Hej

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>I want to go to MIT (or caltech, or some other good tech school), at the moment I am going to be going to a community college to save money, but after that I want to transfer to MIT, I have a 3.5 GPA (I haven't started community college yet so I could get it up.)</p>

<p>I may not have the best high school GPA but I have some things which other kids applying will most likely not have, I have a website with 5,000 members (should be around 10-15k when I graduate by it's constant increase)</p>

<p>I also am taking a internship to work with printers, designing the company website and working on their television department. (All things which I am interested in) + It's paid.</p>

<p>I taught myself around 5 different programming languages since 6th grade and have been making programs, website, and servers. </p>

<p>I also am going to be taking a IT certification.</p>

<p>I am the President of my schools Academy of information technology which means I have to do all fundraisers and such.</p>

<p>I am the leader of my computer club starting this year, I graduate in 2013. I am going to increase the club from around 20 members to 50 members all working on separate projects (that's if I can get everyone to cooperate :P) </p>

<p>That's just a few things I have done, I am wondering what my chances are of getting into MIT. Instead of working on grades and falling into the high school drama of trying to get straight A's I decided to spend my time learning programming languages, and slowly cultivating knowledge.</p>

<p>I am not very good at math, (my scores are low) but I always get A's in math.</p>

<p>I am white.
I've just never been interested in becoming the perfect college student, I am the type of person who likes to do things my own way, and I heard a lot of people who go to MIT and or harvard are interested in making their own jobs/companies. So I feel I would fit in in those places.
I have ADHD.
Also is it more about what you do or what grades you get? Are we numbers or individuals with ideas?
Also, it should be no trouble for me to get great reccomendations because I have great relationships with all the staff in my school.</p>

<p>What I want to major in:
Undecided but it will be either
Electrical Engineering
or
Computer science, or a dual major of the two.</p>

<p>Alright I'm done blabbering, no one may even reply anyways :P</p>

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<p>Bump, btw if anyone finds this thread to be scattered it’s most likely due to my ADHD LOL! If you need help understanding reply back to me.</p>

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<p>BUMP number 2</p>

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<p>Bump number 3</p>

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<p>Bump number 4</p>

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<p>Bump number 5</p>

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<p>Good grief, instead of bumping every 30 minutes, do something productive with your time like go on the MIT website and research the school. If you have visions of going to a major research university, do some research! You don’t need CC to find information. It is readily available if you but look!</p>

<p>In all honesty, MIT students are among the VERY TOP students in the entire country. If you cannot be numbered a top student – and only you know this, as you posted no useful information – your chances of getting into MIT are slim to none. If as you say, you are not very good at math (you claim your scores are low) MIT may not be the school best suited to you. Applicants are not ONLY numbers, but you have to have great numbers for MIT, especially in math. If you do not, the admission committee will have every reason to wonder whether you would be able to handle the coursework at the level being taught at MIT. No, numbers are not everything. But you need real strong numbers for MIT, as well as school records demonstrating high achievement in the most rigorous courses available at your high school and/or community college.</p>

<p>You may want to set your sights more realistically because, as I say, if you are not a TOP student, you have very little chance at all. Sorry to be blunt, but that is the truth of the matter.</p>

<p>However, there are scores of WONDERFUL schools out there. MIT is not the only fine school. Do some research and find some schools with which your stats (grades, test scores) and specific areas of academic interest are a match. Based upon your own description, at least of your academics to date, it does not sound like MIT is a match for you. But, that does NOT mean there are not good schools out there at which you will get a fine education.</p>

<p>But, really, do some research and see where you match up, with MIT and with other schools.</p>

<p>I know I sound tough, but you did say you did not spend time in high school getting As, but rather learning programming languages. The kids who apply to places like MIT learn programming languages AND get A’s. That’s why I questioned whether MIT (or CalTech, which is TOTALLY numbers driven in admissions) would be the best fit for your specific talents and learning style. No offense intended, but the idea is NOT to go for prestige, but for a match to your talents and preferred style of learning.</p>

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<p>If i were you, I would have some safety colleges set up. You have a very low chance of getting into MIT. The people applying are some of the smartest in the world. Your ecs don’t stack up.</p>

