Getting accepted to MIT

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey CC, I’m new around here so sorry if anything I’m doing is taboo.
I’m a high school senior and I would really like to go to MIT. I have a 3.2 GPA (Which I know is pretty low on the scale for MIT students) but I have a 32 ACT and I’m an Eagle Scout, Prudential Award recipient, Daughters of the American Revolution Service Award recipient, etc. Also, a big part of my troubles with grades stems from a pretty big personal loss. My best friend committed suicide and for most of my junior year my grades were awful (literally failing) and I missed a lot of school. I’m not trying to make excuses or anything, but I know MIT takes things like this into account. I have taken 2 AP courses, both of which I scored a 4 on the test, and I’m currently enrolled in 4 AP classes, Including more advanced STEM courses like AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, and AP Computer Sciences A.
My other question regards financial aid. I don’t qualify for government financial aid because of what my parents make, but we’re really not better off than most people who get subsidized loans. I don’t live with my biological mother (haven’t seen her in years) but my dad is a high school teacher and my step-mother, who I am a dependent of, is an ER physician who has a big salary but even bigger medical school debt. I know MIT has a policy of “making sure everyone admitted doesn’t have to worry about money” but I’m not sure if I could get what I need to make it financially reasonable to go there rather than a local 4-year university.

Thanks in advance.

2

I’m going to be honest with you and say that you have basically no chance for MIT.
A 3.2 GPA is extremely low for MIT, and even a 32 ACT is below average for the school. Moreover, your ECs don’t seem to be focused on STEM in any way and MIT looks for that as well. Your lack of AP courses also hurts you and although your personal circumstances could provide a compelling explanation, I would not place much confidence in getting an acceptance.

3

Sorry to be so rough, but MIT is basically going to be impossible. Even if you had a 4.0 GPA It’d still be a reach just because it’s a ridiculously competitive school

4

Yeah I kinda thought it was a long shot but I wanted a second opinion because it’s so hard to look at this kind of stuff without bias. I may still apply so I can frame that beautiful rejection letter, but I’ll focus my efforts in looking for departmental/leadership scholarships on the schools I’ve already gotten full-tuition scholarships. Thank y’all for replying!