Mainly want to get into MIT.
I am currently a sophomore and still haven’t taken any SATs I will be taking some soon though. Here is my current High School Resume:
Objective:
To attend an Ivy League School and then head on into a Web Developing, App Developing, and Computer Programming job, which will enable me to facilitate tasks for all of humanity.
Education:
Al-Huda High School, College Park, MD
Unweighted GPA: 4.0 (on a 4.0 scale) (I am a sophomore so I still don’t have AP classes)
Expected Graduation Date: June 2017
Honors/Awards:
Academic High School Honor Roll - Grades 9-Present
Recognized for helping in the Meet and Greet Health Event - Grade 10
Awarded for volunteering to teach at the Al-Huda Summer Camp - Grade 9
Recognized for contributing towards the School’s mission (getting a new school) through an Annual Ticket Competition - Grade 9
Extracurricular:
A+ Tae Kwon Do, Received many belts and trophies - Grades 6 - 8
Member of the Part-Time Hifz School Program - Grade 9
Sports Tournament Organizer and Member - Grade 10
Participant in the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO) - Grade 10
Participated in Basketball Tournament and won the Championship - Grade 10
Participated in Football Tournament (win still undecided at the moment) - Grade 10
Member of Student Government Association (Public Relations and Secretary) - Grades 9 – 10 (probably will be member in 11th and 12th grade as well)
Other:
I am skilled and dexterous at web developing, and have developed various websites. I also have excellent memorizing skills. I do my best to excel in Mathematics and Writing, and am fluent in both English and Arabic. I am also proficiently skilled at using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Community Service/Volunteer Experience:
Tutored at the Tutoring Program for the Youth of Al-Huda - Grade 10
Assisted at the Al-Huda School Fundraising Dinner - Grades 9 - Present
Assisted at the Al-Huda School Summer Camp - Grade 9
Assisted at the Al-Huda School Seniors’ Graduation - Grade 9
Volunteered at Al-Huda’s Annual Ice Skating Event - Grade 10
Interests:
Soccer, Football, Ultimate Frisbee, Swimming, Biking, Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Computer Science, Web Developing, App Developing, and Computer Programming.
Obviously I will have more extracurricular activities under my belt once I’m in 12th grade.
I will be taking the SAT I in November and then December before the new test comes out because I have prepared for the current SAT pretty much. I’m hoping to get at least a 2200 on it if possible.
I will also be taking the SAT Chemistry and Math 2 Subject tests ( Chemistry in June 2015) and (Math 2 in June 2016) and am hoping to get a 750+ score on each of them. Also I’m going to start taking APs next year. In 11th Grade, I’ll be doing AP Government and in 12th Grade, I’ll be doing AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, and AP Language and Composition. Do I have a shot at making it into these Ivy schools?
The reason is 95-97% of applicants, without hooks, get rejected. Welcome to being a statistic. Just to be transparent…my S will be, I assume because of the same reasons, a statistic in three days as well.
I think the last few replies are a good representation of the discouraging pessimism towards which people (such as the head of admissions at MiT) have expressed major distaste.
The reason why so many people seem to be so pessimistic about top-tier school’s admissions is that they are extremely selective, and a lot of people who look really good on paper have been rejected.
Don’t let that discourage you.
You will probably get rejected from at least one top-tier school.
If you have a solid application and apply to a wide variety of top schools, you have a better chance of getting in to at least one.
If you go out of your way to gain leadership positions in highschool and/or attend competitive summer programs, you will have a better chance at admissions.
If you apply to schools which you think are a good fit for your personality and goals and express that fit through your essays, you will have a better chance of getting in.
If you don't end up going to a top school, it's not the end of the world. A quick google search can show you studies that say students who applied and were rejected to top-schools make, on average, the same amount as students who were accepted to top-schools who had the same standardized test scores/GPA.
Enjoy yourself in high school, take risks, do your best, and keep on going. You have a good start, just don’t stress yourself out/be negatively influenced by this website.
No point in giving chances before you’ve even taken the SAT (aim for 2200+).
for now:
Look at past years’ results threads for the schools you plan on applying to so you can get a better idea of what these colleges are looking for. (Will be on this site under each of the colleges that you listed)
As for academics, take the most rigorous schedule your school offers (the most APs you can junior and senior year). If your school offers 4 APs for juniors and you’re only taking 1, that’s a problem. You’ll also need to do well in them and make sure your class rank is good (these colleges are expecting top 1% level).
