline
• State (if domestic applicant): Attend high school in Kentucky
• Country (if international applicant): China
• School Type: Small private
• Ethnicity: Asian
• Gender: Female
• Hooks: probably my unique experience and background, especially when comparing myself to other Chinese students.
• Major: ECE
• Incoming bracket: about 20 K a year (Yes, I need financial aid!)
Reflection
• Strengths: Unique schooling experience and how I overcame all the difficulties during my exchange year. SAT, GPA, AP loads, self-learning AP Calc BC/Physics C just for fun.
• Weaknesses: no amazing awards, changing high school every year in the past four years.
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no idea.
• What would you have done differently? Maybe the interview.

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Only Dad and my English teacher encouraged me to apply to MIT, and honestly everybody else had literally told me that my application to MIT was an auto-rejection (I told my interviewer that, and he commented that I was very independent and persistent). Congrats to all who got in, and good luck to all who get wait listed! For those who are rejected, you guys are still as amazing as before, and don’t let one rejection letter get on you.

To people who will apply to MIT in the future: Just believe in yourself! MIT sees you more as a person than just scores or awards! GO MIT!

nugget2194 · March 14, 2012, 7:41pm

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown):2050: M:710, CR: 680, W: 660
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2050
[] ACT (breakdown):C: 32, M: 32, S: 32, R: 31, W: 29
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): 32
[] SAT II: Math 2: 710, Bio M: 780
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: N/A
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] IB (place score in parentheses):N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Advanced Chem, Intro to Cell and Molec. Bio, English IV, AP Calc BC, Latin IV, Nutrition, Sign Language, EMT Certification
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 2
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): RFH Varsity Swim Team (captain), CJAC swimming
[] Job/Work Experience: Sea Bright Beach Patrol, Ship Ahoy Beach Club Coffee Shoppe
[li] Volunteer/Community service:Little People of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Sisters of Mercy, Cinderella’s Closet[/ul] [/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: swimming[/li] [] Department at MIT: Biology, BME
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: dedication
[] World You Come From:
[] Significant Challenge:
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Sophomore chem teacher
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Junior history teacher
[] Counselor Rec:
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: good
[] Art Supplement:[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 12/29
[] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: specialized high school for students wishing to pursue carreers in medicine
[] Ethnicity: white
[] Gender: female
[] Income Bracket: <50,000
[] Hooks:[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths:
[] Weaknesses:
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[] What would you have done differently?:[/ul]

Other Factors:

**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:[/b

nefliege · March 14, 2012, 7:45pm

Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (CR: 780, M: 740, W: 730, Essay: 8)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): took only once.
[] ACT (breakdown): –
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): –
[] SAT II: Math II: 800, Physics: 800, (German: 680 - didn’t send)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 5.09/6
[] Weighted GPA: –
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/116
[] AP (place score in parentheses): –
[] IB (place score in parentheses): –
[] Senior Year Course Load: A lot. Different system.
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 0
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/li]National Physics Olympiad Semifinalist x2 (it’s like ~100 people)
National Linguistics Olympiad Semifinalist (that’s like 400)
National English Olympiad Semifinalist (no idea) [/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Math Club, Chemistry Club with a friend, Independent learning (languages & Physics), Students Exchange, Class treasurer
[] Job/Work Experience: –
[li] Volunteer/Community service: --[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Languages[/li][] Department at MIT: Linguistics
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Responsibility (it was actually about preserverance, though)
[] World You Come From: Chemistry Club and the world of my nerdiness
[] Significant Challenge: Preparing for the Physics Olympiad on my own
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Math Teacher - okay?
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: English Teacher - okay?
[] Counselor Rec: My principal wrote it - it was short
[] Additional Rec: –
[] Interview: Not sure. He was quite old, and I made the mistake of mentioning I wanted to go working to England - he couldn’t get over the fact that I’m okay with lowering myself to do this kind of job (manual) *rolls eyes He couldn’t accept the fect that Poland isn’t Germany where you have all those other opportunities. (He was German, I’m from Poland.)
[li] Art Supplement: – [/list][/li]
Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 01/01/2012
[] State (if domestic applicant): –
[] Country (if international applicant): Poo-land
[] School Type: Small-ish Public
[] Ethnicity: Polish
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: <10,000
[] Hooks: those aren’t exactly hooks, but… low income (by my country’s standards), raised by a single-parent [/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: nothing
[] Weaknesses: no awards
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I guess I just suck. Got used to it already.
[] What would you have done differently?:

wouldn’t have started my application on the 12/30/2011
wouldn’t have written on the app that I don’t like science as much as I used to
wouldn’t have picked up a different major on the Part 1 of the app, than the one I wrote about
wouldn’t have written about a million of other stupid things
wouldn’t have cared about colleges as much - not worth it[/ul]

Other Factors: due to an odd way of giving out degrees at the time my mum got hers, I had to write she has a master’s degree. I wonder if MIT took it to mean I come from an academic background - that would be funny considering how my mother always asks me to shut up when I say something about Physics or related, lol.

