<p>Hi, I'm a rising high school senior going to major in BME or something life sciency. I've taken AP Bio, Anatomy Honors, Chem Honors, and Bio Honors throughout high school, and am planning to take Physics Honors as a senior. Now, I have the option of taking AP Chem or AP Euro, but frankly AP Euro seems infinitely more interesting. However, will it hurt me b.c im applying to such a science-based school as MIT that I've only taken one AP science course? Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I didn't take any AP science courses. :) So yes, it's possible to get into MIT without taking AP Chem or Physics. </p>
<p>Take the course that seems more interesting. Just keep in mind that you'll be required to take a chemistry course if you're accepted to MIT, and it can be tough without a good high school background.</p>
<p>I would suggest taking the AP Chemistry course. Not so much for the purpose of college admissions, but moreso because I presume the route you are going will involve organic chemistry, and if you are coming to a tough school like MIT, the more preparation you have, the easier it will be to move on to more advanced topics.</p>
<p>hmmm ok thanks a lot</p>
<p>I only took AP Bio, though my school didn't offer AP Physics or AP Chemistry. However, you are choosing between two tough courses - I don't think which you take will matter, and the fact that you're very interested in AP Euro makes me say, "TAKE THAT ONE!"</p>
<p>A lot of students worry in that they are not sciency enough to apply, but admissions god Matt says, "We admit 'well rounded' applicants, 'pointy' applicants, and everything in between." Push yourself in what you like =).</p>
<p>(I was one of those not-as-pointy applicants.)</p>
<p>Ok, so I live in a city in Tennessee, and my school doesn't really deal with AP courses. We have the occasional dual enrollment opportunities, but not the AP science courses. We finally got AP Calculus (AB) this year, so I'll get to take that in my senior year. I plan on applying at MIT for 2009. Just curious if anyone knows, but how much do you think MIT will take into consideration when it comes to regional information and school deficiencies? I feel like I'm receiving an unfair disadvantage.</p>
<p>MIT will definitely take that into account. It's about how you took advantage of your opportunities =).</p>
<p>cool thanks pipes. i dunno though, my school does offer it you know but i just couldnt fit them into my schedule. should i be doing crazy self-study like some students are doing on this cc?</p>
<p>You should try to find ways to challenge yourself; MIT wants to see you take the hardest courseload possible (within reason) and will take into account what opportunities are available to you versus what you do. Dual enrollment, after-school programs (online or otherwise), self-study, and research are typical options. Make time for fun, though!</p>
<p>One way to judge if you are challenging yourself enough or just overworking yourself to death: ask yourself if you could keep this up for another 5-10 years. If you are just completely destroying your life taking way too much work and no fun, then you haven't hit a good balance. You need to find a challenging workload that you can sustain for a long period of time.</p>
<p>I made sure to create a stacked schedule for my senior year, so I hope it will help out some. Like I said before, my school and city don't have as many opportunities as other areas when it comes to AP courses. I've done my best to challenge myself, so there's nothing else for me to do now I suppose.</p>
<p>There are a few classes that stress me out a lot, but I wouldn't say I have an overload of work. The main problem is I stress out because I'm so excessive about maintaining high A's. I'm looking forward to sending my application so I can get that pressure off of me.</p>
<p>MCohen28: Stop trying to maintain super high A's, and focus on exploring other things. You're just setting yourself up to get knocked down really really hard if you come to MIT/Caltech (unless you are the rare diamond-in-the-rough IMO Gold Medalist type). You should spend the end of HS starting to broaden your horizons. If you've figured out you're going into science, start reading voraciously about science, the history of science, etc in general. If you are going into something else, read about that. It's a good time to pick up a lot of general knowledge and to build a context / big picture of what you are going to spend the next couple years studying.</p>
<p>Differential: I'm still unsure about what I want to study in college, but I'm definitely going to follow a math-based path. I'm interested in applied mathematics and physics. I know some people change their major several times once they start college, so I'm looking forward to learning more about the other types of majors out there, but I have a good feeling whatever I choose will have a strong math background. I spent a lot of time over the summer reading about mathematics and physics, and I tried to learn ahead as much as I could. So I understand what you mean about getting to know more about my interests, and I'm going to do that as much as possible this year. Also, would the independent studying be something to add to my application?</p>
<p>"Stop trying to maintain super high A's, and focus on exploring other things. You're just setting yourself up to get knocked down really really hard if you come to MIT/Caltech (unless you are the rare diamond-in-the-rough IMO Gold Medalist type"</p>