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<p>@Above message</p>

<p>You act as if because someone may not be good at math (Im not horrible at all lol… but i don’t see any purpose in it considering the fact ive made many websites, many games, and software, all being sold to people, networking software for large data systems…etc)</p>

<p>Plus I have done much much research, on the mit admissions site, collegeboard.com, and many other websites out there I just wish to know what is more important, numbers or what you accomplish.</p>

<p>You act as if the only important thing is numbers, what is more important, if a student puts all their effort into something or if they have a number. Considering I am only 16 and have 5,000 members on my website and have had ~1,000,000 pageviews in the last year you would think that would prove to a college I have dedication does it not?</p>

<p>Also not to mention the fact that was all done by myself without school, (self taught). </p>

<p>I don’t know, I would have thought they would see dedication as a good thing. It seems as if in this world of colleges numbers are everything, no matter what you do, even if you make a new type of invention at the age of 16 (Like the kid did who make iphone hacks). Do numbers matter more than what you can personally do?</p>

<p>Sorry if I sound raging, but you haven’t really asked me what would help to determine what my likeliness is. What more information must I provide?</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong btw, I never got below a B on any of my transcript years.</p>

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<p>We have told you: you need academically to be a top student in your school. You need great test scores. You need GREAT NUMBERS for MIT! No one doubts your dedication to your interests. But at a school like MIT, that means nothing if your grades and academic accomplishments are not top notch. You need dedication of course. But you also need to be a top student.</p>

<p>You asked, “what is more important, numbers or what you accomplish?” We are telling you: at MIT you need BOTH!!! If you do not have both, MIT may not be a school to which you can be admitted. You can be angry all you want, but you CANNOT change what MIT or CalTech look for in students.</p>

<p>Advice. Go to the MIT Forum and post your question. See what they say. But at some point you will have to get over being “mad” that numberts count for MIT. You can accept it and work on your numbers, or you can get mad about what these schools look for in students.</p>

<p>Fewer than 10% of applicants to MIT are accepted. The top students in the country apply to MIT. IF you are not a top student acadmically, your chances are slim to none. It is a brutal truth, but a truth nonetheless.</p>

<p>Now, I did not say you should not apply to MIT. I said, if you do not meet the school’s criteria, your chances of admittance are slim to none. The criteria include TOP GRADES and TOP TEST SCORES. There is nothing you can do to change the criteria. But, you could actually work to meet the criteria, if you are that serious about MIT or CalTech.</p>

<p>If you want more responses, supply this: grades; class rank or percentile; classes taken; all test scores; names of awards won; lists of all school extra curriculars; interests that you have pursued…If you have researched like you claim, you should know what information CC posters supply. Just check any chance thread for a template of how to do it.</p>

<p>Essays do count in college admissions, and evidence of dedication. Unfortunately, at schools like MIT and CalTech, the curriculum so rigorous, that grades and scores are used to determine whether you will be able to handle the work, and survive the competition of brilliant students. Essays and personal stories do matter, but in all honesty, it will be hard getting around high grades and high test scores to MIT or CalTech.</p>

<p>And, calm down.</p>

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<p>Yeah since the end of my last quarter of 11th grade I asked my teachers before and after every test what to study to do well or to do well next time.</p>

<p>I’m just mad because it just feels like as if I’m nothing more than a number, it hurts your self esteem you know?</p>

<p>English Classes:
9-11th (going take 12th next year)
English 9a-b = Both B’s on transcript
English 10a-b = English b was an A and B was a B
English 11a-b = A (english b hasn’t been posted yet)</p>

<p>Math:
Algebra I A and B -[A]
Geometry A and B - **
Algebra II A (B not posted) - **</p>

<p>Sci:
Matter/Energy - AB - [A, B] <- a for first b for second.
Biology - AB Both A’s I really enjoyed this lol.
EarthSpace Systems A and B - [A, B]
US History AB - [A]
NSL Government - [A, B]
Modern World History - [A, B]</p>

<p>Tech:
Foundations of Tech - [A both]
Software Applications design - [A in both]
Microcomputer something can’t read it - [A in both]
^ - As u see i get good grades when I’m learning stuff which is within my interests, stuff which do not have anything to do with what I want to do in life don’t interest me as much, but I want to do better.</p>

