<p>Hey everyone, I'm a junior and am looking at a number of colleges for next year, but I'm pretty sure I want to major in Physics or some form of Biotech. I'm one of those extenuating circumstances people, and by extenuating circumstances I mean I haven't been in any school for 5 years due to extreme family problems, and as a result I have been forced to successfully petition myself for emancipation in another state, which I did last summer. The bottom line is, I will not be able to graduate with only 2 years of courses. I have taken the SAT. These are the attributes I will likely have at the end of my senior year:</p>
<p>SAT: 800M, 780R, 730W
SAT II: Expect to get 800 or near it in math 2.
GPA: Currently at 3.9, will likely be much higher next year
Essays:
Teacher Recs: Already lining them up, I have 2 teachers who love me
Counselor Rec: She has helped me struggle through my settlement here and initial social problems, I imagine it will be good.
Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): None really, I built my own car, I guess?
Location: OC
High School Type: Extremely sports oriented, 2500+ students
Ethnicity: Half Mexican, Half Slav
Gender: Male
Extracurriculars: President of computer club 2years, Member of quizbowl team 2 years, Student Government treasurer, got the lead role in the school musical twice.</p>
<p>My senior year I have 5 AP classes lined up, an honors class and a leadership class, in addition to taking Physics 2, Calculus and Chinese at CalState Fullerton over the summer. (My attempt to make up for everything that I have missed). I am always hacking together new things that come to my mind; like a month ago I made this cool little walking endless track robot. The thing is, I am not fully sure if MIT would be right for me, nor if I would have any chance of being accepted. Can any of you help me cut through any of this? Thanks!
-Bear</p>
<p>Mmmmm, I’d have to disagree with synchrotron here. MIT’s application has 5 blanks for extracurriculars. It has ONLY 5 blanks, and you are explicitly told not to attach a “laundry list” of additional activities.</p>
<p>If you were to go out now looking to find “more ECs,” any ECs, you really wouldn’t be doing yourself a favor. Follow what you love to do, and find a way to make that an EC in itself. For instance, it sounds like you have a talent for building robots (and cars? wow!). This is hugely relevant to MIT. Is there a way you can enter a robotics competition. Could you take up a summer job or research position where you can build things? Look for ways to follow your passions, and then make sure to communicate that when you apply, using your essays and maybe even supplementary materials.</p>
<p>Also, your stats are very impressive, especially in light of your circumstances. Don’t worry about any of your numbers (don’t even think of retaking that SAT; it’s perfect already). Follow your passions, do things way before the deadlines, and have fun: you’re a senior.</p>
<p>Don’t forget that you will also need a science SAT II. Your stats look good other than that, but you are definitely in a “weird” circumstance and it’ll be interesting to see how colleges view that. But I think you’re on the right track.</p>
<p>wow. I"m sorry about what happened, but I’m glad to see that you have worked and strugged to overcome your circumstances. I would say keep it up what you’re doing and make sure you’re following all of MIT’s application requirements.</p>
<p>If you get accepted into MIT and is still not sure if MIT is for you, you can always go to MIT’s CPW to find that out. :)</p>
<p>Eh, quick update, it’s the end of my junior year. I plan on spending the summer at the Stanford Summer College. I have taken this year Precalc (regular) and AP Physics B (highest offered science). During the summer, I want to take Calculus and PHYSICS 45, Light and Heat([Undergraduate</a> courses in Physics](<a href=“http://registrar.stanford.edu/bulletin/67067.htm#o67090]Undergraduate”>http://registrar.stanford.edu/bulletin/67067.htm#o67090)), which is basically one half of AP Physics C. The problem is, one of the prereq’s is calculus. My question is, is the calculus simple enough that I will be able to follow along? I really want to take it, and the only alternative physics course is like astronomy.</p>
<p>Context is important in any application to MIT (or most other selective schools), and by context I mean “How do we interpret these results/scores/accomplishments?” That is to say a 700 on an SAT earned by someone in a mud hut in Papua New Guinea, who has to work 30 hours per week on top of school in order to feed the family, and has read longingly about this whole “internet” thing, needs to be interpreted differently from a 700 from a wealthy student in suburban New Jersey.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about a laundry list of accomplishments or EC’s. But do ensure that your special circumstances are clear to the admissions counselors and to your interviewer. They need to know how to interpret what it is that you have done.</p>