<p>How important are GPA and SAT scores? </p>
<p>I read somewhere that MIT admissions officers look at your SAT scores, make sure it's in a good range (2200+) and then put it aside. My SATs are 2300+ and I think I have this taken care of. </p>
<p>Do the admissions officers do the same thing with GPA? Do they make sure it's 3.5+ and then put it aside and move on to the other parts of your application? </p>
<p>Also, in general, are scores or GPA more important?</p>
<p>If anything it’d be 3.8+. 3.5 is very low.</p>
<p>Grades and courses taken are scrutinized much more closely than test scores. And they are much more important that test scores. The above post is correct, you’ll need 3.8+ and a very rigorous course load to be competitive. Beyond rigorous at MIT helps, as in some serious college level work.</p>
<p>Crap. My grades are slipping. </p>
<p>Another little question. If my grades are substandard (in my eyes) but I’m still valedictorian, will colleges just assume my school is tough? (my class is mainly unmotivated). </p>
<p>Valedictorian counts for less than people think it does. And the adcoms at MIT will likely be fully aware of whether or not your HS is “tough” or “easy”, regardless of what the current class is doing - they aren’t stupid.</p>
<p>From my experience, admission to MIT generally requires a student to go beyond what even a rigorous HS offers in coursework - it requires some serious outside study, either independently or at a local university. I’m sure there are kids that get in from average high schools, but that is probably far from typical. Based on who gets in from our HS, and we get a few in each year, they are looking for some serious top talent. If you can’t honestly say you have that top talent, I would say you should start having a Plan B.</p>
<p>GPA trumps SAT. For schools like MIT, both GPA and SAT (or ACT) must be very high, and that GPA must be accomplished in the most demanding schedule your school offers (more or less). And even that won’t guarantee anything–so many MIT admits also have major achievements in their chosen fields, like AIME/AMC, Siemens, TASP, Concord Review, patents, co-authored papers published in peer-reviewed journals, etc.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks. And I certainly am taking the most demanding schedule my school offers along with additional stuff. I won’t give up on MIT but I will have backup plans. </p>
<p>Do the adcoms look at each and every course I take? I have 3.5 study halls this year-- does that hurt me? Do they look at my schedule or just the courses taken?</p>
<p>Also, will they look at the quarterly grades for each course or just the final average? </p>
<p>Also, my school has never ever ever sent anyone to HYPSM. Does that mean my school is kind of on a blacklist? Does my school name hurt my individual chances? </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Class rank is only considered at MIT. <a href=“MIT Institutional Research”>MIT Institutional Research; What will your GC say about your class rigor when you’re taking 3+ study halls this year? Some schools are known to top colleges and students who do well in those schools will generally be accepted to top schools. It looks like your school is not one of those. It doesn’t rule you out but it makes it more difficult.</p>
<p>Unlike SAT, GPA is not standardized. The school would have to look at your course rigorous, school profile, and class rank in addition to the GPA (as it is or recalculated). In any case, you need to be at near the possible maximum number for top schools like MIT and among the top 5% in class.</p>
<p>Right now, you’re not looking good for MIT. 3.5 study halls is going to be a kiss of death unless you use them to tutor students, help a teacher, or intern somewhere.
In order to have <strong>minimum</strong> qualifications in terms of rigor, you would need:
<p>@myos1634 does MIT look at my schedule or just at courses taken? </p>
<p>And I pretty much have 2.5 study halls as I don’t have a lunch. I tried to sign up for MV Calc at a local college but I couldn’t fit it in my schedule. I use my study halls for various stuff, sometimes studying for AP Physics C.</p>
<p>And are you serious about Foreign Language up to Level 4? I dropped after level 3 French, and MIT said they have no foreign language requirement.</p>
<p>6-8 APs, check.</p>
<p>And I’ll have a solid senior year schedule. I cut myself some slack with my schedule this year, but I still have tons of work…</p>
<p>And, honestly, will colleges see much of a difference between a 105 weighted GPA and a 95 weighted GPA (what I’m headed towards)?</p>
<p>The first thing they look at, before even grades, is course rigor - that is, year per year, which classes you took (your counselor will have to check whether it was the most rigorous offered by your school or just very rigorous.)
