Even with a freshman year like this, could I still get into MIT?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>C- in Honors Geometry (Honors Classes are raised one grade in terms of GPA)
C in Honors Chemistry (Honors Classes are raised one grade in terms of GPA)
A- in World History
B- in English I
B- in Spanish I
A- in Multimedia Design
A+ in Concert Band (only counts as half a course)
50+ Hours of Community Service (earning me Honors Community Service)</p>

<p>I didn't play any sports this year, but I performed in the Spring Drama Production and wrote and acted for a school drama festival (which had to be written, practiced, and performed within 24 hours). This year, I also had one successful and two unsuccessful campaigns for student government. I was elected Ninth Grade Class Alternate Representative. My two unsuccessful campaigns were for Ninth Grade Vice President and School Treasurer.</p>

<p>This summer, I am going to volunteer at the hospital where my mom works, volunteer at the local library's children's section, be involved in the school play-readings, get Algebra II tutoring before I take the course, and I'm still in the process of convincing my parents to let me start taking glider plane lessons and get a student glider pilot's certificate!</p>

<p>Even with a freshman year like this, could I still get into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?</p>

<p>Also, here is what I plan on doing in my sophomore year:</p>

<p>My classes for next year are Algebra II, (Honors or Regular) Biology, AP World History, English II, (Honors or Regular) Spanish II, Introduction to Computer Science, and Concert Band.</p>

<p>Next year, I plan on getting Honors Community service again, joining some clubs that are of interest to me, running for the school Cross Country team, joining the Model UN team, joining the Model Congress team, joining the Euro Challenge team, wrestling for the school Wrestling team, working in the technical crew for the fall play, running for school government, perform in the spring play, and write and [act or stage manage] for the school drama festival. I may possibly join the Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Next summer, I plan on going on a mission trip to Nicaragua, volunteering as a teen leader at my mom's hospital, hopefully attending one of the National Student Leadership Conferences, hopefully getting a Private Glider Pilot's license, possibly take a course at a community college, and hopefully attend the U.S. Naval Academy STEM Summer Program (The things for next summer are all subject to change).</p>

<p>Also, if I am lucky enough to get into MIT, I would want to do Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps and major in Aerospace Engineering, out of my interest in aviation, and be commissioned as a Naval Aviator after graduation.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

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<p>It’s possible, but you will need stellar grades and test scores for the rest of high school, and more ECs related to math and science. Your ECs seem very unfocused right now.</p>

<p>By the way, NSLC will not help you with college admission. It may be a good experience, but they invite so many people that admission officers just ignore it.</p>

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<p>Believe it or not, all top colleges do care about your grades. Your current grades put your UW GPA at around 2.95. That has almost zero chance.</p>

<p>MIT is a tech school which requires a bunch of credits to be in science and math in their core curriculum once admitted. Cs definitely are not something they are looking for in Chemistry and Geometry.</p>

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<p>Yes, you can have a freshman year like that and still get into MIT. Aside from your honors classes, those grades aren’t at all questionable - and you have two or two and a half more years to show an upward trend. Get started on that early ^^</p>

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<p>Also, I’m applying for an internship for my Congressman during the fall.</p>

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<p>robertwilliams15, it is really too early to focus on any particular college, after one year of high school. However, since you have an interest in MIT, you should think carefully about why it is that MIT interests you. </p>

<p>You would need a very substantial turn-around in your performance in science and math courses to have any real hope of enjoying or benefiting from attending MIT, if you were admitted. The fact that you are planning to be tutored in Algebra II during the summer suggests that your C- in Honors Geometry was not the result of skipping repetitive homework while acing the tests. </p>

<p>It looks to me as though you need to spend more time on your academics, especially science and math. I am not sure that being a Congressional intern will help you with that. It would be worth doing, in its own right, if it interests you; but it doesn’t seem like the best use of your time, specifically focusing on MIT, given your current record. </p>

<p>If you want to be a naval aviator, why not aim for the US Naval Academy? For that, you would need to strengthen your record in sports (and possibly personal fitness), and also bring up the science and math grades, but the classes there–though demanding–would not be as challenging as those at MIT.</p>

