<p>2370 SAT (800Math 800CR 770Wr)
4.0W-4.15W (by 7th semester) about (3.5-3.6 uw)
SAT II Math IIC, Physics, and US expecting 770+
No class rank, but top 10% (if I had to estimate 8-9%)
African American
Very competitive public (aka 90+% to 4 yr colleges)
Junior yr sched 5 AP's
Senior yr sched 4 AP's (3 math/sci+ap eng)
Expecting NMSF and Natl Achievement SF(226 PSAT in NJ) and AP scholar awards</p>
<p>Quiz Bowl Team member-highly ranked team that always goes to nationals (2 years)
Tutoring (2 years I put a lot of time into this)
Italian NHS (VP now Pres next yr)
Habitat for Humanity (3 yrs)
Chess Team (2 yrs)
NHS (starting next yr)
Orchestra (2 yrs)
Copious Volunteering- Started in Middle School Really
Summer of 2006-Traveled to Nigeria
Summer of 2007-Chemical engineering research at reputable university</p>
<p>Really? I LOVE the math's and sciences, but I happen to find the approach boring at my school- and as a result, my grades suffer. I hope the research will show that I have true passion and aptitude for the subjects.</p>
<p>Ehh.. I was thinking about it, I think I should have applied to MITES- but I only found out about it a few days before the application was due :(.</p>
<p>I hate how getting a good SAT suddenly makes that "okay" GPA fine. Usually you hear CCers telling people with low SATs that they have no chance at certain schools, but hey! It's okay since you have a high SAT score, which just shows you were a one-shot deal, rather than the kid who probably worked a lot harder in their classes (long-term). </p>
<p>In any case, good luck at whatever school you apply to. I'm just shocked and appalled at how CCers treat some people on the boards.</p>
<p>Just so you know, MIT offers biological engineering, which slightly different from biomedical, but it seems as though there is a lot of overlap....</p>
<p>they offer BME as a minor, and if you choose Course 20 (BE) you have a set of cores + either moleculer engineering or biomedical-like engineering</p>
<p>ever<em>after and panasonic- thank you for that clarification, but as ever</em>after said there is a lot of overlap and that is a subject I'm strongly considering pursuing if I were to get in.</p>
<p>Murkywater-I guess we'll find out soon whether or not the SAT can mitigate the okay GPA. ;)</p>
<p>Its not so much that a one-shot SAT rewards those who shone once rather than those who worked hard over time. At many, many schools a high GPA is not really an indication of solid work over time. At some schools, the equivalent of an A- is the default grade. There are other schools where achieving the equivalent of a B is a very respectable grade indeed.</p>
<p>It can be very hard to compare these, as you simply aren't comparing like with like. With the SAT, you are. Since the purpose of this is to work out whether you can do the work, a solid SAT score suggests how to weight the GPA, and is indeed reassuring.</p>
<p>None of this applies if you are applying from a school which MIT knows very well. MIT will get dozens of applications every year from (for example) Stuyvesant in NYC. With these schools, MIT has a fair understanding of what the GPA actually means, but if you are applying from The Widget Boarding School in Burkina Faso, then that SAT can be very important indeed.</p>
<p>Mikalye,
You are spot-on about schools that MIT and other schools know well. A 3.8 from one of those schools is looked at differently than from your typical HS. That GPA may include AP courses that are taught well beyond what the exams require, are taught in one semester instead of two, as well as many post-AP options.</p>
<p>If you are at Stuy or Bx Sci (or any other highly competitive admission school), the college admissions folks will know if your 3.8 is the result of taking the easy way through or if you truly pushed yourself to the limits.</p>