<p>Can anyone advise if my son's current credentials qualify him to apply to MIT?
He is a sophomore with unweighted 3.7 GPA. His freshmen courses were just regular. He is taking 3 honor courses this year. He is working hard trying to boost up his GPA going forward and hope he could be able to take 2 or 3 AP course in his junior year. Can anyone advise if he still has a chance getting into MIT? He likes computer Science and is self-learning some basic computer languages now. Thank you!
Any input would be appreciated!</p>
<p>I’d say it’s unlikely if he is not on an advanced track in math. Anyway it is way too early to tell. He hasn’t taken any standardized tests, for one thing.</p>
<p>Grades, courses and test scores don’t predict a whole lot for MIT admissions. They’re definitely important, but MIT will also place good emphasis on your son’s out-of-school activities (EC’s, awards, things he likes to do in free time) to see how well they think your son will “fit” in with the Institute.</p>
<p>Oh, he is doing track/cross country, orchestra since freshmen year. He doesn’t think he would qualify for applying. But I just wanted to get some insights from here to see if he may get a chance. Thanks.</p>
<p>Maybe, it’s a little hard to tell though, since it’s still early on. I don’t think there’s such thing as “qualifying to apply” to MIT, anyone can apply (as long as they submit the required test scores, transcripts, rec letters etc.).</p>
<p>You may want to Google “MIT admissions statistics” for data regarding applicants who got accepted vs. GPA, SAT/ACT, and other factors.</p>
<p>yeah, I have read some of the posts. There were so many smart kids with lots of awards and gone many math/science competitions didn’t even get in. I just wanted to encourage him to apply when the time comes next year. He works hard and starts to take advantage of every opportunity offered to him.</p>
<p>Why does it have to be MIT? Setting him up for (possible) rejection seems like a lot of pressure to put on a kid. If he wants to study CS, focus on getting him to take the high school courses that will best prepare him for wherever he gets in. Really…there are many, many students who go on to successful CS careers who didn’t attend MIT.</p>
<p>As an aside, this is my issue with letting kids guide the college admissions process–they are naturally very brand-focused and they have heard of MIT, whereas they are not familiar with the plethora of other options that will lead them to equally good options. I know a lot of kids who have had their hearts broken because they set their sights on a college they knew by name but hadn’t looked objectively at the likelihood of admission…and had no plan B to turn to when they got rejected.</p>
<p>Yeah, make sure your son applies to other schools, including one or two “safeties.” MIT’s admission rate last year was around 8 or 9% if I remember correctly, which was a record low. I applied to MIT, a few other schools, and a safety (U of Arizona).</p>
<p>True, there are lot of good colleges out there that he could apply to. He just wanted to see if he still have a chance because his freshmen courses were not rigorous, he is not sure if he would even bother to apply. So I just wanted to hear any input from here. Thank you all for your responses!</p>
<p>Yes he definitely has a chance. He needs to do very well in rigorous courses for these next 3 years to prove he can handle the academics at MIT. If he has everything else they are looking for his freshman year will not keep him out.</p>
<p>For any school that rejects around 80-90%, it’s not simply that there are more applicants than seats available. It’s that a large number of those other candidates will have rigor, performance, and impressive activities. </p>
<p>If he’s interested in MIT or any competitive school, activities are one way you can encourage- get him to consider math-sci ECs, some outside experiences, some breadth in exploring things he enjoys, plus some “doing for others.” </p>
<p>It’s possible he is not interested in a high level of competition. Or feels his current struggle. In that case, imo, it does a disservice to encourage (or hold up as the gold standard) one of the most difficult schools to be admitted to. It can be more empowering to help him find a set of colleges where he feels he can fit and get excited about, then work toward.</p>
<p>Short answer is absolutely possible for this student. In other words I am positive that there are MIT admits who ‘got out of the gate’ after freshman year. Having said that 10% is 10% is 10% or so admission rate for MIT. </p>
<p>I believe that there is a high degree of unpredictability in MIT type schools and It does seem that it has some relationmto a lottery. Like poker player dan Harrington said, you might get 3 tickets instead of 1 if you excel, as in a poker tournament. I agree agree try to get extra tickets but don’t forget the percentages. Excellent MIT admission blog by MIT Chris said work hard, be nice, follow your passions , then see where you get in.</p>
<p>@chowling: I didn’t take BC Calc until junior year. There are people at MIT who didn’t take BC Calc until senior year, and yet others who never took BC Calc.</p>
<p>Capable? Almost anyone is capable of achieving their goals. I think you mean “elligible” or “likely.”</p>
<p>Anyway, it helps to take advanced math classes as soon as possible as someone previously suggested. Listing his self-learning of programming languages as an extracurricular activity would also look nice. If he does very well on the SAT Math section (770-800, maybe) and/or takes the SAT Math I/II exams, then he should increase his chances of gaining admission to MIT.</p>
<p>Well yes, that is true, MIT requires an SAT II Math exam (see [Tests</a> & Scores | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/freshman/tests]Tests”>Tests & scores | MIT Admissions)). So it is certainly true to say that meeting the admissions requirements will increase one’s chances of admission, but that statement doesn’t help much.</p>
<p>Look, nobody on this board can ever give anyone an informed discussion about chances in an individual case. People do not apply to universities. Applications folders apply to universities. MIT more than most schools try to meet the person represented by the folder, but that is an inexact art. Good luck.</p>