They look at every class take AND your senior schedule, including dual enrollment for Fall and Spring.</p>
<p>MIT actually requires 2 years of foreign language, because that’s what the worst high schools only offer, but if your high school offers more and you didn’t take theclass, it’ll be counted against you. Yes, up to level 4 or AP is expected. See with the French teacher if your previous level would allow you to enroll in AP French or not…otherwise, take French 4.</p>
<p>Yes they see a difference between 105 and 95 weighted because they recalculate your GPA to unweighted. After checking your course rigor (what I described above: 5 core classes, 4-5 honors/AP each year, etc.), they’ll look at that recalculated unweighted GPA. I’m guessing 105 weighted is 3.7-4.0 unweighted, but 95 weighted is going to be 3.5-3.7.
See if you can take MV calculus next year, that would be good for you, certainly better than random AP’s.</p>
<p>It sounds like you made the bad decision to let things slide junior year. Since this is considered the most important year for your application, understand that you need to up your game if you want a shot, not at MIT (not looking good from here, although you can try “just to see”) but at top 50 universities and LACs including your state flagship’s honors program (depending on the flagship - you’re a shoo in at UNLV honors :D)</p>
<p>Yes I’m serious about everything I wrote above… 
What would be the point of joking about this?</p>
<p>You have your MIT as dream school. now, it’s time to get to work on your college list:
find 2 safeties, 3-5 matches, and a bunch of reaches.</p>
<p>Thanks, @myos1634. If you don’t mind, I still have some questions. If I get an 87 (a B) one quarter in an AP class but my overall average in that class (once the year ends) is an A, what will colleges see? Just the final grade or the quarterly ones?</p>
<p>And does it reeeeaallly matter if a science/math student has taken only up to French 3 instead of French 4? Even if that student done much extra in the areas of math & science?</p>
<p>And also, about MV Calc at a local college. I tried hard this year, but I can’t clear big enough of a gap in my schedule to go to a college class. I suspect the same thing next year, although I’ll try (I don’t have a car either…). Any suggestions? Could I write down “self-study in MV Calc through MIT OpenCourseware”? </p>
<p>Thank you very much.</p>
<p>No, they’ll only see your final grade for each year.
The only quarter grades they’ll see is senior year’s; then they’ll get 1st semester grades and finally your final report (average for all quarters, so they won’t see 3rd quarter… but beware, students get rescinded every year due to D’s orF’s.)
See if the local college doesn’t have a “late” class - it doesn"t have to be during the school day, it could start at 5pm or in the evening, and a parent could come and pick you up after work… or you could finish 1 period early in order to go (since you don’t have a car, does the town have public transportation? Would a friend with a car be interested in taking a class at the college too - or just another random student with a car, to whom you’d contribute gas money?)
“Self study in MV Calc through MIT OpenCourseware” is better than nothing, but far from as good as actually taking the class in a college setting
The problem is that you’re aiming for MIT, where literally hundreds of applicants will have completed MV <em>and</em> FL4. Just the fact you had so many free periods is a dead give away … adcoms will see it as someone who’s not trying their hardest and doesn’t have a passion (if there was no class you could take, you could have asked for a job like assistant for a teacher, or peer tutor, asked to finish 2 periods early to go to the local college and take college classes, etc.) They want to see initiative and drive, and those 3 free periods are going to hurt. Add the absence of a 4th year of language and the fact you’re potentially gifted enough that you could take MV… and didn’t… understand that it won’t blackball you but that it won’t be to your advantage.
However, look into RPI, Rose Hulman, RIT, Stevens, WPI, SD School of Mines, Colorado School of Mines, Union, Clarkson; perhaps Lafayette College, Lehigh, Connecticut college as high match/reach. Try to find schools you really like where your odds are higher than at MIT. If you get into MIT, all the best – but focus on other schools.</p>
<p>Thanks again @MYOS1634. You said they see my course final grades for each year. So how will they see that I have 3 study halls? Study halls don’t have a final grade…</p>
<p>Instead, I think they’ll see that I self studied 2 AP exams and took an online course this year, which makes my schedule look rigorous. </p>
<p>And okaaayyyyy, you convinced me to sign up for FL4 next year. Not gonna enjoy it, haha. </p>
<p>And I’ll see if I can set up a self-study of MV Calc through my Calc teacher. She may be able to administer tests, set checkpoints, etc. in a course that’s based on MIT OCW.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help. </p>