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Congratulations WaitingGirl =)
Snipersas, I hope you don’t mind, but your rejection helped me feel better about mine - your stats were amazing, I just don’t get it.

StarbucksBarista · March 14, 2012, 7:46pm

Decision: Waitlisted

diegovb · March 14, 2012, 8:07pm

Decision: Rejected
Big, and in red! yeah!

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown) (only did once): CR 700, W 670,M 790
[] TOEFL: R: 30/30 L: 30/30 W: 27/30 S: 23/30
[] SAT II: M1: 800 P: 800
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 i’d say, it’s a 6.6/7
[] Weighted GPA: -
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/54
[] AP (place score in parentheses): -
[] IB (place score in parentheses): -
[] Senior Year Course Load: The only one in my school, we do not have electives
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 0
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None[/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student’s Council (Vicepresident), Prefect, Personal programming and game design study
[] Job/Work Experience: None
[li] Volunteer/Community service: None[/ul][/li]
**Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):<a href=“didn’t%20rate,%20didn’t%20know%20how”>/b</a>[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Gaming and hanging with friends[/li][] Department at MIT: Comp Science, talked about Technological Singularity and Game Development
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Don’t remember hehehe
[] World You Come From: don’t remember either
[] Significant Challenge:I had no significant challenge… this probably was about organizing a school event for the student council
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Math teacher, great, showed my interest in CS and my talent in math
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Spanish teacher, great, showed my personality
[] Counselor Rec: Didn’t really add new info to the application
[] Additional Rec: Nope
[] Interview: Not, bat, but I wouldn’t say great either
[] Art Supplement: Absolutely not :P[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 1 or 2 days before deadline
[] State (if domestic applicant): -
[] Country (if international applicant): Chile
[] School Type: Private
[] Ethnicity: German-Spanish-Chilean Native
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: 75k-100k I think
[] Hooks: Mmm, none i think[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: What you see above
[] Weaknesses: I don’t have any more strengths! At least none that were easy to convey in an application
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:It’s really hard to get into MIT, I’m not really surprised, I saw it coming
[] What would you have done differently?: Maybe pay more attention to my essays[/ul]

Other Factors:

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congrats to everyone who got in!

thisisthais · March 14, 2012, 8:17pm

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2130: 710M, 740R, 690W. Single sitting.
[] ACT (breakdown): 33 Comp: 33M, 35R, 35W, 28S. Single sitting.
[] SAT II: 780 MathII, 750 Bio
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.3
[] Weighted GPA: 4.1?
[] AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (4), APBio(4), APCalcAB(5)
[] Senior Year Course Load: APCompA, APCalcBC, APStats, APLit, Teacher Assisting, Government, Economics, Research (Math)
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 3
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):NHRP, National Scholar, 88.5 on AMC12[/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Mu Alpha Theta (2 years, VP of Communications, Algebra II Team Coach, Calculus Team Member, Statistics Team Member), Model UN founder and president
[] Job/Work Experience: Tutoring (Math mostly), yard work, washing cars, babysitting
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Ugh, pretty long. Most important was enrichment Math teacher at local elementary school[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Strategy board games (8) [/li][] Department at MIT: 18C (7)
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Persistence (7)
[] World You Come From: Brazil, homeless, no parents (10)
[] Significant Challenge: Living on my own (9)
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: Math teacher. He said he rushed it and it didn’t come out well, even though he really likes me so I’d say a (6).
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: English teacher. Says I’m the smartest student he’s ever had. Probably a (9) or a (10).
[] Counselor Rec: Sucks (2). She doesn’t know me at all but just said that my GPA (3.3) meant I couldn’t handle MIT’s coursework. She knows nothing about MIT because no one from my school goes on to good colleges.
[li] Interview: Great, we remained in touch. He seemed to really enjoy my story. (9)[/ul][/li]
Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: The very last minute.
[] State (if domestic applicant): Residing in Florida, applied as international student
[] Country (if international applicant): Brazil
[] School Type: Small-Medium Public, below-average standards
[] Ethnicity: Hispanic, Native (South) American
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: No parental income.
[] Hooks: Homeless, self-supporting, independent[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Hook and interview
[] Weaknesses: Test scores and recommendations
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: They think I have potential? I don’t know, I was expecting a rejection.
[] What would you have done differently?: Started my application way earlier so I could get better recommendations and write better essays. Taken SAT and ACT more than once to improve my score.[/ul]

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Pleasantly surprised! I really want to be optimistic about the next two months :)

ysquared · March 14, 2012, 8:18pm

Accepted!!!

