<p>Hi all -- </p>
<p>When I entered HS, I wasn't all that concerned with going to a "top" undergraduate university, so I never really paid any special attention to beefing my application up in any way (I did 0 community service, didn't bother with any EC clubs, etc.). My GPA was sort of lousy, so I essentially made my way into top 30 schools on a high SAT score. </p>
<p>However, despite being accepted to a number of top schools, I have opted to go to a state school for financial reasons -- to save money for graduate school. </p>
<p>Now, my goal is to go to MIT (or something like it, perhaps CalTech or Stanford) for an M.Sc (not for prestige, but for the fact that they have THE best resources for what I want to go into). However, I don't really know what the best ways are to maximize my chances for admission, so, could you guys tell me what the top-tier graduate schools tend to look for in an applicant? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>