<p>Here were my grades for the first quarter:</p>
<p>AP Microeconomics C+
AP English Language B+
Trigonometry C+
AP Statistics C+ (likely to go up to a B because of grading problems)</p>
<p>These grades bring my GPA down to a 3.647 unweighted but my weighted GPA remains a 4.6. I am still in the top 3%. Do I still have a shot at my dream school MIT or am I shut out?</p>
<p>Of course, it's hard to say for sure. </p>
<p>A lot of it also depends on your extracurriculars - and definitely upon your test scores. </p>
<p>However, if those grades are any indication of your test scores etc, in all honesty ... you might need some good luck.</p>
<p>Does MIT look that hard at extracurricular?
I heard they look at near perfect grades, test scores, and projects you do and competitions you do well in.</p>
<p>I definitely agree with michael_pham. Although nowhere near Caltech in terms of admissions regarding purely on testing, MIT bases testing and transcripts very heavily, especially in science courses. They would overlook that B+ in English, unless you said that you wanted to major in English at MIT, which I do believe is a major. If you said sciences, those C+s will cause some concern. Perhaps you want to explain your grades.</p>
<p>Look at it from the perspective of the admissions people at MIT. If they can be convinced to treat your first quarter grades as an anomaly in an otherwise splendid record, why would they not simply put you into the regular admissions pool and decide on the basis of your third quarter marks? From your perspective, you have no downside. The surest way not to get in to MIT is not to apply. It might be in your enlightened self interest to prompt your math/science teachers to say glowing things about you and to suggest, however obliquely, that this quarter's result is a contretemps, not an indication of your true talents. Of course if you fumble again in the second quarter things may become a bit awkward but for now, put it behind you, do ALL the problems in the math and science courses and get used to the fact that your life is not over if you do not get in to MIT.</p>
<p>Do you have a reason for the drop in your grades that could make the situation a little better at all? If there was a real problem in your life or something, i'd imagine they'd cut you a little more slack. But if you were just lazy or something, there are plenty of applicants to MIT who will have better credentials.</p>
<p>not a shut-out, but improvement probably needed to show that this isn't representative of your usual performance</p>