Don’t feel like posting everything just now, buut just for basics:
SAT I - 2390 (790 M, 800 CR, 800 W)
SAT II - 790 Bio, 800 Math II, 800 Chem
GPA - 4.99/5.0
School - Large public

hussamnhn · March 14, 2012, 8:28pm

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 1850 (700M/590R/560W)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 1890 (740M/590R/560W)
[] TOEFL: 104/120
[] ACT (breakdown): -
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): -
[] SAT II: (720M, 720Chem)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
[] Weighted GPA: -
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/300ish
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (5), Physics B (4), AP Chemistry (-), Calc BC (-).
[] IB (place score in parentheses): -
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, Organic Chemistry, Java Programming, Advance Academic Reading/Listening/Writing, Physical Fitness, Community Service, Health & Safety, AP Physics C Prep.,
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 6
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): - [/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President of Student Council, founder of GoEarth campaign, president of Newsletter Club, captain of the soccer team
[] Job/Work Experience: -
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Ran an environmental awareness campaign (GoEarth campaign), an assistant during a science fair, etc.[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Go-Karting.[/li][] Department at MIT: Chemical Engineering.
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Inspirational Leadership.
[] World You Come From: Unique World: 12 Schools in 12 Countries.
[] Significant Challenge: Failing Calculus then Acing it.
[] Other: Additional essay was a spontaneous essay on how much I would’ve utilized MIT’s resources & how much I would love to attend.[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Didnt see
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Didnt see
[] Counselor Rec: Definitely great.
[] Additional Rec: Rec. from Oxbridge Academic Program, and another one from my current Calc Teahcer who offered to write me one.
[] Interview: I cant picture it any better.
[] Art Supplement: A picture of me at night behind a building the says MIT using the light.[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: On deadline.
[] State (if domestic applicant): -
[] Country (if international applicant): Saudi Arabia.
[] School Type: Private (American Curriculum)
[] Ethnicity: White?
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Around 150K
[] Hooks: Nothing other than sending a student in my school who had cancer after fundraising $50K in 3 months only.[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Success in school despite the hardships of travels, interview & recommendations.
[] Weaknesses: Most probably SAT scores
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My application shows how much I wanted MIT.
[] What would you have done differently?: It might sound weird, but to learn more languages.[/ul]

Other Factors:

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congratulations to whoever applied to MIT. This has become one of the more exciting experiences in my whole life. Remember, it is never impossible.

CelloHero · March 14, 2012, 8:40pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (780 M/800 CR/800 W)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): same
[] ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 E/35 M/34 R/35 S)
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): same
[] SAT II: 780 MII, 780 Chem, 720 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: 4.96
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/718
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (5) US History (5) English Lit (5) Stats (5) Psych (5) US Gov (5) Music Theory (4)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): none
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP European History, AP French, AP English Lang, AP Physics (Mech and E&M), AP Calculus, Honors Orchestra
[] Number of other applicants in your school: including one EA who was accepted, 3
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): two time National French Contest national placer, although I’m not really sure how much that counts for, NMF, Rensselaer Medal for Math and Science[/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science Olympiad, Volleyball (two years), Academic team (Captain), French Club (Council), Diversity Club (Council), philharmonic youth orchestra
[] Job/Work Experience: Four summers at the pool, one year at Chick-fil-A
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Sunday school teacher, Key Club, cello lesson tutor, youth council on tobacco/obesity[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: My string quartet that plays at weddings (6/10)[/li][] Department at MIT: Chemistry and how I’ve always loved it (7/10)
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: That I don’t let the opinions of others sway my decisions (8/10)
[] World You Come From: Boring suburb that’s not really all that boring (8/10)
[] Significant Challenge: Dislocating my shoulder and quitting volleyball (9/10)
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Probably good, I’ve known my science teacher since freshman year, so I imagine that’s helpful
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Also probably good, although he promises to include each student’s weaknesses in his recs, so there were definitely negatives
[] Counselor Rec: My counselor is kind of blah, so it was probably a glowing letter from a template.
[] Additional Rec: none
[] Interview: Went pretty well, although it lasted for a full two and a half hours… We stayed at Panera 40 minutes past close!
[] Art Supplement: none[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 15 December 2011
[] State (if domestic applicant): OH
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Large non-selective public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: ~100,000
[] Hooks: absolutely nothing I can think of[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: I visited the school, interview went well, great test scores, diverse ECs
[] Weaknesses: no research, not too many impressive leadership positions
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no clue, but MIT has been my dream school since I was 12, so today is a great day for me
[] What would you have done differently?: Considering I was accepted, nothing[/ul]

Other Factors: Nothing I know of…

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congratulations to everyone else who was accepted, and to those who weren’t, I’m sure you’ll be accepted somewhere where you’ll be even happier!