<p>In terms of admission to MIT, do you have a really compelling life story? PiperXP would probably give you a small boost for admissions if you get your pilot’s license, but may not be working in MIT admissions by the time you apply.</p>

<p>I knew one of our local applicants to MIT. He took AP Calc BC as a freshman in high school, got an A, and scored a 5 on the exam. He took AP Chemistry as a sophomore in high school, A, 5. He had a 4.0 unweighted GPA, 2400 SAT I (single sitting in high school), 2400 SAT II (single sitting), 35 ACT (single sitting), university mathematics beginning in the sophomore year of high school, something like 7 AP’s, all 5’s at the time he applied to MIT, 3 foreign languages, varsity athletics, and state-level science awards. He had a really enthusiastic response from his MIT interviewer. Also, he is a truly good person.</p>

<p>Outcome: waitlisted by MIT.
Then finally accepted.</p>

7

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<p>To be clear, I am not an admissions officer - I am a current student. I do not read applications or have any say in who does or does not get accepted into MIT.</p>

<p>That said, QuantMech, I think you are being too formulaic in your assessment of how Admissions works. The fact that your friend wasn’t immediately accepted doesn’t mean much. Personally, I find someone who flies or works with a congressman (… why do you think this wouldn’t be worth doing, MIT-wise?) far more compelling than someone who racks up some sports and state science awards. We also don’t know how much of the applicant’s personality was expressed in essays or letters of recommendation. There are far too many variables here that can be sufficiently accounted for in a paragraph.</p>

<p>MIT doesn’t have only one brand of students it admits, but it does want to see people pursuing interesting things and making the most of what opportunities they have.</p>

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<p>PiperXP, I think working for a congressman would be great, in general, for any university. However, I didn’t recommend it to this specific student, because the person seems to be really struggling in math and science. It appears to me, at least, that the student needs to spend more time on understanding material in those areas. Interning for a Congressman is pretty demanding. A student could learn a lot, but if it compromises basic understanding in math and science, I don’t think it would help a prospective MIT applicant. If the student can handle academics, too, then I’d be all for it.</p>

<p>There is quite a lot to be said about the local student I mentioned–a person to whom I am not related in any way–but it’s not reasonable for CC. My list may be formulaic, but my assessment is not.</p>

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<p>Hi, PiperXP, something about your post #7 had been nagging at me, and I finally realized that it was your phrase “your friend wasn’t immediately accepted.” The student in question was waitlisted, regular decision.</p>

<p>I’m nowhere close to 17 now, but I can remember that time and empathize with students who are 17 now. Even if the student had been admitted regular decision, a wait of 3+ months wouldn’t qualify as “immediately” in my book.</p>

<p>Does MIT have some procedure that actually amounts to “immediate” acceptance? I did not think that MIT issues likely letters, as some of the Ivies and Stanford do. That’s the closest thing to immediate acceptance I can think of. I wouldn’t even describe EA as “immediate” acceptance, really.</p>

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<p>^ Ah, my wording there was potentially confusing. No, there’s no immediate process to get accepted into MIT. You get accepted through EA, RD, or off the waitlist (or as a transfer student, though the response there isn’t immediate either). I was referring to the time it took between standard RD acceptance and him getting accepted off the waitlist, not the time between him submitting his application and getting accepted off the waitlist.</p>

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<p>How will MIT would admit someone with 2.95 UW GPA unless this kid can turn it around really quick and do some extraordinary things in sophomore and junior years? </p>

<p>The same question has been posed about about every top school and he posted a separate thread for each school. Anyone really serious about colleges would be more worried about doing better in school rather than spending so much time here asking the question.</p>

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<p>Thanks, PiperXP.</p>

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<p>to piggyback TexasPG: If the OP can get straight As from here until 1st semester of Sr year, he’ll roughly get a UW 3.7GPA. Knowing the pool of MIT applicants, how then do you feel about OP’s chances? </p>

<p>C’mon MIT forum spectators, use your analytical skills.</p>

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<p>If he did get straight As in challenging science and math courses from here on out, I think his chances for MIT would actually be very good–perhaps even better than a student with a 4.0 all four years. He does have the circumstance of moving between school systems going from 8th to 9th grade. On the other hand, counter-factuals are always tricky.</p>