MIT, CalTech. Possible?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>My situation is a lot different than those that I have read so far on this forum. First of all I am a 22 year old finishing my freshman year at a community college. I spent the time after high school touring and recording albums in a national band, although I wish now that I would have pursued education rather than my musical career. </p>

<p>My situation is that I always wanted to go to a place like MIT or CalTech but I felt like that was unrealistic and that my choices with music gave up that option in my life. I felt as if I belong at a community college and then to just transfer to the University of Arizona. As my first year at community college is passing my opinion is greatly changing. I am deliberately taking the most difficult and hardest grading teachers I can and I have been breaking all of their records for highest scores on exams. I spend about 50+ hours a week on studying and I find myself alone. My classes are filled with people who don't care and as far as I have researched, the University of Arizona remains at par in that aspect. I have not taken the SAT, and I know this is crucial, but I know my writing has to improve much before I take the test. </p>

<p>My main concern is if I should spend this next semester taking a lighter load from the past semesters (22 credit hours in spring and 19 credit hours this summer: All math, physics, chemistry classes) and focus more on prepairing for the SAT. My question is if it is possible for me to ever get into a place such as MIT or CalTech? I would be willing to spend the next year prepairing and enter such a place as a freshman. I want to be at a place that I belong. I don't belong at this community college or a normal University but I am not sure that I belong at MIT or CalTech either. I just want a challenge. I want to be pushed. My current gpa is a 3.9 and I am fabricating circuitry for H.A.S.P, a NASA weather balloon project. I will also be conducting astronomy research in the Fall with a NASA grant. </p>

<p>I would greatly appreciate any advice that could set me in the right direction as I feel utterly lost at the moment. </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Neither MIT nor CalTech admit many transfer students, but there are many other fine universities with professors and course work that would challenge you. Just because you’re outperforming community college students in your area doesn’t mean you won’t be challenged in your major at a large university. Socially it may seem like high school, but academically the degree to which you’re challenged will be largely up to you. In which state do you reside? In what field do you intend to major? Once you’ve found a couple of possible schools you might want to consider expanding beyond math and science classes at your community college, as most universities require humanities and social science courses for graduation.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the reply. I have already taken a few humanities and social science classes such as sociology, Chinese histotry, one year of Mandarin Chinese, and history. I reside in Tucson, Arizona. I have interests in aerospace engineering and electrical engineering. I have read the statistics on the transfer students and I know it is very competitive. Is there any possibility for me or is it simply too little, too late?</p>

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<p>MIT and Caltech may be out of your reach, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for UA. Prepare for the SATs, but I wouldn’t recommend taking a lighter class load either. When you apply, in your essay, tell the college the things you just told us.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/738616-do-my-sat-scores-ruin-my-chances-ill-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/738616-do-my-sat-scores-ruin-my-chances-ill-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Bump. Anyone have any more advice?</p>