rockdomino · March 14, 2012, 8:48pm

Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2170 M800 CR670 WR700
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2170
[] ACT (breakdown): n/a
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): n/a
[] SAT II: Math2 800 Physics 800
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): don’t know
[] Weighted GPA: 3.8
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[] AP (place score in parentheses): AP Physics C Mechanics: 5 AP Physics C Electromagnetism: 5 AP Computer Science: 5 AP CalculusBC: 5
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: very different from US systems but did take courses at EPGY: Advanced Topics in C, Intermediate Mechanics
[] Number of other applicants in your school: no idea
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIMEx3, AMC12 Distinguished Honor Roll, Physics Olympiad Semifinalists(Around top 300), Silver Medal at National Mechanics Competition, 2nd prize International Math Tournaments of Towns and many other intramural, regional math and science competitions prizes [/li]
Subjective:[list]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): basketball, Chinese music, research at university
[] Job/Work Experience: n/a
[li] Volunteer/Community service: local hospital and school library [/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: movies 6/10[/li][] Department at MIT: computer engineering 6/10
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: 8/10
[] World You Come From: diverse interest 7/10
[] Significant Challenge: moral case 7/10
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: didn’t see
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: didn’t see (but think one of the rec would be good )
[] Counselor Rec: great
[] Additional Rec:n/a
[] Interview:n/a
[] Art Supplement: n/a[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 12/28/2011
[] State (if domestic applicant):
[] Country (if international applicant): Taiwan
[] School Type: Public (extremely competitive)
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender: female
[] Income Bracket:
[] Hooks: none…i guess[/ul]

Reflection[list]
[] Strengths: courses taken at EPGY, competitions, solid science background
[] Weaknesses: ecs, test scores, being international
[li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/li]they don’t like me as a person (personal quality)

Other Factors:

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
I was pretty depressed upon receiving the decision, but congratulations to every one admitted or waitlisted!!!

kubluck · March 14, 2012, 9:16pm

Pick one:
Decision: Deferred -> Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I: 2230 (800M, 720R, 710W)
[] SAT I superscore: 2270 (800M, 720R, 750W)
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 700 Lit
[] Unweighted GPA: 3.95
[] Rank: 26/406
[] Number of other applicants in your school: ~10
[li] Major Awards: USAMO qualifier, first place at state math competitions[/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Math Team, many orchestras
[] Job/Work Experience: none
[li] Volunteer/Community service: none[/ul][/li]
Writing:[ul]
[] Essays:[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Wrote about my love for puzzles and challenges, 8[/li][] Department at MIT: Wrote about Lewin and the physics department and OCW, 7
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Wrote about my love of scientific inquiry, 7
[] World You Come From: Wrote about my philosophical conversations with my peers, 5
[] Significant Challenge: Wrote about the hardships of being a musician, 6
[/ul][li] Teacher Recommendation #1: Waived right to see[/li][] Teacher Recommendation #2: Waived right to see
[] Counselor Rec: Waived right to see
[] Interview: Went quite well, 10
[li] Art Supplement: Sent French horn recordings[/list][/li]
Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 10/31/11
[] State (if domestic applicant): Washington
[] School Type: Large public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: High
[li] Hooks: First place in state math competitions[/ul][/li]
Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Strong extracurriculars and prestigious accomplishments
[] Weaknesses: Lack of “diversity”
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Luck!
[] What would you have done differently?: Nothing at all; I made a plan and stuck to it and it worked out![/ul]

Other Factors: I’m a triplet

Anfalas · March 14, 2012, 9:18pm

Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2240 (800/770/670)
[] ACT (breakdown): 35 (35/34/36/35, 11 essay)
[] SAT II: Math II 800, Biology M 740
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
[] Weighted GPA: School does not weight
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
[] AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5), Psychology (5 - self studied), US History (5), English Language (5), Biology (5), Calculus BC (3)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, AP English Literature, Multivariate Calculus, AP French, Honors Anatomy/Physiology, some other classes that aren’t really significant
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 2 that I know of, but one of them is international
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, Le Grand Concours National French Exam - 8th, nominee for the US Presidential Scholars Program, some piano awards from guild/federation, AP Scholar with Distinction, and Rookie All Star+Highest Seeded Rookie from FIRST Robotics.[/ul] [/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FIRST Robotics (Captain and Webmaster), La Societe Honoraire de Francais (Treasurer), Math Team (Captain of the A team), Scholar Bowl/Knowledge Master Open, Ultimate Frisbee
[] Job/Work Experience: Intern at the Bioinformatics Institute of my local state university
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at the hospital for 1 summer, volunteered at the food bank too but I didn’t mention that for MIT[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Wrote about ultimate frisbee, 8/10[/li][] Department at MIT: Course 6, 8/10
[] What You Do That’s Creative?: Leadership in school clubs, 6/10
[] World You Come From: Asian-American, 9/10
[] Significant Challenge: Very personal, awesome essay 10/10
[] Other: I left the “Additional Information” section empty.[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Didn’t see, but had a very close relationship.
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Didn’t see, but I was a top student
[] Counselor Rec: Didn’t see. My counselor knows me quite well, so I trust that it was really good.
[] Additional Rec: Professor from my internship wrote an awesome letter
[] Interview: Went very well. Established quite clearly that MIT is my first choice.
[] Art Supplement: None[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Mid to late December, I don’t remember exactly anymore
[] State (if domestic applicant): MO
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: ~$130k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: I helped found my school’s FIRST Robotics team, built the team website from scratch, and I’m a captain of the team this year. I’m very heavily involved in robotics (~35 hours/week during build season)
[] Weaknesses: Grades. I had 5 Bs over the course of high school.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably my grades. =/
[] What would you have done differently?: Not gotten Bs. >.>[/ul]