3)Off the bat, participating/volunteering in school events and other school-wide recognition awards are generally not considered to be much - winning competitions involving students from other schools is a little more significant. It looks like you are in student government which is good, are you in any other clubs? Typical admits to these kind of schools are actively involved in clubs and eventually hold leadership positions in them. You don’t have to join a bunch of clubs if you don’t want to but these schools typically expect to see involved students ( and being presidents of clubs rather than just members all four years).
See if you can find a local organization, hospital, etc. outside of your school to volunteer - these colleges typically see students who are engaged in both the school and outside community.
You seem passionate about web development so run with it and reach some sort of benchmark (start a small company?) or portfolio that colleges can look at to better understand your skills and level of involvement.
These are just some pointers to make you a better applicant but these schools are very difficult to get into and, as of now, your chances do not look great for a school like MIT which typically targets international science fair/math olympiad winning talents. Nonetheless, if you work hard and get involved who knows what can happen. Good luck.
@julianstanley @dblazer Thanks for your replies. @dblazer My school only offers one AP in 11th, but I’m going to try to self study for another AP on my own and then take the AP exam later on. Thanks everyone for the tips.
Take more AP classes your junior year. i only took two and i regret it a lot. Also, for the schools you mentioned you really do need close to perfect SAT scores, so if you really want it, go for atleast a 2300.
as of NOW, you are trying to run before you can walk…
i mean, to put it to you straight, the only reason that your “resume” looks long is because more than 50% of it is based on some form of volunteering/participation. so no…
@AsianDoctor What else should I put on it to make it better? I know I haven’t done much since I’m only in tenth grade and tbh I’m just looking for some tips on how to improve my resume so that I have a sort of chance of being accepted. @SternBusiness Thanks for the tips. What university did you go to?
@YoohoAddict Im only a junior in high school, but I hope to go to NYU Stern. I only took AP psych and AP human geography this year (and 3 honors) and I regret it, because course rigor really is important. IF you can I would take at least 4 AP classes tho next year. Also I don’t know what type of student you are, but I found government to be a horribly boring class. I don’t know what classes your school offers, but I would stock up on maybe an AP science (bio) AP history thats not government and an AP math (maybe stat) if you can. Otherwise those colleges you want to go to are not gonna take you seriously with only 4 AP classes over the course of your junior and senior year (both are equally important). I’m gonna take 5 AP’s next year to hopefully make up for not taking enough junior year.
@SternBusiness The problem is that my school only provides us with 4 APs unless I guess I want to self study. Do you think I should self study for two more APs in my junior year. Like I’ma have a regular year with 8 subjects (including the Ap gov) and then I’ma study by myself for two other APs. Would that be okay?
Yes. Self studying would be great and in my opinion would look good. Self study Psychology and AP Human geography, because they are light and doable(you could study other classes but they may be hard to self study). Also, it would look great if you took classes at a Community college over the summer. This way you can get credit and it will look good. Im taking calculus at a CC over the summer. I wish I had some one to tell me this when I was in your position as a sophomore with two summers left to take classes haha.
@julianstanely, I would expect the head of admissions at MIT and any highly selective institution to express distaste to my opinion. Why, because they are the “head of sales” at their institutions. They desire for 30,000 plus applicants to their institutions every year for approximately 1500-1700 spots. That ratio alone should be a reality check not necessarily discouraging.
Each unhooked applicant will most likely get rejected from MOST Ivy League/very top tier institutions. The numbers do not lie.
You make a number of VERY true points as well.
The OP is not asking about top schools, they are asking about some of the best schools in the US and the world.
Being just solid probably won’t get in.
Good point agreed, but still no guarantees.
Even better point.
Best point.
I would include you last comment as a great point.
Too many students on CC feel the only conclusion to their high school career that is acceptable would be admittance to an Ivy League or similar school. It is a shame.
@YoohooAddict Be great, no matter where you journey leads.
@SternBusiness I would probably do Psychology but not Human geography. Maybe a math topic or something else. Oh also, if I take two SAT subjec tests, would those be enough? or do I need 3+ of them?
Im realy not sure and it really depends on what you want to do in college. I want to study business, so the best one to take for business is math 2.I also took italian and I am going to retake it to get my score a little higher. The science subject tests are really really hard in my opinion (other than bio). I was in honors chemistry with an A, and took the subject test and did not do so well haha. For the schools that you want to attend,im pretty sure most applicants take 3, so that’s what I would do. Make sure you are ready for the test though. Don’t just take them to take them. I winged a few and got in the 500’s on some. For the top schools, I am pretty sure they look at all of your scores so that could screw you in the long run.
I’m probably going to do SAT Math 2, SAT Chemistry, and SAT Biology. Hope I can get a 750+ on all of them. Thanks for all of your help, you really helped a whole lot. Hope you get into the university you’re applying to! Good luck!