<p>I disagree with this. The best strategy for doing well at MIT/Caltech would be to get super-high A's and try to get some other enrichment in math/physics (summer programs, math/physics team competitions.) I knew a guy who is now a member of the Advanced Institute of Study that did every problem in the calculus book in high school (as well as all problems in the abstract algebra book.) He probably would have gotten 100% anyway in his high school classes, but he did it to solidify his fundamentals even further. </p>
<p>If you're applying to MIT and Caltech, probably math and physics come easily to you. However, the more automatic things become through practice, the easier high level thinking will be.</p>
<p>collegealum314: Read mcohen28's post:
"We finally got AP Calculus (AB) this year, so I'll get to take that in my senior year."</p>
<p>This kid is not taking 4-5 different math/physics courses. He's getting ready to study elementary single variable calculus. And since he's applying to MIT, I'm willing to bet he isn't having a hard time in Calculus class. That means the rest of his classes, things like AP Euro or whatever humanities and such he is taking are the ones he is having to work very hard for to keep high A's in.</p>
<p>Now tell me, do you think maintaining a 99% average in European history (or whatever non-math/phsyics classes he's taking) is really going to contribute to a solid preperation for MIT?</p>
<p>^^I didn't know he was referring to his humanities classes. From what I understand, he is a rising senior anyway so there is not much he can do to augment his application besides making sure he makes A's the first semester.</p>
<p>It isn't so much that I'm having trouble with any class over the other. It has a little bit to do with maintaining all of the classes at once because I have a fairly full senior schedule. However, maintaining A's isn't the part that worries me the most. I've seen people on this forum who are applying to MIT and have classes like college Number Theory and Differential Equations to put on applications. Plus, some people have done research with scientists or attended camps. I haven't had the opportunity to do all of these things, partly because of a busy routine and partly because of colleges not allowing high school students to participate in the classes. And money fits in as well. I've been trying to get some opinions on MIT's process of comparing different students because of their opportunities and regional demographics. The forums have been very helpful.</p>
<p>S took an physics class senior year was based on a college honors-level intro mechanics/E&M course for physics majors. It required MV/DiffEq as a pre-req, which was one of the big attractions. It was not considered AP, though he took the Physics C exams at the end of the year. Never took any other AP science course. He was accepted EA.</p>
<p>MIT really does look at what opportunities you've had and what you've done with them. If you go to a HS where lots of people submit projects to Intel, make AMC, etc., it's very, very tough to get into MIT unless you've done something else that's pretty extraordinary -- they know what those schools have to offer. There are plenty of folks on CC who have gotten into MIT without access to research, resources, etc. Sometimes they created their own opportunities -- sometimes they took what they had and hit the ball out of the park.</p>
<p>CountingDown: Your input is very helpful to me. I enjoy hearing other people's experiences with MIT and their perspectives. I know it's not necessary, but it helps me out. I think I have learned enough information to be satisfied with my application and accomplishments. I didn't even think I would be able to even apply at an out-of-state college until this year because of money. So when I first looked into the application requirements for MIT, I had never heard of the SAT Subject Tests or any of these competitions, such as Intel and Siemens. I still don't know much about them. People at my school have no idea about all of this stuff, so it was all very new to me. Knowing MIT should take all of this into consideration, I feel good about my chances, and if I don't get into MIT, there are plenty of other schools out there for me to go to.</p>
<p>mcohen28, you are not the first. I had not heard of Intel or Siemens until I applied to MIT (which caused a lot of stress on my part =P) - and I, after almost a year at MIT, still don't know much about these competitions.</p>
<p>You will have to look into SAT Subject Tests, though, those are required for applying =). Basically, they're similar to the SAT Reasoning Test (the normal thing you think of with the SAT) - but they're particular to a given subject.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I disagree with this. The best strategy for doing well at MIT/Caltech would be to get super-high A's and try to get some other enrichment in math/physics (summer programs, math/physics team competitions.)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I disagree with this. As Matt McGann has said, MIT admits both very pointy and very well-rounded students. You do not need specific interests in math and physics. Certainly, you must display an aptitude for them - but your interests and passions need not be specific to these in order to get into MIT. Mine were horseback riding, community service, theater, etc etc - others love rowing, or track. Strong math preparation is good, but the enrichment can come from anywhere (and often does).</p>