@BhattM their website is imsa.edu , but the place where I am getting my information is a presentation that I saw and I took a picture of the slide. I don’t know how to link it here however, sorry
Hello! I am a current sophomore, I can answer any questions to the best of my ability, but at the end of the day, admissions does crazy things sometimes.
@shield878 It’s a lot harder to get in as an 8th grader because you have another shot next year, so don’t feel too bad if you don’t get in, although I agree with dolphindog in that you have a fair chance of getting in this year.
@tiredandhangry I agree with dolphindog, you’ve pretty much got this in the bag. Make sure your essays and teacher recs are at least average and you’ll get in no problem.
@blazearcher same as tiredandhangry, you’ve got very high SAT’s and a list of prestigious achievements, make sure your teacher recs and essays are alright because they do have an impact.
@mrcw42 I think you have a very good chance as well. Your SAT’s are a pinch above average, you show you are a well-rounded person through your EC’s, and you’ve got some awards. IMSA cares about community service to some extent so one thing you could do to better your chances (not that you really need it) is try to play up your boy scouts and other service in an essay if you can. Show you are a mature, good human being.
@manma11 For an Asian male in Elgin, I’m going to be honest, your SAT is a little below average (from my experiences, but what do I know), your class load is average, your GPA is average. You’ve got some interesting EC’s and while they do have STEM elements, they aren’t focused in STEM. IMSA likes well-rounded people but they do want to know that STEM is your passion, so try to play up your interest in STEM using your EC’s and awards a little if possible (while still coming off as a well-rounded person). Play up your community service because IMSA likes that. Also, the one thing that makes your application very interesting and very unique is your business and start-up stuff, so if I were you, I would give some focus to that as well. May I ask what your businesses are about? Are they stem-related? (Side-note: They will not accept scores from march sat, so don’t count on it. I believe the last one they take is the January SAT?)
@BhattM Shaumburg falls under northern or Chicagoland, and is a pretty competitive place for admissions, especially for an Asian male. Therefore, I would say that your SAT’s need some serious work in order for you to have a good chance of getting in. I don’t know exactly, but a rough estimate would be 700 math and 650 reading. If it’s not too late and you know you can improve, try to register for January SAT because I’m pretty sure it’s the last one they accept. It is possible for you to get in as is, but unlikely. Some reccomendations to offset your SAT score:
- Get the optional teacher rec from a coach for Scobowl, math team, or chess team to show you are good at those EC’s. This will hopefully help offset your lack of awards (although don’t worry too much about those, a lot of people don’t have any awards)
- If you can improve your SAT, do it
- Highlight your involvement and interest in STEM, any community service (and I think religious work falls under that) in your essays
- Get really good teacher rec’s
- if you have any circumstances, make use of the optional statement.
- highlight your class load
(most of these are just common sense)
To answer your question, they take into account things like AP and honors, but if say, your teacher is really hard, they have no way of knowing that so they won’t take that into account. Keep in mind that most applicants have straight honors, so highlight your AP classes.
@just_try You have fantastic chances, just make sure your essays and rec’s are good.
I hope that helped, if anybody has questions about IMSA itself I can answer those. Disclaimer: Nobody knows what admissions will do. Even if you think you have this in the bag, put 110% into each part of the application. Even if it seems like your odds aren’t great, sometimes something about an applicant will capture admissions’ interest and overshadow any potential shortcomings. Also, nobody can say for sure what admissions will do so take chancing with a grain of salt.
@corrjayna , they are taking the march SAT (they said that on their website / application), thanks so much for your time!
Hey guys, I’m a current student at IMSA. I just wanted to say that you should not feel discouraged while looking at other people’s stats. When I was applying, I was intimidated by the apparent hoards of people who had amazing extracurriculars and awards, I and was sure that I would be the only one in the group who wouldn’t get in the academy. Do what you can on the SATs, and show your passion with STEM and IMSA through the essays. Good luck to you all!
@corrjayna Thank you so much for your input! 
