@birdie02 it’s very likely that a lot of waitlisted kids will get accepted, also thanks for the email…
i asked one of my friends that currently goes to imsa and she said that its fine to go over word count, just dont go over it too much (less than 100 words) and that they dont do cut offs. Also, is anyone applying done with their essays yet or finished with their applications already??
@xjayy13 I Still need my teacher recommendations and I need to finish two more essays.
@corrjayna It actually isn’t that hard to fit five paragraphs within a 500 word limit. Both of my essays so far have five paragraphs with only 430-450 words.
Hello,
I took the SAT in December and got an 800 math and 660 reading. I know the deadline for the last acceptable SAT test has passed, but I was just wondering if I should have took the January test and risked the 800 in order to pull up my reading.
Thanks.
You are okay. As long as you have good teacher recommendations and a good GPA, you’ll be very competitive for IMSA. Take a look at this slideshow for the enrolled class of 2017: https://www.imsa.edu/sites/default/files/upload/admissions_class_of_2017_presentation_0.pdf
@maxo Nice scores!! You should have. Imsa uses “superscore” method, which means that you can take the tests as many times as you want and they will take the highest scores from each section of each test. So if you retook the sats and got a 780 in math (compared to your 800 from the first time), but a 740 in reading. They’ll take your math score of 800 (first time) and your reading of 740 (second test). Honestly, I don’t think it’ll matter becuz you have such high scores (they care about math more anyways).
i really hope that there isnt a lot of kids applying this year… i asked my teachers for recs today, and legit my eng teacher laughed at me and my math teacher snickered.
@xjayy13 Don’t let them discourage you! I believe you can get in!! 
Do we need a title for our essays?
@XxSwegLordxX im pretty sure they dont require one… my essays are labled as “IMSA Essay #1” &c.
Hey @lsutiger25! You go to nvhs? Same here. How competitive is it from our school?
Does IMSA permit pokemon go on campus?
…lol @floridagators100
Does anyone know what IMSA is looking for in the last essay for the service project?
also, does any current imsa students want to offer their thoughts (especially on essays), and possibly let me unofficially shadow them?
@notrushilduh Ya got me
Re: service project essay. I think it can be anything you are interested in in your community. Anything you noticed that could improve.
does recently moving, death in the family, being younger then everyone else in my grade, and parents’ divorce finalment count for the optional statement? or should I not mention it
Hello everyone, sorry for invading this post, but I am currently an 8th grader who is keen on applying to the Illinois Math and Science Academy for the year of 2020. I am fairly certain that with my current application that I would have no issue if I had applied in the 9th grade as to getting into the school as my SAT scores are 610 and 670 for math and reading respectively, and my SAT essay is a solid 6 out of the 8 points that were possible for the NEW SAT. Also, I am in the highest classes offered at my school, which includes Geometry, SWAS (Gifted), etc. With a perfect unweighted GPA of 4.0. I have attained Honor Roll throughout all quarters of middle school and my list of awards and activities is something that I would like to say is at or above average. I am in good standing with all of my teachers so recommendations will be exceptional, and I am aware of my ability to develop a proficient essay10, and I have planned everything out. I have also taken an online high school Bio course as well, and that seemed fairly easy as well. Any reports on my chances? I am confident that I will achieve my goal of attaining admission in IMSA, but right now the question is whether it will be this year or not, because I am aware of the fact that they weigh middle schoolers more than that of prospective sophomore applicants. Thanks!!
@BestowingWIsdom
I’ll be honest, I don’t really think that you are competitive enough for an 8th grader. You didn’t really provide specific information on EC’s, ethnicity, and region, which are all important factors, so I’m just going to go based off of what you did explicitly say. A 610 in math is far below average for a 9th grade applicant, which is weighed more heavily than the reading SAT. In addition, a 4.0 or 3.9 is normal for an IMSA applicant, and because this is the first year on the new SAT, it is safe to say they won’t be weighing SAT essays very much, and even if they were, yours is average for an applicant.
However, one thing that is in your favor is that geometry is the highest your school offers. Besides that, teacher rec’s and essays aren’t always for sure.
Basically, if you happen to be from far away from IMSA, an underrepresented ethnicity (African American, Latino, Native American, and to some extent, White), or your list of EC’s is extremely mind blowing and STEM filled, you might have a decent chance as a 9th grader.
I mean, I’m an applicant just like you so how much do I know, but I would say don’t hold your breath this year and invest some time in boosting your SAT’s for next year.
@xjayy13
If recently moving affected your schoolwork/class load, definitely mention in. For example, if moving in the middle of the year meant you couldn’t take all the classes you wanted because some were filled, that’s a perfect thing to put in the optional statement. In general, for all of those things, if you want to include them, explain how they impacted your application or schoolwork, and try to do it in a sentence or two for each one so it doesn’t seem like you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.
Also: My condolences on your loss.
Just submitted the Class of 2020 application today! Only one more evaluation and transcript needed, but they don’t have to come in till February 1.