EA Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>I just submitted my application yesterday for EA.</p>

<p>Location: Auburn, ME
School: Small Public
Ethnicity: Filipino-American
Gender: Male</p>

<hr>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>SAT I: 2290 (800 M, 800 W, 690 CR)
SAT IIs: Took Nov test, expecting 800 Math IIC, 500-600 Bio-E (only had one quarter of bio)
APs: Calculus AB (5), Physics Mech C (4), World History (4)
GPA: 97.74 Avg, some weird GPA (I think 5.007 Weighted)
Rank: Probably 1 or 2 out of about 250</p>

<hr>

<p>Senior Yr Courseload:</p>

<p>AP Biology
AP Calculus BC
AP Spanish IV
AP Psychology
Academic Writing @ Syracuse University (WRT 105)
Computers & Abstract Math @ Bates College (Math 365e, equivalent to 6.001 at MIT)</p>

<hr>

<p>ECs on app:</p>

<p>Speech & Debate (9, 10, 11, 12)
-team Historian
-webmaster of state website</p>

<p>FIRST Lego League Team (9, 10, 11, 12)
-volunteer coach at middle school</p>

<p>Tug of War Challenge (9, 10)
-robotic engineering
-captain both years
-won team research & design award
-competition ended after two years</p>

<p>Math Team (11, 12)
-created the team during junior year
-made calculator "bling" necklaces
-no major awards, just have fun</p>

<p>Spanish Club (11, 12)
-president after campaign of bribes and brutal attack ads
-alliance with Latin club
-battled French club, protesting their affinity for snails and silent letters</p>

<hr>

<p>Job/Work Experience: freelance web design (really small job)</p>

<hr>

<p>Awards Listed:</p>

<p>Grand Prize, Macworld 2008 Video Contest (IDG World Expo) - International
NFL National Qualifier, Duo Interpretation (Speech & Debate) - National
Maine State Champion, Original Works (Speech & Debate) - State
2nd Place, Maine Student Web Design Awards - State
Most Outstanding Speaker, Congress (Speech & Debate) - Regional
Harvard Book Award - School
RIT Computing Medal - School</p>

<hr>

<p>Summer Activities (worth noting):</p>

<p>Volunteer computer instructor in Philippines (50 hours per week, 4 weeks)
Las Vegas National Speech & Debate Tournament (all week, 1 week)
Interviewing local WWII veteran for town archives (5 hours per week, 2 weeks)</p>

<hr>

<p>Essays:</p>

<p>"Something for fun" - Rubik's cube, discussed frustration
"Which program" - Aerospace, discussed watching the shuttle launch, MS Flight Simulator
"End of the world" - Hard drive died, lost thousands of photos, value of memories
"Something you created" - Created a computer course in Philippines for a fishing village
"Anything else" - Humorous essay in 3rd person about my quirks, qualities, and dreams</p>

<hr>

<p>Teacher Recs:</p>

<p>Math teacher wrote one a few years ago, MIT responded by saying it was one of the best they had ever seen. She's been working on mine just as carefully.</p>

<p>World history teacher wrote one that should be excellent, but not spectacular.</p>

<p>Supplemental recommendation from middle school teacher that I've known for six years. It is a fantastic letter about my passion for engineering and my character.</p>

<p>Short supplemental recommendation from my professor at Bates College, discussing the course I'm taking (same as 6.001 at MIT). He compares by abilities to a junior mathematics major in the class, and says that no one else enjoys the class as much as I do.</p>

<hr>

<p>Counselor Rec: I know my counselor fairly well, and they are taking this recommendation very seriously because they haven't had someone apply to MIT in years.</p>

<hr>

<p>Interview: Great, the woman has a top position at Apple in my state, and I know a lot about Apple products and technology in general. I was also able to talk about winning the Macworld contest and getting to meet Steve Jobs. Good match, comfortable interview.</p>

<hr>

<p>I sent in a DVD of a video I made for calculus called "Calc Slide," a spoof of "Cha Cha Slide." The DVD also had a video of one of my comedy routines for Speech & Debate.</p>

2

<p>you are so in. if you're not in, there's probably no hope for the majority of us :/</p>

3

<p>My biggest concerns are the fact that I'm an Asian male and my low score on the biology subject test. Do you think they'll be forgiving because I just started taking biology this year?</p>

4

<p>Middle 50% score range of admitted students:
SAT Subject Test - Science [710, 800]</p>

<p>Umm, if you really do score in the 500s, that might be a little low. There's always the chance that you will do better than you are expecting though.</p>

<p>Also, haven't you taken chem or physics? Why not a subject test here?</p>

5

<p>I had chemistry during my sophomore year and physics during my junior year. I hardly remember any of the chemistry, and it was mostly a survey class that didn't go into the depth of the subject test. The physics class, though recent, lacked both depth and breadth. Our teacher never really went beyond basic kinematics, and we spent the majority of classes dealing with hands on projects and experiments that weren't very relevant at all. Neither class was AP, although I somehow got a 4 on the AP Physics Mech C test.</p>

<p>AP Biology has been the first thorough class to really cover the topics, so I was totally ready for about a third of the subject test. I had a 99 this quarter in bio.</p>

<p>As for doing better than I'm expecting, I was strategically guessing for the other two thirds of the test. It was simply a matter of not knowing the material.</p>

6

<p>man, ur stats are so awesome. i don't have that much stuff as you do.</p>

7

<p>I envy your essays and ECs. If you don't get in, there's no hope for me. So for my sake, I say you're in :P</p>

8

<p>you look good. Now if you'll excuse me while I go pray some more.</p>

9

<p>I'd say you have a good chance. Being Filipino should help you as well, but not a huge amount. Your Bio SAT, if it does turn out between 500 and 600, is pretty low, but I think everything else far outweighs that one bad SAT score. Hope to see you as a fellow student at MIT next fall! I'm praying...</p>

10

<p>You should get in...</p>

11

<p>Your essay was about your hard drive? I wouldn't know until I read your essay, but wouldn't that make you seem petty?</p>

12

<p>You have no hope of ever getting into college anywhere.</p>

<p>;)</p>

13

<p>why does everyone assume the extra info is writing another essay lmao...</p>

14

<p>yeah your essays sound good especially the hard-drive one thats an awesome essay! good luck, I'm sure you're in...I only hope I will be too!</p>

15

<p>oh yeah @ambitiousteen, everyone doesn't assume that the extra info is another essay...it is just the most presentable way to present another aspect of yourself without sounding like you are bragging or simply talking about yourself. I personally think it is better to have your personality shine through an essay than for you to try to hand it to the admissions officers on a silver platter.</p>

16

<p>What is up with your spanish club description?</p>

<pre><code>"campaign of bribes and brutal attack ads"
"alliance with Latin club"
"battled French club, protesting their affinity for snails and silent letters"
</code></pre>

<p>What is this, a language club or an army?</p>

17

<p>i wrote 2 poems... </p>

<p>one being a description of me through the Harold and Kumar 2 movie... written by a previous MIT undergrad... and i wrote another poem that i sent in... essay is great i guess but id like the admissions to have fun rather than slave through reading a full page</p>

18

<p>no offense ambitiousteen but why are you saying that here?</p>

19

<p>i have no clue lmfao i just wanted to respond to prepre</p>

20

<p>oo... by the way... yah u seem like a great candidate ull get in</p>