Does MIT accept students with "okay" grades/SAT scores?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Does the description in the quoted text sound to you like someone with a reasonable probability of being admitted to MIT, or not?

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<p>Well yes and no. At least I know that in my son's case he has mostly excellent grades, because even when he's not that interested in the material he's willing to do what it takes to make As. OTOH mostly he hasn't been willing to get the As in English. So we hope MIT will forgive him for that. But I think the critical thing in my son's case (and I would guess many kids who end up at MIT) is what they have to show for the hours they spent outside of school.</p>

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I think the critical thing in [the] case [of] many kids who end up at MIT is what they have to show for the hours they spent outside of school.

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<p>It's my impression, after two years of reading CC and after more years of reading books about college admission, that indeed the biggest downfall of most students applying to highly selective colleges is that they have only high school achievements, and nothing else, in a pool of applicants including many students with national or even international top recognition in some activity. But it does still seem, to me, (correct me if I'm wrong) that pretty nearly every applicant to MIT is expected to have high grades in high school to be admitted, even if the high school is lousy (or even if the high school has tough grading standards, unless the student is near the top of the class nonetheless). I just don't hear of many examples of young people so bored with school that they have mediocre high school grades getting into the most selective colleges. That's what I hear, even though it is well known that some extremely bright young people in typical high schools are badly turned off by their schoolwork. Perhaps that issue is one aspect of the OP's question--but maybe not, given the ensuing discussion of test scores.</p>

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<p>well, i do see myself as a bright kid--not to brag or anything. but the thing is.. high school is boring. im not a super-genius who knows everything, but its just the immaturity and the lack of creativity in my school makes me not enjoy it as much. i took the hardest course (5 honors classes) sophomore year and figured that there were still annoying immature kids in there (not sayimg in all that mature, but in a classroom setting i act appropriately), so the next year, i took the hardest courseload in my year again, 4 AP's and 1 honors, but it was still kinda.. not appealing. the saddest part was that everyone was competing for grades, they were even competing with me, when i was barely doing the work. they see it as a huge accomplishment to get a higher grade than me, but i dont care at all. this year ive just relaxed a bit and im taking french 1 and spanish 5 honors, since the school ran outta spanish for me and i skipped a few years of spanish, i decided to stay in a spanish class to maintain my spanish skills. </p>

<p>outside of the classroom, im considered, i guess, a leader. i have a very pessimistic attitude on life and outlooks, and i admit it, but i know i can get things done if i wanted to. i do different 'diversity speeches' at my school, most of them talk about how hard it is to be chinese in an ~90% school and how obstacles were overcome.. that stuff. i give support to the asian community in my school, helping people who have social/academic/personal problems--directing them in the right way, whether it be a teacher or some advice. i also lead discussions on issues in our society, especially race, gender, and socioeconomic class. ive re-created the habitat chapter in my school because i believe in the mission statement--and it completely died out before i got to the shool. and im coming up with lucrative ways to improve our academic decathlon team (although a sad team, we're still a team). leadership in the past has been really crappy. im trying to fix that up... im also a senior mentor--we were chosen from an applicant pool of ~160 with a ~30% chance of becoming one. senior mentors, like myself, run the freshmen orientation, day of community, and freshmen homerooms. we give talks regarding common problems that freshmen may face.</p>

<p>and then im part of the nhs--it usually means nothing but im attempting to get a tutoring group started after school for students performing poorly/in danger of failing. i am already tutoring some of these students in spanish and i just need the administration's approval and a moderator to establish the group.</p>

<p>im also a "bowling lord" for my schools bowling club. there are 3 bowling lords selected based on their integrity (we handle the money), leadership skills (handle 50-100 kids at a time), dedication, and sadly, not our bowling ability, but thats okay.</p>

<p>and i have been playing the dulcimer for 12 years--in a band for 6. we perform around the boston area. id say more about it but i really dont feel like it right now. if you want to know about it, ask me.</p>

<p>well the main reason for the long post and brag sheet is because i wanted to convey that i like learning, but the environment and dificulty was just crap in my school. i want something thats constantly challenging and being a leader is very demanding. it's exciting, and i think thats why i have ~7 active roles in my school community.</p>

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<p>vision: is that the hammered dulcimer?</p>

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<p>IMHO less than stellar grades in high school due to boredom will leave a person at a disadvantage compared to their peer group applying to top schools. Lower grades due to extenuating circumstances or the occasional slip up is one thing but regular and reoccurring low grades implies lack of interest, focus and drive. Remember the vast majority of applicants have done very very well with the opportunities presented to them.</p>

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<p>yes, it is the hammered dulcimer</p>

<p>and yes, i do have a lack of motivation =P hence the title of the thread =D</p>

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<p>My educated guess is that MIT would notice applicants who, when they found themselves in a situation where they felt unchallenged and becoming unmotivated, took steps to create their own new reality and find new ways to challenge themselves. I also imagine, though, that they expect these students to have "put up with" whatever standard yet unchallenging coursework they were unable to get removed from their schedules and still get good grades. Sort of a "how do you deal with adversity?" kind of thing. Just my guess.</p>

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<p>cool, not many people play that. it's not the Khim, by chance, is it?</p>

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<p>Yah.. I did get into that unmotivated mindset for last 2 years or so but still got good grades and managed to be top on everything else except academics!!!</p>

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<p>Even when I was in HS, I remember one of my teachers saying that the brightest kids were not the straight-A kids, but the B-average kids. His observation was that the straight-A kids knew how to play the game, while the B kids took more risks. </p>

<p>Now that my own DD is in HS, I still think that's true to some extent. HS grades can be very whimsical. I would like to think that every teacher grades fairly or judges fairly or is not swayed by a kid "kissing up" or is not impressed by a kid who is active in sports or is not eager to make a demanding parent/kid/GC/administrator happy. But some teachers are. The difference between an A and a B can be how much the teacher likes the kid.</p>

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<p>
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His observation was that the straight-A kids knew how to play the game, while the B kids took more risks.