Other Factors:

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I’m a lot less disappointed/heartbroken than I thought I’d be. Congratulations to everyone accepted, and good luck to everyone younger than me for whom this post will hopefully help as reference!

Dee2016 · March 14, 2012, 9:23pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2210, CR 760, M 720, W 730
[] ACT (breakdown): Composite 33, Math was a 35, Science a 30, don’t remember others
[] SAT II: Math Level I 720, US History 660, Molecular Biology 670
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st decile
[] AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH 5, Calculus BC, English Literature and Composition, and Biology
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP English, Gym, Latin IV Honors, Physics Honors, Senior Seminar, and American Foreign Policy
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 0
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Student, Bronze Presidential Volunteering Award, I attended New Jersey Girls State which is not an award.[/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Model Congress (President and Vice President), Book Club (President and Vice President), Musical (Secondary lead and company roles), Choir, Environmental Club, I don’t remember what I put on the application.
[] Volunteer/Community service: Teen Advisory Board at local library, have been both president and vice president. I’ve done over 400 hours of community service there.[/ul]

Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: My cat Patches. More cute than intelligent. 8[/li][] Department at MIT: Aeroastro. A bit of humor, not a lot of science. 8
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Helping people to learn, collaborative learning. Talked about studying for an AP Bio test with my peers. A lot of science and personality. 10
[] World You Come From: This covered several topics. My small town, my desire to live in a city, my volunteer group, my desire to learn many languages and eventually travel the world. Essentially how a small environment taught me to seek a more global perspective. 7
[] Significant Challenge: Auditioning for a musical. It always gives me a lot of anxiety but I love doing the show. I talked about how it was only rewarding because it was challening. 8
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: My AP Calc teacher who also taught me Algebra II. I also job shadow her. It was fantastic, I love her, she loves me. I did not see it, but it was definitely glowing.
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: My AP English and English III teacher. We have had differences but he believes I am very intelligent. Probably not as glowing as the first.
[] Counselor Rec: Probably good. We often talked about my passions for science, math, aerospace engineering.
[] Interview: It was very good. My interviewer’s roommate had done programming for the shuttle that landed on the moon. I talked a lot about collaborative learning, intelligence with a sense of humor, and I don’t know what else. He seemed impressed with me and said I had hit on a lot of things that are very important to MIT.[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Probably the day it was due or the day before.
[] State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
[] School Type: Public, only 500 students.
[] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: Very low middle class.
[li] Hooks: My volunteering is mildly impressive. I have done nothing to make me stand out too much from the other MIT applicants.[/ul][/li]
Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Volunteering, interview, essays.
[] Weaknesses: Grades and test scores. I have gotten three B’s in High School, and my SAT II scores were somewhat low for MIT. And I was very worried because my science testing scores were low.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was myself throughout the entire process. The reason I applied to MIT was because everything about it resonated with me. In the same way, I resonate with MIT.
[] What would you have done differently?: Absolutely nothing. I am proof that you do not have to be a superstar genius to get into MIT. I’m pretty regular. Of course, I’m extremely intelligent and passionate, but that is a given if you’re applying. Don’t be afraid if you haven’t done anything major.[/ul]

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I cannot even believe this is real right now! I am so excited. I really hope I can go to CPW. But it’ll be okay if you didn’t get in. You will find a fantastic group of people in a fantastic school and your life will be wonderful. Really.

