Actually, your GPA is a big red flag on an otherwise stellar resume. Are you sure you are translating those grades correctly? It feels wrong. An 80 may not be a B- everywhere. Colleges know that, and they know how to interpret transcripts from all over.
Poor grades and excellent test scores tend to signal a smart but lazy student. Not sure if that’s you or not. My guess is that it would hurt your chances, unless there is something else compelling enough in the application.
MIT and the other colleges you mention are all very study intense. If you have a problem with homework being done on time now, it will only get worse. Learn to manage your time and develope those study skills you absolutely need wherever you go.
Your GPA is the red flag that will make your chances much less for your dream schools. Given that perfect GPA students have low admit rates for these colleges, make sure you have true safety colleges on your list.
The grades haven’t been translated yet (I expect them to be raised a bit after my counselor does so), but an F is terrible by any metric I’m not lazy, but I do struggle with time management (learning disorders probably).
While you are smart enough to handle the rigor of those colleges, you would probably be happier somewhere with a more relaxed vibe and pace, and where there are supports in place to help with time management and learning differences. MIT is “drinking from a firehose”. It doesn’t seem like a fit.
This makes me wonder whether MIT or Stanford would be a bad fit for you.
MIT is tough. Classes go fast. There are tons of homework.
Stanford is on the quarter system. This means that the end of the quarter comes up very quickly. You do not want to fall behind at all. Fortunately I was there as a graduate student, and was therefore old enough and mature enough to always keep up. I liked the quarter system because you get to take more courses in a school year, but I would not have been able to handle it straight out of high school.
You do not need to attend any of “MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Columbia” to do very well with a degree in computer science.
I think that you should work on your time management and study skills, and look for universities that are a better fit.
@hunter127: Worth a try. Your unique profile remind me of that Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon) in the movie Good Will Hunting (1997), “a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.”
As I have suggested to others in the cc forums, always try to come up with a great personal statement/essay that could really set you apart from others. In fact, you have already done so by looking at your profile above - you truly have an unique identity. What you need to do, in my humble opinion, is find a solution to
“- possible “outs”: parents divorced + I was diagnosed with several learning disorders” - are you seeing a doctor for this? Any medical remedy?
You can google to find ways to improve your time management skills.
I’m not lazy, but I do struggle with time management (learning disorders probably).