<p>I'm going to be a senior next year. Here's my stats:
gpa 4.62 (maybe a bit lower)
SAT: 780 math, 750 verbal, 690 writing---I retook it this june, I don't know the score yet.
SAT II: math iic: 800, chemistry: 780, chinese: 800
psat: 236 (m/v/w: 80/80/76)
ECs:
Math League---I took AMC and AIME for 3 years. I was
the school winner for AMC this year, ARML for two years.
AIME scores: 9th: 5, 10th:7, 11th: 6
USAMTS
Choraliers
Piano festivals
Interact Club
Teach Math at public library
Chinese Community Center---teach ESL---56 hours
I worked at a volunteer center in China where I helped
people get vaccinated---50 hours
Stagecrew for Wizard of Oz play
I'm a qualified lifeguard
Work Experience:
teach piano for 5-6 years old children
officework (filing, mailing)</p>
<p>I think that Cornell is a target/reach for me,
while MIT
is definitely a reach. I really want to get into MIT, but I
would be more than happy with Cornell. Should I apply
for early decision at Cornell or MIT? Cornell is ED, while
MIT is EA.</p>
<p>Yes, I am a girl, is that important? I've heard that MIT was trying to recruit females, but I think their sex ratio is about even now, so are they still doing that? If so, that would be great...:)</p>
<p>You MIGHT be able to do both...I'm not positive about Cornell's policy on that...you should ask in Cornell's forums. I remember hearing something about them not caring, unlike the other Ivy's, but it could be another college I'm thinking of.</p>
<p>Okay, first thing. Ivies go by rank and size of class, not GPA. If you read this forum, you'll see this is posted at least once a day--yet nobody reads anyone else's thread before posting their own thread, so we always have to post this over and over again.</p>
<p>Okay, you say you have a gpa of 4.62--which I will presume is around a 3.92 to 3.94 UW--so I'm guessing you are around 15th in a class of 500. (This is entirely a guess, so give me a break here, okay?). This makes your AI score a 224.5, which is midrange 8 out of 9. Translation is this means that about 11% to 17% of applicants will have better results than you and 83% to 89% will have worse results. MIT has admitted about 14 to 16% of its applicants each of the last two years. This number goes up for EA applicants. The fact that you are a girl probably increases your percentage among women applicants to around top 8% to 14%. Your ECs are fairly good, your scores are better in math than in verbal but not by much (which is exactly what MIT likes and fits their profile).</p>
<p>Thus, in my view you would have around a 50% chance of getting accepted as a regular applicant if you didn't count "hooked" applicants (look elsewhere on the threads for more on this)--but since you are not hooked your odds are only about 30% to 35% regular, but around a 50% to 55% chance of getting accepted as a MIT EA applicant. This means that if you really want to go to MIT, applying EA is exactly what you should do. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that your odds of getting into Cornell regular admission is still pretty good--around 40-45% or so in my view. (It is, of course, even higher as an ED applicant--around 60-65% in my opinion).</p>
<p>One last little secret, Ivy_07, as to why I think you'll get in. </p>
<p>The things on your list that really set you apart from the average MIT applicant is your Interact Club, teaching of math at the public library, and teaching piano to young children. All of these are service oriented activities that show your commitment to improving society in general.</p>
<p>MIT already has all the "nerds" it needs--people with great 800 SAT math I and II scores (I guess I was a nerd myself, since I had two 800s in math also), but what it doesn't have is people that have this and also want to help the community. MIT doesn't need another person who wants to compute pi to the 500th billion digit (for those of you who want to do this, apply to pi university instead at <a href="http://www.geocities.com/piuniversity%5B/url%5D">www.geocities.com/piuniversity</a> ). But for people like you, Ivy_07, I think it's not just the math, not just being a women, but also wanting to use your skills in helping the world around you that will make the difference (you might consider this when you write your essay also).</p>
<p>wow, calcruzer, thank you for your response. 50-55% chance? that sounds too high to me...well if that's true I would definitely do early action to MIT. Also, what else can I do to boost my chances? I've heard that the Siemens-Westinghous competition and the Dupont science competition look good to colleges. But do their results come in early enough for EA applicants?</p>
<p>I think that the numbers are so high because how people just apply to Harvard for fun, engineers might just apply to MIT for the hell of it...but ya I'd give both a go.</p>
<p>Definitely apply early to MIT ... even though you might take my place haha.</p>
<p>MIT supposedly caps their early enrollment at 30% of the incoming class. Cornell isn't as tough to get into as MIT, so, without question, apply early to MIT!</p>
<p>I don't even feel the need to justify saying you should apply to MIT early - I wish I had, simply because it would've taken the strain off. Do MIT!!</p>
<p>I would go with MIT, you have a very good shot at Cornell anyway, so emphasize on boosting your chances for MIT. However, I got waitlisted at Cornell and accepted at MIT, which seems kinda absurd.</p>
<p>This is why you should only apply early to the college of your first choice. To apply to MIT ED thinking you would have a good chance to get into Cornell during RD could backfire on you. Two kids from my old high school applied to MIT and Cornell RD. Both got into MIT but one was waitlisted at Cornell and the other was flat out rejected from Cornell. Things might have been different if they applied to Cornell ED. Cornell looks for things that MIT doesn't, and vice-versa I'm sure.</p>
<p>Ivy07, I don't know the dates for decisions on Siemens and Westinghouse--but even if they are late, you can say on your application that you were in the competition (which helps).</p>
<p>Oh, and Figgy, thanks for the positive feedback--and yes, the pi university link is fake. If you are familiar with Compton and the LA area you'd know that Compton is unfortunately one of the poorest areas (and most run-down cities in the metro LA area). I liked the poster's originality and creativity, though. Take a look at the link to the campus buildings and dorms and the description of the PUFFUM program--very funny since the Fields Medal is a real competition--and there are only one or two winners each year--so claiming the university has 28 or so as students is hilarious.</p>