MIT and/or Caltech Admissions

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello there I am a freshman in High School and I have a serious passion for science & mathematics revolving around engineering. I attend a Science and Technology high school while I am not much of a well rounded student I am well rounded in my area of passion meaning when it comes to engineering I do everything that I can to immerse myself in it. My dream is to go to MIT or Caltech because the thought of collaborating with such great minds there and creating something that can change lives truly motivates me so I am wondering what would it take to be accepted into one of those wonderful schools. It would mean a lot if you could take this question seriously and if a former MIT or Caltech student could answer this or an admissions officer can answer this it would mean a lot. I am looking for:
- Grades
- Courses
- General SAT/ ACT scores
- ECs
- And just general information that can set me on the correct path </p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>An MIT admissions officer already did answer this question, though I’m not sure you’re going to be all that happy with his answer: [Applying</a> Sideways | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways]Applying”>Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions).</p>

3

<p>And that answer is going to apply equally to Yale, Harvard and all the other insanely selective colleges and universities you’re asking about in other forums.</p>

<p>Here’s all the advice I can think of just now for a high-school freshman with very high ambitions for college.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Your grades and standardized test scores need to be very, very good, but there is no magic number for either.</p></li>
<li><p>With respect to non-academic factors in college admsisions, read this: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15654379-post30.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15654379-post30.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
<li><p>Read this excellent blog post by a college classmate of mine whom I’ve never met: [Andrew</a> S. Doctoroff: Dear Eighth Grader: So You Want to Apply to Harvard? Some Words of Advice…](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>Dear Eighth Grader: So You Want to Apply to Harvard? Some Words of Advice... | HuffPost College).</p></li>
<li><p>Do not fixate on MIT, CalTech, Yale, Harvard or any other selective institutions. Trust that there are literally scores of universities in the country where you can get first-rate training in math, engineering and science, if those things are your bag, and that if you make an appropriate college list that includes safeties, matches and reaches, some of them will be delighted to offer you admission.</p></li>
</ol>

4

<p>It’s really hard to imagine a guy contributing more to modern physics than Leonard Susskind and his undergrad was from that renowned physics institution CCNY. (Basically, he independently invented string theory along with a whole slew of other achievements)</p>

<p>He covers his early career in his two popular science books, The Cosmic Landscape and The Black Hole War. So keep in mind that while it’s nice to aim for MIT and Caltech, it’s no guarantee of a successful career or the end of one if you don’t get in.</p>

<p>[Leonard</a> Susskind - Wikipedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_susskind]Leonard”>Leonard Susskind - Wikipedia)</p>