IMSA Applicant Class of 2024

Also, would you recommend that we list any community services in Activities? All of my community services are STEM-related btw…

Yeah if it’s STEM related absolutely. I do not know if I am the right person to ask this to because I havent done any volunteering and plan to later this school year or next year. But I would

Does anybody know how IMSA would convert Standards Based Grading into the GPA form? My teachers probably gave out 4-5 4’s in the entire school year, and all my grades are 3’s, since SBG is on a 1-4 scale. I’m a bit freaking out, but does anybody know?

Look, IMSA will calculate that. Grading that is normal, like A/A- system, will be easily calculated. I’m pretty sure they can also calculate this. How many 4’s did you recieve, how many 3’s, how many 2 or 1’s? If you provide those details, I can enter it into a calculator.

If you got only 3’s then your GPA will be much, much lower than mine.

You don’t understand - this is from standards-based grading. In most schools, they convert 3’s to A’s. Also, it’s a 1-4 scale, and teachers don’t give out 4’s on barely any assignment. It’s not like the traditional scale. A 3 in SBG won’t become a 3 in your GPA. If they do that, then IMSA just simply hasn’t understood SBG too well. I’m emailing them about it. Also, do you sleep? Why are you up at 5:00 am

That’s what someone from two years ago said to me and a few others.

Hi, I’m applying to IMSA this year. I would like to know my chances of getting in.
Here are my stats:
• Science Olympiad | 2020-2021 | 1 hour per week.
• Math counts/Math team | 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021 | 1-2 hour per week.
• Nequa Math Contest |2018-2019 and 2019-2020|

  • NSML Math competition| 2020-2021|
    • Science Olympiad Harlem Competition | 2020 - 2021|
    • Experience with Arduino(completed 15 basic projects, have created the water stroboscope effect, and have attempted to make auto curtain opener couldn’t complete due to lack of resources)
  • I don’t know if this counts but I have learned java script on my own | 2018-2019|, and am currently taking AP computer science |2020-2021|
    -On practice tests got in the 750-730 math and 630-650 English

Unique facts:
-Asian
-I’m a speedcuber

  • I have created many things in my house besides arduino

Questions:

  • I have watched some videos on how to write good college essays, but obviously IMSA is not a college. So is there anything that I should to drag them in?
    -How does covid-19 affect people’s chances of getting in

I know this is a lot, but thank you whoever who checks over this!

GPA? Teacher recs?

Any awards?? What location do you live in?? If you live in Chicagoland, I’m not sure because you haven’t listed any awards.

Anybody tell me my chances: I’ve posted my stuff before on this thread, but I deleted all of them so I want lots of opinions;;

Asian male in Bloomington, IL - Laboratory school (UHS)

GPA: 4.0 - not sure about GPA in 8th and 7th grade, since we used Standards-based grading - I was at least top 5 in our school for grades, and I always got 98%+ for math classes

There are about 10 - 15 people who apply from our city, and I think less than 5 attend each year. This is so low compared to other suburban or rural areas, so I’m pretty nervous.

SAT: 1450 - 780 math and 670 Reading/writing

Awards:

-Tons of speech tournament awards, winning Varsity and JV tournaments
-American Legion Award for distinguished achievement - given to one boy and girl by the vote of teachers from graduating class on their academic excellence, leadership, community service, etc.
-MATHCOUNTS State certificate of excellence
-MATHCOUNTS Chapter competition Individual 2nd place
-MATHCOUNTS Chapter competition Team 1st place
-FLL Regionals 2nd place
-FLL Regionals Best Robot design award

ECs:

  • Data Science Team
  • Speech team
  • JV Golf team:
    -UHS Math Team
  • Coach of MATHCOUNTS at my middle school - independently teach middle schoolers as a coach MATHCOUNTS for the past year, lots of community service towards this
  • FLL and FTC robotics for 2 years - Lead engineer and Operations, various leadership roles
    -MATHCOUNTS - President for 3 years: independently make lesson plans and prepare for MATHCOUNTS meetings with no help from an adult.
  • Violin - Concertmaster for every concert and for “String Project”, which is a K-8th grade orchestra for kids, sponsored by ISU.

Strong Teacher recs, strong Essays - I’m a bit unsure about my parent statement. My mom’s a professor, and she wrote my parental statement like one of her research papers: boring and unenthusiastic…

Your application is pretty good, everything is better than a normal applicant. You have a better gpa than me but I also have better ecs and awards than you (will list once the deadline has passed). But, your school is much more competitive than even my school (and I’m coming from one of the most competitive districts). You can get in if you had good essays than most applicants.

Thanks. Also, I meant that 15 ppl apply but less than 5 end up attending in Bloomington-normal, where I live. My sister got accepted with less stats and she knows what stats some of the accepted students have, so she keeps telling me that I’ll be accepted without a doubt. I can’t help but feel nervous, though. Funny thing is, I wasn’t even nervous when I check if I got accepted to the Lab school although the acceptance rate for my current school is almost half of IMSA’s ( from the looks of it, IMSA accepts about 35-40% of 9th graders, and it’s the 8th-grade acceptance rate that makes it lower).

Do you guys have any tips for the essay (like previous applicants)? I need to review my essay, and I want to see what should be in my essay. How can I make my essay stand out from normal essays (like the average one submitted to IMSA)?

I would say, just write about yourself. I just put a touch of stories and humor with stuff from golf, Robotics, and speech, and intertwine it with the bigger message: why they should accept me. Just try to send a bigger message with little stories that support and add entertainment to it.

For example: for my challenge essay, I wrote about a robotics competition, but I eventually intertwined it with my adaptability and flexibility in dealing with challenges, and the steps I took were very efficient in doing that. Try to use various vocabulary and develop a story. Don’t try to put too much story, though. The robotics story only consisted of about 150 words, and I put 350 words on my personal steps, reflections, etc. And focus on what was going on inside of yourself, since essays are supposed to be talking about you as a human.

Sry here is the stats:
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Strong teacher reccomendations
Strong student Essays
No Awards and I live in Naperville. I was mainly concerned about this part of the application, and what I can do to possibly give me a chance against those who have a lot of awards/

Am I supposed to send SAT scores? I looked at the website and was confused about whether or not I had to send them.

Hello! The website says that you do not have to send in SAT scores with your application. It is not required because of COVID-19 and how some students couldn’t take the SAT. They said that even if you turn in SAT results, they will not consider them in the application. They also said, once COVID-19 calmed down, they will have all applicants who didn’t do the SAT, do it. They didn’t specify when they were going to have the applicants do the SAT.

Thanks. Also, is there something else I have to fill out after I press “next”? I’m waiting on some coaching awards that I’ll probably get from the MATHCOUNTS Chapter competition from my students, and they come on Friday. I don’t want any surprises, so…

I am a little bit confused on what you mean.