<p>Those are the main ones, rest is just like art, health and PE.</p>

<p>As for classrank we don’t get that until we get the official transcript I only have unofficial ones.</p>

<p>Extra circulatory stuff:
Repair Club (We fix everyones devices, iphones, ps3s, xbox’s…etc) - President
Academy of Information Technology - President
Internship (paid full time) working with printers, television station, and programming the company website.
I don’t know if this counts, but I make websites for some of the counselors in my school. They even pay me.</p>

<p>Grade: 11th going to 12th
ACT: 25 (Didn’t take sat)</p>

<p>Also I heard of some guy who got into MIT with a 3.2 GPA, I also met someone who runs a website and he goes to University of Cambridge (he owns a site which develops games) and his grades were not very good but then again I don’t know how it works in the UK, they have like 13 years or something, whenever I ask them what their grade is they get confused because they call it like, year 1, year 2, year 3…etc </p>

<p>This is a whole another reason why I’m going to community college because I want to get all best grades there, hopefully that will overwrite some of the not so good stuff…</p>

<p>Also the reasoning behind why I don’t have a language is because my school does some weird stuff, we have like 10 different ways of graduating however I have to take specific classes (it’s to help us to get into stuff we enjoy lol)</p>

<p>No matter what I’m still gonna apply to these places.</p>

<p>Also I wouldn’t mind UCB they have a good EE program and I have looked at some of the classes I liked the descriptions. And Johns Hopkins University is in my state would that make it easier to get into?</p>

<p>I don’t know if I left anything out or if I forgot something.</p>

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<p>OK, this is more helpful. If you are planning to go to Community College after high school, I think it would be a great time to really work to get your stats (grades and test scores) up to the level that MIT or CalTech expect. Research and see specifically what these schools expect from applicants. You can REALLY use your time in community college to figure out what you need to do to get yourself prepared to submit a competitive application. It iS possible to transfer, but be aware that these schools take very few transfers. So, you should really plan on working to the very top of your potential. Do some research projects with professors at the CC, because (as another poster said) your extra curriculars are not, frankly, at MIT or CalTech level at this time. Many of the admitted kids have won national and international science awards. They are doing top notch original research. This is the level of the applicants against whom you will be competing for the few transfer spots. As for grades: you will need to be getting As in your classes at CC. </p>

<p>You definitely need to either retake your ACT or take the SAT. You simply CANNOT be admitted to MIT with an ACT score of 29. It will not happen. Unless that score goes up to at least 33, you haven’t any realistic shot, whatsoever. The good news is this: you can study for the ACT and bring the score up!</p>

<p>So what if you heard of some guy who got into MIT with a GPA of 3.2? That is irrelevant. First of all, you just heard this. You do not know this is true. And, even if so, it is SOOO rare. You cannot pin your hopes on stories like this. You need to understand REALISTICALLY the kind of students being admitted. So, go to the MIT forum and look at the thread on RD '16 Results. Kids posted their stats, and whether they were admitted or rejected. I think you need to see the accomplishments of these applicants to get a sense of how you fit in with them and with what MIT is looking for. You need a shot of realism, before you proceed.</p>

<p>Of course, apply. But if you do, YOU MUST have a list of schools to which you can realistically be assured of acceptance. Apply to MIT, but do not pin all of your hopes on acceptance. For even the best students in the US, MIT is SO competitive that not all the most qualified are accepted. You need to be prepared that it may not happen. And plan accordingly!</p>

<p>Again, I am NOT saying that you should not apply. You have time now to get it together. But PLEASE be realistic and be prepared.</p>

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<p>I thank you for your knowledge, it has somewhat opened my mind up to stuff… I sincerely thank you.</p>

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<p>I know I was tough, but I want you to be smart and realistic about the whole process. Also know that I understand this: everyone has a right to dream. If MIT or CalTech is a dream, you have EVERY right to apply. You do need to be realistic, however. Even with perfect grades and perfect stats it is still REALLY HARD to get into these schools. So…if you apply, apply with your eyes open!!! And have back-up schools.</p>

<p>I really wish you the best of luck.</p>

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<p>I am new to this site. What does “bump” mean?</p>

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<p>It means to push a thread to the top of the stack.</p>