How to better my odds for this time next year

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

Hey all - I’m a junior right now looking to get into MIT, but I think I might have heard something about MIT being just a little bit selective so like I wanna see how I can have a good shot.

Here’s the stat thingy copied from the EA result thread.

Objective:
SAT I: N/A, haven’t taken yet (dropped the ball there but registered for march) - PSAT 1500
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Planning for Math II and Chem, likely 800 math and idk chem (haven’t finished the class yet)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: Some amount over 4.0? Our school is not only on a 100 point scale, but handles AP classes exceptionally poorly
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3% (highest the school will say)
AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calc (5)
Junior Year Course Load: APUSH, AP Lang, AP Chem, AP Comp Sci, Multivar Calc, Band, Spanish 4
Awards: Zero Robotics Finalist (We’ll see how well I do in January), Youth and Government 3rd in State (first year in program, I’ll likely do better this year), some minor MUN/Debate things

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech and Debate (President), Youth and Government, Model UN (Tech Adviser), Marching Band, Piano for 8 years, Tri-M, Spanish Honors Society, Chess Club (President)
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Done maybe 25 hours freshman year at soup kitchens, care homes, etc.
Summer Activities: Spent a summer at Boston College taking Linear Algebra (ended with a B) and some random math course that probably doesn’t count for anything (got an A but does it matter)
Recommendations: I can get one from my Boston College professor (UC Berkeley, U Michigan grad), and I think that I can get a good one from my calc teacher and maybe my english teacher from last year

Other:
Intended Major: Math/Comp Sci
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks: 1st gen immigrant from Ireland if that counts

to clarify, I’m fairly sure I don’t have enough right now, so no need to remind me haha. Is there anything I can do to majorly improve my chances though?

2

I’d say that getting involved in some research would help a lot. Shadowing/interning would also help a lot. MIT cares a lot more about the section scores instead of the composite, so getting a high math score (750+) is a must for most applicants. Maybe drop one of the clubs that you aren’t president in and aren’t a major interest of yours. You only get 4 spots to put ECs. School clubs only help so much, and having positions doesn’t really matter past the first 1-2 clubs.

3

Do you participate in any science competitions? They generally like that. I see you have robotics. Have you considered entering into Intel ISEF or any of the regional/state fairs that feed into ISEF?? Other competitions that come to mind are: Davidson Fellows, Google Science Fair, Siemens, Regeneron. Take a look at these and consider applying. Having one or more of these on your resume will also be a big boost.

4

“You only get 4 spots to put ECs.”

This is not true. The Common App allows room for 10 ECs.

5

@suzy100 How would 10 spots for ECs on the Common App help someone’s MIT application? MIT doesn’t look at the Common App. MIT purposely gives few spots to force you to decide which are most dear to your heart. It’s a way to help them get to know you.

6

My bad, I didn’t realize MIT was not on the Common App.

7

I think that your stats and ECs look very good. You will want to ace the SAT’s. 800’s in math and science SATs will help quite a bit, and are very common among students who actually end up attending MIT.

Other than that I would say participate in ECs that you care about, and do a good job in them. Keep up the good grades.

It will not matter how your school figures AP classes into your weighted GPA. High schools calculate weighted GPA in wildly different ways. MIT and other schools will look at your actual grades. If you school gives A+ grades, then it is good to get a lot of them in math and science classes but I am guessing you probably already have this in hand.

Be aware that if you go to MIT the work load will be very heavy, and will not let up at all for the full 4 years. There are a lot of other very good universities in the US, more elsewhere, and you do not need to go to MIT to do well.