<p>It has been my dream to attend MIT although I feel very intimidated by the threads that I have seen about international admissions to this particular college. I am an Asian male from the UK (although I have lived around the world) and I've been informed that my ethnicity and gender as well as the fact that I'm an international applicant will already put me at a huge disadvantage. I have not participated in any international Olympiads (although I have been a finalist in the most prestigious under-18s science competition in the UK) and I am no 'genius' as my ACT predicted score is only about 34 (although I'm sure that I can superscore higher than that at maybe a 35). My ECs are above average as I am an RAF cadet and I have an intense passion for drama but again I haven't cured cancer... What I'm getting at is that from what I've read, I have no chance of getting in. Should I still apply? My other choices are Harvard, Stanford and Chicago (the rest will be in the UK). </p>
<p>Yep, you should still apply. Everyone starts feeling that way after reading College Confidential, which gives applicants a very skewed view of MIT. If I had been on CC before applying to MIT… I might not have applied at all.</p>
<p>Look at it this way: If you apply, you have an absurdly low chance of getting in (this is true of everyone!). If you don’t apply, you firmly make your chances 0%.</p>
<p>Hey, wait, from your description you sound intelligent and impressive and interesting and passionate. Don’t not apply because of something you read on the Internet. That would be a terrible waste. Do your best and be honest. The world will work itself out. Best of luck.</p>
<p>MIT was also my dream and I was sure that I had almost no chance of getting accepted. I know that if I had ended up going somewhere else I would have ended up happy anyway. However, you are too young to be giving up on your dreams just because you think your chances are slim. I’m glad I didn’t give up on mine or I would not be at MIT today.</p>
<p>Wow thanks guys for being so reassuring! What do they look for in an applicant and is the admissions process really THAT selective (especially for international students)? Will I be competing against the other Asian males or the UK applicants? In reality, I will not know until I have applied so it looks like I’m going to have to play the game and keep my fingers crossed.</p>
<p>And the approximate acceptance rate for internationals is 2%. You sound like a cool person, though, with very diverse interests and passions (and I hate to generalize, but especially for Asians), and you should most definitely apply.</p>
<p>Goldfly - Context is everything to Admissions. They won’t be comparing you directly to other Asians or UK applicants (though they do look at the international pool as a whole, simply because of how universities are funded in the US and because MIT wants to give need-based aid to everyone), but to what you’ve accomplished under your circumstances.</p>
<p>Mate, I was in your exact same position and I applied anyway! I’ll hear back on Friday but I don’t have high hopes…</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the UK has a collection of sick unis as well! Let me guess you’re giving Cambridge a shot right? Work hard for that because that will definitely be rewarding!</p>
<p>I think that there is something quite glib about some of these summaries. Yes, you can get a superb education in the UK. A STEM degree from Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, and one or two other schools is absolutely a world class degree. However, the educational experience at these schools is very, very, very different than at MIT. The college system used at Cambridge is, with the possible exception of Yale, distinctly different to anything in the US. Indeed, you do not apply to the University of Cambridge, but to an individual college, all of which are quite different. The educational approach is also very different. If you are reading maths at a UK university, then in your three years there, you are unlikely to take a course outside of the mathematics department. The educational approach is more focused, and deeper than at MIT (or virtually any US institution), whereas a US education tends to be broader but less deep, and with a fourth year added to achieve that breadth. It is not a better or a worse education, but it is a very different education. Some students thrive best in the UK educational system, and some in the US, but is is wrong to pretend that the differences are not profound.</p>