Hello future applicants to the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, this forum is for discussion relating to admissions for the class of 2025. I am an incoming Sophomore at IMSA, and the past threads have been incredibly helpful for many. The discussion can involve chances, questions, etc.
Good Luck!
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I want to apply for IMSA class of 2025.
Can non-IL residents apply? The eligibility criteria are kind of ambiguous, but I would be interested in applying if I can.
I would bring that up with admissions. They’ll have the best and most accurate answer.
hi! I attended the IMSA meeting today (I think it was called the VIP series) and this is how they responded to a question similar to yours: “Unfortunately at this time, we are only open to Illinois residents. The Covid-19 pandemic impacted our plans to accept out of state students. At this time, we do not have a concrete timeline as to when we could accept non-Illinois students.” 
Hi!
I want to know what is something that is especially appealing to IMSA that can help boost my application.
Hi guys i am veera, and i am thinking to apply to imsa, i didn’t take the sat but have a great score on the psat, i go to haashall academy, 7th best high school in the us. I take highschool physics in 8th and took algebra 1 in 7th grade as i am in an accelerated program. I won some chess comps. i like computers a lot i have all a’s from the 6th grade, i have the presidents award in 6th grade, i teach many kids coding for free in the library, i helped one of my seniors pass her computers course. I am fluent in html, css, js, c, c++, python, dart, flutter, OpenCV, numpy, tensorflow, ai, computervision, and app development. I won the congressional app challenge and i have high chances of winning it again this year, i also am planning to take a math competition and join the 3m young scientist challenge. I also provide ai projects to a top computer institute in India. So how do you think my resue looks, and what can i do to improve it ? I am sorry if the paragraph is not so well written, as i had to type this in a rush.
hi! i’m a soph at imsa rn, and (i know this is frustrating to hear, but bear with me) there isn’t really anything crazy specific that imsa really wants to see in your application. i’d say the most important piece by far is your essays, so take your time on those and make sure they’re good. other than that, be involved in the community around you, do things you’re passionate about, etc. a lot of the application is just having the admissions team get to know you as a person, so try and have your personality show through in your essays. admissions doesn’t want to see what you think they want, they want to see you.
your resume looks pretty good to me! in terms of improving your application, i’d say just focus on your essays. you clearly know a lot about computer science and app development, you can use that in some of them. good luck with your application!
Uhhh… so normally if you want to go to IMSA you have to live in Illinois. Since you go to haashall I assume you live in Arizona, so if your family is ok with making the move if you get accepted, then by all means apply!
*Arkansas not Arizona
Hi I’m Melannie and I am a freshman who wants to apply to IMSA. I am not crazy about STEM like most applicants. But I am taking Honors Algebra 2 and am taking all honors classes. I have also maintained a 4.0 GPA for the last three years. Would I have a chance in getting in?
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hey melannie :)) im tate and im a current soph
first don’t worry if you’re not crazy into stem, granted imsa is a stem school there are plenty of people here who want to pursue things such a graphic design, I’m sure you’d find your people here! secondly, there is a lot of factors that play into admissions. the first 50% of people that get in are based purely off of scores. the other 50% percent is chosen to fit diversity standards. not sure exactly what they are (you could prob google it tbh) but I think some of them are ethnicity, financial, and current school (like if it’s rural or opportunities at your current school).
best of luck!!
LMAO reading over this i can see all the grammatical mistakes, pretend they’re not there ;-;
Hey yall a friend and I (both current IMSA students) made a discord for the co25 applicants so you guys can ask any current students questions or get to know other people who are applying! Feel free to invite anyone who is interested in IMSA or applying :))
^^ we had one last year too and it’s def a lot of fun, so joinjoinjoin (i am the friend :)) )
yo i’m a sophomore at imsa. imo, just show that ur passionate about something. imsa doesn’t want another kid who’s doing twenty clubs and five APs for the sake of getting into college. they want someone who will make a significant impact in the field they’re passionate about. so in ur imsa app, just show that ur super passionate about like one thing. base ur entire app around it. if ur into entrepreneurship, just talk about how u started a company. if ur into math, just talk about how u went to international math olympiad. its pretty simple rly lol
I’m a student looking to apply to IMSA. What would you say are some of the best extracurriculars to be involved in?