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<p>My observation is that at least some of the B kids are very smart but disorganized they know how to play the game, but either refuse to or have trouble doing so. (i.e. they don't bother to hand in homework, they don't show their work.) I really haven't seen teacher favoritism playing into grades too much. But if you're a university looking at prospective students the disorganize brilliant kid is a gamble. I'd want to see proof that they can get it together when they need to.</p>

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<p>handing in homework and showing work is, at times, redundant and ridiculous. its like doing gravimetric analysis, for those chem students out there. its so simple to do, yet the teacher requires me to write down units, the compound, etc. i could write down a few numbers, and in my head i know whats happening. and i never use my homework/quizzes to study for tests. im the sort of person who likes to learn the concept, and then apply it to whatever situation, so it is esentially pointless for me to show work. the point of homework is to learn and prove that you know the material, and so are tests, right?</p>

<p>anyways, genericgenius, where are you applying?</p>

<p>p.s. i suck at school!</p>

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the point of homework is to learn and prove that you know the material, and so are tests, right?

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<p>If the engineers who sent the Mars lander had paid more attention to units maybe it wouldn't have crashed.</p>

<p>Sure some homework is busy work, some times you can do a lot of the work in your head, but in the real world you may be working with someone who needs to be able to follow your thinking, you may be publishing scientific research where people will need to be able to replicate your results.</p>

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<p>Hey guys -- MIT freshman here trying to not think about some p-sets I have due.</p>

<p>Anyway, believe me -- less than stellar academics does NOT mean you won't get accepted. //knows from experience.</p>

<p>I wasn't top 10... In fact, I was ranked 27 (well -- out of 675). Grades? Not perfect. SAT score? 2110 -- less than stellar but I know quite a few people here with less.</p>

<p>What do I attribute my acceptance to then? I can't be certain yet, but I think my essay and extracurriculars showed that I was a good match for MIT. I say yet, because you can actually request to see the notes the admissions committee wrote about you. I might one day look.</p>

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<p>Homework? Practice makes perfect. If I had more practice in hs, I'd be a much happier kid right now, :-P</p>

<p>However, I am going to say I was one of those kids. The one who forgot to hand in homework, but aced tests. It's dangerous and hurts in the long run. Be careful.</p>

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<p>I believe that may be incorrect, jimmythegent. I believe the Admissions notes are excised from your card before you're allowed to see it, if you are even allowed to see it anymore. Someone might want to post a Q on an Admissions blog and see if it's still possible to review your summary card. It certainly did used to be possible, but I seem to recall reading one of the Admissions Committee bloggers saying that it was no longer going to be allowed.</p>

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<p>well then.. maybe thats why im not gonna be involved in a big project like that =P but as far as grams and moles go, its easy to do it in my head.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
His observation was that the straight-A kids knew how to play the game, while the B kids took more risks.

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<p>That's probably true in some cases. However, I think that the viewpoint of "high school grades are a game and not necessarily based on intelligence," while certainly valid in some circumstances, should not be used as an excuse for poor performance. There are intelligent students who choose not to do their work, or who choose to "take risks" and do their work in a different way than the teacher assigned, and yes, they sometimes get penalized for it. However, the missing factor here is motivation. Intelligent students who find the system of grading distasteful can still realize that they need to work within it to an extent to demonstrate their own capabilities. This also prepares them for the future, establishing their reputations and their abilities to tolerate incompetent employers. Students can also work outside the system with extracurriculars and research, if available, to demonstrate their motivation. However, just refusing to work with or outside of the system at all doesn't help anyone or demonstrate any capabilities.</p>

<p>As has been stated, saying that you're bored with school and acting accordingly shows nothing positive to admissions. Taking independent studies and local university classes, or trying to find a way to make school work for you (which usually requires compromise on both sides, but that's the way of the world) is what can make a student stand out.</p>

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<p>masterofbalances, im totally with you on that. ive thought about it alot--doing the work for just grades so that i can get into college.... and ive been motivated for a few hours here and there, but as you can probably guess, my motivation and inspiration never lasts. my gpa could've been a 4.4+ weighted, making me rank 1 (and no one else would have been able to pass me cause i have the "hardest courses" and thus, the bigger grade inflation), so the difference of a .6 is significant i guess.... ~3.2 unweighted, but MIT keeps the inflation and does "context"</p>

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<p>Vision, do you think your question was answered?</p>

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<p>I think a lot of A students are also just good test-takers... I know so many smart people who just freak out during tests, so they get Bs instead of As. I think that that's the only reason I'm an A student -- I don't pay attention at all in class, so it's gotta be my mad test-taking skillz!</p>