lyxdeslic · March 14, 2012, 9:41pm

Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (800-800-780)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2380
[] ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
[] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[] SAT II: 800 Math Level 2, 800 Chemistry, 800 USH, 800 Physics, 780 BioE
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: 4.6
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/600ish
[] AP (place score in parentheses): BC Calc (5), Chemistry (5), US History (5), Biology (5), Statistics (5), Physics C: Mech (5), Physics C: E&M (5), Physics B (5), AP Comp Sci (5), AP English Language (5), AP Spanish (4)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: Multi Variable Calc, Linear Algebra, Physics III, AP English, etc…
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 3 or 4
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] USAMO qualifier, 9 on AIME, 136.5 AMC 12, [/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): math team
[] Job/Work Experience: traded stocks (made 230% profit last year)
[li] Volunteer/Community service: donated 3k to local charities (that I made through trading). Raised 2k for food drive.[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects): Mathematics and its application to real world[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: trade stocks[/li][] Department at MIT:
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud:
[] World You Come From:
[] Significant Challenge:
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: verry good
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: excellent
[] Counselor Rec: he let me read it… made me cry it was so good
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview:
[] Art Supplement:[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App:
[] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: High
[] Hooks:[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: scores, AMC stuff, trading stocks
[] Weaknesses: wasn’t black
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: race
[] What would you have done differently?: nothing would have mattered since MIT obviously has its own agenda to promote[/ul]

Other Factors:

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Honestly don’t care. Its MIT’s loss, not mine. Who knows they could have lost a potential billionaire and millions of dollars in donation. They can suck my likely letter to YALE.

AstroPhy · March 14, 2012, 9:48pm

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2080 (690 CR, 690 M, 700 W)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2080 (only one sitting…sigh)
[] ACT (breakdown): 33
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): 33 (31 E, 32 M, 34 R, 34 S, 10 W) (testing = not my thing)
[] SAT II: 750 Phys, 750 Math II
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.34
[] Weighted GPA: N/A
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Comp Sci. A (4), Statistics (5), Phys B (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc B/C, AP Chem, AP Phys C, Logic and Probability, Senior Humanities, English IV, Video Art/Weights
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 6
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): State Science Fair Grand Award (x2), Intel ISEF Finalist (x3), Intel ISEF 2011 2nd place Physics and Astronomy, Intel STS 2012 Semi-Finalist[/ul] [/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science Olympiad (Co-Captain), Model Rocketry Club (Captain and Co-Founder), Science Fair, rock hounding, amateur radio operator
[] Job/Work Experience: Summer intern as U.S. Naval Observatory – Flagstaff Station (x2) (Part of ONR SEAP)
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Not too much - admissions tours for school 6 weekends out of the year, about 4 hours each.[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Battlestar Galactica with Pop-up Bowl Popcorn on Friday nights – 8.[/li][] Department at MIT: Physics (cosmology) – 7.
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud?: Dedication/perseverance – 9.
[] World You Come From: Travelling between Moscow and Albuquerque (divorced parents) – 7.
[] Significant Challenge: Failure of Mission Possible device at National Science Olympiad 2011 – 8.5.
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Comp. Sci. teacher, MIT alum: went into my involvement in Science Fair, 7.5.
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Two-time English teacher: from what I heard very good, 9.
[] Counselor Rec: 9.
[] Additional Rec: One from Calc B/C teacher (8.5), and one from research mentor (9)
[] Interview: Went alright. My interviewer had a pretty stringent questioning schedule so it was less fun than I anticipated.
[] Art Supplement: Submitted a URL to a Google site with some of my projects (made just for MIT)[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 12/30/11
[] State (if domestic applicant): New Mexico
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Private
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: >$150K
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Intel STS(?), research experience(?)[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: research experience, Google site (9 hits from MIT!)
[] Weaknesses: test scores, GPA(?)
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No clue. I honestly thought I had a very good chance of being admitted. But I trust the committee.
[] What would you have done differently?: Can’t say much here. I pretty much poured myself into the application.[/ul]

Other Factors: Don’t know if this counts for anything, but both parents are scientists, and our family is originally from Russia.

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Who doesn’t fill these out before hand? Well, this is the pre-decision script: with only 13 hours left to go, and five BattleStar Galactica episodes into the night, I’m freaking out about the release. In fact, the seriousness of these decisions seems to have just hit me. Good night for now. I wish all the best of luck! We’ll see it all tomorrow!

Post-decision script: Two friends were rejected, one from our school (without much science involvement) accepted. It’s surprisingly not as bad as I thought it would be. Disappointing yes, but also a chance to learn something and a great journey anyhow. Hopefully I can make it off of the wait list! I’m thankful for the posts on the admissions blog, which help me keep going past this. Good luck to fellow wait-listed applicants, and congratulations to those accepted!

