<p>Hello ,
I am a 10th grade student from Greece and I want to apply to MIT .From what I have read in mitadmissions.org and from personal discussion with MIT alumni I believe that I totally match with MIT's culture and philosophy.</p>
<p>Now about admission.</p>
<p>I see things are a bit more fuzzy and competitive about international students. I am currently enrolled in a public school and the curriculum is a bit boring and uninteresting.
I don't have the ability to choose subjects ,so I have to study 14 subjects and maintain top grades in all of them.
For example I have 6 hours per week classical Greek course which is very hard and maintaining good grades in this subject will hold me back in my extracurriculars and interests.The problem is ,will they hurt my application if I have some not so high grades in my transcript?</p>
<p>I also see applicants with a lot of activities and extracurriculars and I feel I might not be able to find so many opportunities here. </p>
<p>To demonstrate my extracurriculars :</p>
<p>Volunteered in a science exhibition
2 years attending Hellenic Mathematical Societies lectures
Competed 2 times in national maths olymbiad
Studying Programming
Studying and building electronics projects (I really love that!)
Studying College Algebra and Trigonometry (since school math is boring)
Doing some Number theory and game theory
I speak English and French (and Greek of course)
Creating and designing 3D art
Going to Participate in physics and Informatics competition</p>
<p>And seeking to do more.</p>
<p>I have an opportunity to go to a private school for an IB program which is much more interesting.
However will it help on the admission?</p>
<p>Can you give me some general guidance about applying ?</p>
<p>You’re still in 10th grade, so no need to worry too much. Just do things that you like and enjoy your life. If doing math or programming 5 hours per day is what you like, then great, go for it. Otherwise, don’t do it just for the sake of getting into MIT, it’s worthless. </p>
<p>As for IB, think carefully before taking it. It is academically challenging, but might be fun for you! You will not have too much time to do things that you really like, unless you really like writing essays every day. Moreover, preparing for math competitions and doing programming will be hard due to lack of time. But, be aware that US universities really like IB, so if you get a good IB score (40+), then you’ll almost certainly get a scholarship (and as a Greek, I suppose you won’t be able to pay for US universities. Kidding )</p>
<p>endb0x provided a GREAT tip by telling you to do things that you love. But let me tell you why you should do that.</p>
<p>I am a '15 applicant from Brazil. Well, let me get to my story. </p>
<p>While getting familiar with the US application system, I realized grades weren’t the only aspect in charge of differentiating applicants during the admission process (as happens here in my country). That was kind a shock for me; my school had never endorsed many sports or EC activities for in Brazil students are only expected to do well in a standardized test in order to get to a good college. How could I compete with those kids with many more ECs, awards and distinctions than me? The key was: I did many things outside school that followed a personal liking: aviation. That was one thing, I should say, that kept me away from locking myself into a small academic world. I realized that I indeed had many ECs (and I had never called those ECs): I flew single-engine airplanes, I built R/C models, I had a website about aviation and much more. </p>
<p>Finally, the message I want to transmit here is: even if you don’t have opportunities to get engaged in fairs and competitions, do what you love, and do it well. As I say, “I may know my passion, but I do not know where it might take me. And that’s my biggest adventure.”</p>
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