@corrjayna thanks a lot
@corrjayna thank you for the input! I really appreciate it! I applied as an 8th-grader, and although I didn’t get in, I got to have an interview with an admissions counselor there. It was very helpful and I learned a lot from it. I have roughly 90 hours of service from two separate countries (USA obviously, and China), so I will be sure to use that in my 4th essay.
@bluehorse123 Good to know that I am not alone. The achievements of others here are indeed quite intimidating, and it can be worrying for me at times.
Also, how necessary do you all think the optional rec is? Is it essential to get help one get in?
@just_try I didn’t know that, thanks for letting me know
@mrcw42 No problem
@mrcw42 If you have someone worth asking for a rec from, I think it can really help. I think that optional recs from extracurricular advisors are especially helpful, or if you don’t have one of those you can ask, get another teacher rec, maybe from last year instead of this year? I think last year my teacher recs were average but my optional one was stellar, and I think that really helped push me over the edge. The one thing I do know is that if you ask for a rec from a high-profile person that doesn’t know you at all (which apparently some people do???) admissions will get annoyed. Ex. some people’s parents have contacts and so they get recommendations from congress people or company execs and stuff thinking it will look good, but admissions apparently dislikes that? Basically, I don’t think it’s necessary, but I do think that it can really help and it would be hard for an optional rec to hurt you.
Also, I forgot to mention this in my original post, but if you can (I know it’s kind of late) visit the school!!! From what I can tell visiting the school shows interest in it, which admissions likes and sometimes treats as a tie-breaker.
Best of luck to you all!!!
@corrjayna I’ve been there 3 times already (8th-grade interview, diversity day, and preview day), and it looks like a nice place to be. Thanks for the additional advice!
@corrjayna I would like my extra rec to be from one of my clubs, ideally robotics. However, my robotics coach this year is less involved with students, therefore he doesn’t really know me (or anyone in the club) really well. When I applied as an 8th grader, I got my extra rec from my middle school robotics coach, who I know very well. During the interview, the admissions counselor advised me to get my recs from new teachers. Do you think I should think I should send my extra rec to my old coach again? My old coach will be able to offer a good letter, but will it seem repetitive?
@mrcw42 I think they would be ok with that, if it’s a good rec even if it is from someone old, it’ll be better than an uninvolved rec. I think they just mean current teachers since that is what I have heard when I’ve visited.
Thanks!
Hello!
How does disciplinary action affect making IMSA, such as 3 bus write-ups and 1 In School Suspension, but nothing else.
@Jolteon101 Don’t quote me on this, but I am pretty sure that the only administrative things IMSA sees are your transcripts and teacher reviews, and transcripts don’t usually contain anything regarding disciplinary actions. Also, in the case that IMSA does see this, it would probably depend on the severity of the offense.
I’m just making educated guesses here, so take this with a pinch of salt.
What are my chances?
I am thinking about applying in the future BTW…
SAT: 1200-1300 Range
GPA: 7th- 4.0 8th-3.75 9th-3.7-3.9
Extracurriculars: 7th- Mathletes, Wrestling, Track and Field,Jazz Band
8th- Wrestiling, You Be the Chemist, Track and Field, Mathletes, Jazz Band
9th- Scholastic Bowl, Math Team, Debate Team, Wrestling, Chess Team, Basketball, Jazz Band
Participation in Google Code-In Event and AMC
Ethnicity: Indian/Asian
Courses: I take Algebra 2/Trig (highest math in 9th grade), Honors English, AP Biology, Band, AP Computer Science Principles, PLTW, PE
I am also from the Chicagoland Area.
I have good relationships with my teachers, so I think the recommendations should be good and I might attend Summer@IMSA. My essays are great in my opinion.
I really want to get into this highschool. I just wanna know my chances.
@mrcw42 Thanks alot! Appreciate the help! I will try my best in showing math and science orientation, as well as explain in my essays.
Once again,
Thanks alot
@jkhgiop those are almost the same as mine lmao
I have a few questions about life at IMSA:
- How much free time do you get?
- Do you think a kid with social anxiety can survive there?
- What are classes like? I’ve heard that the teachers there teach differently compared to a normal public high school. How is it different?
Thank you to anyone who replies! 