drakerr · March 14, 2012, 9:56pm

Pick one:
Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (690W, 750CR, 690M, 8E)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[] ACT (breakdown): 33 (36W, 31S, 32M, 36R, 8E)
[] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[] SAT II: Biology-600; Physics-570; Math I & II-620
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[] Weighted GPA: 4.12
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 26/732
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Psych-4; APLit-4; USHistory-4; WorldHis-3
[] IB (place score in parentheses): Physics-3
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB English Hl, IB Math SL, IB Psych HL, IB HOTA HL, Choir, AP Gov’t, IB French SL
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 3 that I know of
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] NMSF, AP w/ Honors and a handful of choir chairs in all-region and all-state choirs over the years[/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Piano, Cello, Writing, Geocaching, Choir
[] Job/Work Experience: Babysitting
[li] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul] Horses For Healing[/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Talked about singing[/li][] Department at MIT: Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud:Optimism
[] World You Come From: talked about IB (I liked this one – I compared it to the Lord of the Rings)
[] Significant Challenge: Talked about my first haircut
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Psych teacher - I got to read it and it was really wonderful
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Didn’t read
[] Counselor Rec: We have such a huge school that I don’t really know her that well, but she seems pretty cool
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: Good. Over skype. Pretty generic, but I was excited cause it was my first one EVER.
[] Art Supplement:[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: I can’t remember exactly, maybe 3 days before Jan 1st?
[] State (if domestic applicant): Arkansas
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public (almost 4000)
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: 90000
[] Hooks:[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Essays, but the haircut one might’ve been a problem. I had trouble answering the question, so I went about it pretty lightly, which they may not have liked.
[] Weaknesses: TEST SCORES. Ugh don’t even want to talk about my SAT IIs. I meant to self-study, but it didn’t completely happen and it shows. They say your scores alone won’t ruin your chances, but I think they’d be wary of someone who got a 570 in Physics. It is MIT, after all.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Test scores, most likely. I want to try and ask them, if I can.
[] What would you have done differently?:[/ul] Studied for my subject tests

Other Factors:

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congrats to everyone who got in!! I am so proud of every single one of you! I was expecting to get rejected, and I’m not as sad as I thought I would be, but thinking back on it, I don’t think it’s exactly the right school for me. Anyways this is so exciting for the accepted!! I look forward to the huge discoveries and accomplishments of the class of 2016 :)

kingkongrc · March 14, 2012, 10:19pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 800/800/800
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown):2400
[] ACT (breakdown):
[] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[] SAT II: Chem 800, Phys 800, Math II 800
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: N/A
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chem (5), Phys B (5), Calc BC (5), Spanish Lang (5), English Lang (5), USH (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calc/Differential Equations, AP English Lit, AP Biology, AP Macro/Gov Honors
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 10-15?
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Siemens Team Regional Finalist, Siemens Individual Semifinalist, Intel STS Semifinalist [/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science research, Journalism (editor-in-chief), Speech and Debate, tennis (varsity captain) and was ranked top 10 in Nor. California for USTA (was mid three-star recruit), piano (Certificate of Merit Panel Finalist with Honors)
[] Job/Work Experience: Research, tennis coach
[li] Volunteer/Community service: piano accompanist for Chinese choir, random stuff [/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Singing by a creek that no one ever goes to. 6[/li][] Department at MIT: Biological engineering, related to research experiences. 7
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Honesty, about how my friendships are strong because I’m very honest. 7
[] World You Come From: Compared my artist mother to my engineer father; ended with the idea that engineers are artists too. 10
[] Significant Challenge: Wrote about the time I asked a girl to junior prom. Was pretty funny in my opinion. 9
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: AP Chem teacher, didn’t read. I’m sure it was awesome - he’s just like that.
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: AP Spanish teacher. Mentioned my sense of humor a lot, and emphasized how much fun I have with school in general.
[] Counselor Rec: Don’t really know, didn’t read.
[] Additional Rec: Don’t remember if I asked my research mentor to send one or not. And if he did, I didn’t get to read it.
[] Interview: Pretty bad, at least from how I saw it. I said some really klutzy things, and I was actually late to the interview. Well, it turned out fine apparently…
[] Art Supplement: None. Pasted this year’s research abstract in, though. [/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Regular decision, don’t know the date.
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant): US
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket: 150k+
[] Hooks: I’m guessing my research awards? I was in contact with the tennis coach too, so that probably helped. [/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Research, essays, tennis
[] Weaknesses: Interview, competitive location
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Research awards + good enough to be on the tennis team
[] What would you have done differently?: Not much; procrastinating on the essays worked for me because it forced me to be authentic and not sound overly polished. [/ul]

Other Factors:

**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: ** Pretty excited to have MIT under my belt now!

MBb8T5 · March 14, 2012, 10:26pm

Decision: Deferred -> Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (780 CR) one sitting
[] SAT II: 800s in chem, math II, french
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: ~4.4
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5’s in French, Euro, Calc AB, Chem
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Econ, AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Physics B, gov
[] Number of other applicants in your school: ~6 (one accepted early, the rest rejected RD)
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]
Honors List US Chem Olympiad (top 150 nationally)
AMC 109.5 AIME 4
US Physics Olympiad Semifinalist (top 400 nationally)
National Merit Finalist
Student of the year for 5 teachers in HS

Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):[/li]Marching Band grades 9-11 Section Leader 11
Science Bowl 9-12 President 12
FIRST Robotics VP 11,12
Track 10,11 Varsity 11
Boy Scouts 9-12 Eagle Scout
Programming Club Co-founder 12

[] Job/Work Experience:
Research Internship last summer at UC Berkeley, 4 weeks through the program, stayed and ran simulations for another 2 weeks from home
[] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul]
Some through Boy Scouts.

Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]

[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: Programming/teach others thru programming club 5[/li][] Department at MIT: Chem 5
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud: Leadership 5
[] World You Come From: ‘Science is cool’ 5
[] Significant Challenge: family member’s illness 5
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: English teacher presumably decent
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Chem teacher very positive
[] Counselor Rec: presumably good
[] Additional Rec: One from research mentor, he said it was ‘glowing’, one from past science bowl coach, very positive
[li] Interview: It went very well.[/li]
Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: ~3days before EA deadline
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Not reported.
[li] Hooks:[/ul] Father’s an alum, doubt MIT does much legacy[/li]
Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Test scores +grades
[] Weaknesses: Essays could have been better.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I had no extremely compelling academic awards (ie ISEF or USAMO), and am not at all a ‘diverse’ applicant.
[] What would you have done differently?:[/ul]
Studied for a USAXO. I made top 150 in chem with minimal studying outside of AP chem, even though I bombed the lab practical-- if I had prepared for chem/physics for several months, I would have a decent shot at top 20. Also, my later and essays for RD schools got much better.

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Caltech class of 2016. Time for MIT bashing, every Techer’s favorite pasttime.

XCyoungX · March 14, 2012, 10:29pm

Pick one:
Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown):2300 (superscored)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 740 CR, 760 M, 780 W
[] ACT (breakdown):
[] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[] SAT II: 800 Math, 740 Physics
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): not sure
[] Weighted GPA: 4.496
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): #2 unofficially?
[] AP (place score in parentheses): US Hist (5), Bio (4), Eng. Lang/Comp (5), Calc AB (5), Calc BC (5), Physics C (3), Stats (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: taking a college math course each semester, but other than that nothing special.
[] Number of other applicants in your school: at least 1 other (saw rec. letter on teacher’s desk)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] Nothing national. Some state chess stuff. [/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Chess (team captain), school newspaper (story editor), Science Olympiad
[] Job/Work Experience: Guest columnist for local newspaper, taught chess
[li] Volunteer/Community service: volunteer instructor @ local elementary school chess club, NHS[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and rate quality on 1-10 Scale):[ul]
[] Essays (include subjects):[list]
[li] What You Do For Pleasure: [/li][] Department at MIT:
[] Of What Trait are You Most Proud:
[] World You Come From:
[] Significant Challenge:
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1:
[] Teacher Recommendation #2:
[] Counselor Rec:
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: Probably so-so. Interviewer seemed bored, although I don’t know if solely b/c of me or just b/c most applications from my area were “embarrassing” (as he put it). So probably a mixture of both.
[] Art Supplement:[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App:
[] State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
[] Country (if international applicant): US
[] School Type: public
[] Ethnicity: M
[] Gender: Asian
[] Income Bracket: above cut-off for much financial aid
[] Hooks:[/ul] none

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: unique EC profile, good essays, pretty good recs, lots of AP
[] Weaknesses: Not your typical “fit” for MIT, as in I didn’t have much to show in the way of the sciences. Mediocre physics test scores (AP & SAT II) also probably a turn-off to a school like MIT.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See weaknesses
[] What would you have done differently?:[/ul] Not sure really. I definitely gave it a good shot! I’m sure I’m not the only one who would like to be a fly in the admissions room :)

Other Factors:

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congratulations to all those accepted! I’m envious, but I also have no illusions that most of you had more to show for than I did. I’ve already been accepted to a top 10 school EA but still, MIT is MIT :). Anyways, I want to leave you all with a few words, which I believe are relevant regardless of acceptance of rejection. As cheesy as it may sound, we shouldn’t look at college decisions as the end of the road, but as the beginning of a new journey. Regardless of where you are accepted or you aren’t, what remains constant is whether you’re willing to continue to work hard and pursue your passions.

VADAD1 · March 14, 2012, 10:46pm

My daughter was rejected. Not able to give all that info, but I’ll give the general breakdown.

SAT: 790CR, 780M, 760CR, 2330 Total
Superscore: 770CR, 2340 total
SAT II: LIT 760, Chem 750, Math II 730
4.5 GPA
Class Rank - 6th out of 430
She took one AP course last year and two D/E classes, 6 AP courses this year. In IB program from 6th to 10th grade.

She is white, not that I know if you are tracking that in this thread or not.

My daughter’s ECs were pretty average, and her essays might not have been that inspired, because MIT really isn’t her first choice. Wellesley is her first choice, I hope she gets in.

That being said, I thought she had a chance. I thought it was a bit easier for girls, and I thought her stats might be good enough.

Oh well.

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