MIT (et al.) (CR for the lose)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am a rising senior from a fairly decent sized public school. If it helps, we are ranked in the bottom 5 for technology in public schools in MA (for the win of course). Our school is average, we send about 1 student to HYPSM a year (last to go to MIT was 2001 I think).</p>

<p>Tests/Objective:</p>

<p>*SAT I: 800 M, 670 CR, 780 W
*SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 Chemistry, 790 Biology M
*GPA: 3.98-4.0/4.0 (Report Card + Transcript comes 2nd week of July)
*Rank: 2-3/232 (Again...need transcript to find out for sure)
*AP: Junior Year: Biology, Chemistry, Calculus BC (selfstudied), Latin Virgil (Selfstudied); Senior Year: Micro and Macro, Physics C (both parts; selfstudying one part), English Lit, Computer Science, Statistics</p>

<p>Awards:</p>

<p>*3x National Latin Exam Gold Medalist (this year I got a perfect score)
*Some random book award
*Part of JHU CTY since 4th grade (two state awards in elementary and middle school)
*School Science Award (11th grade)
*Various Wrestling Awards ranging from local to state wide</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities:</p>

<p>*Piano for 10 years as a hobby; very advanced though
*Programming and Web Design since 5th grade; sold some games locally
*Various projects with electronics, computers, and engineering feats that have been put to a halt/are now less intensified after raising several eyebrows
*Have been building computers and electronic devices for my friends as a hobby for a while
*Wrestling since 6th grade and varsity all 4 years of high school (now I'm a captain); martial arts from 3rd to 10th grade (black belt) which led to my wrestling career; I do a lot of offseason wrestling, and I volunteer to help the youth team
*Founded our school's engineering club; currently, I am working with the other founders to expand membership, find funding, and enter into some competitions for next year
*Helped to establish a scholarship for our late teacher
*Have been doing independent study for a while; right now I am doing CTY Linear Algebra and soon I will be doing CTY Multivariable Calculus, and I love to study a lot of topics on my own or go to classes/lectures on stuff that I enjoy</p>

<p>Work Experience:</p>

<p>*Tutored kids through the special needs program in math last summer
*Have had a web design job with a local company since last summer</p>

<p>Right now I am building a website so I can host a few of my projects and upload my book that I have been working on for a hobby. I don't have many activities, but I dedicate a lot of time to what I do (a real lot). Also, many of the things that I do are a bit out of the ordinary. I am very focused on what I do, so many traditional activities do not fit the bill for me.</p>

<p>MIT is my top choice with Princeton as second. Chance me for:</p>

<p>MIT
Princeton
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Brown
Carnegie Mellon
Boston College
UNC: Chapel Hill</p>

<p>I am thinking about UChicago, but I don't know if it would be a great fit.</p>

2

<p>Anyone…</p>

3

<p>Retake the SAT and improve the CR score.</p>

4

<p>Pretty much what Silverturtle said. If you do that, you have a very good chance.</p>

5

<p>Will the low CR score really bring me down that much?</p>

6

<p>Not neccessarily bring you down, and prevent you from getting into those colleges. However, some admissions officers will zero in on that, and then they might look a little harder at your essays.</p>

7

<p>U Chicago might not be a match for you - not because you wouldn’t get in, by no means, but the environment probably wouldn’t be that great for an engineering student. You ought to be set to get into most if not all of those colleges. Your commitment to academics and science is really great. You should think about applying to Caltech, too. The CR score is low, and you could probably improve it if you retook the SATs, but it seems like you’d have a good shot right now anyway. Obviously, Harvard is finicky and a reach for everyone, but you’d probably be pretty safe. Everywhere else you seem pretty good. Good luck, you’ll do great.</p>

<p>Chance me back? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/738555-chance-canadian-2014-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/738555-chance-canadian-2014-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>you definitely need a higher CR dude…</p>

9

<p>I actually don’t think that you are necessarily doomed because of your CR score. Plenty of math/science oriented students have low CR and/or W scores and do fine. While the successful candidates for all top colleges, including the tech schools, will have 700+ scores across the board, I still think you have a chance. </p>

<p>MIT - reach
Princeton - reach
Harvard - reach
Johns Hopkins - match
Brown - reach
Carnegie Mellon - match
Boston College- match
UNC: Chapel Hill - match</p>

<p>I agree with misterg…don’t think UChicago sounds right for you. Good luck!
Chance me back if you can: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/738605-chance-me-will-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/738605-chance-me-will-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

10

<p>Oh I completely forgot to say what my interest was. I want to go into physics rather than engineering. I like the pure sciences a bit better than the applied sciences. I have started to already work on my essays, and starting this early should give me enough time to make them quality. Also, I feel as though I can really write great MIT essays (I saw the topics from last year). My recommendations should be very solid as well. I read my coach’s and it is very thorough and positive, beyond the point of just “glowing”. As for my teachers and counselor, those should be amazing. After hearing comments that my teachers/counselor have said about me, I think that they should be quite above average for other applicants in my school. Okay, and with the critical reading. Can anything overshadow it? I mean, I really don’t want to take the SAT again just to up the CR score, but if that is the only thing that will make up for the low score then I will do it. I know it is below 700, but it is only by 30 points, which is in the range of 700 anyways when they do the score range thingies. Even if I got it up to 700, the score would still be within the range of a 670. I would have to get a 740 for it to be out of the entire range of getting a 670 (range for a 670 is 4\640-700; range for 740 is 710-770). So really I would have to improve by 70 points for it to make it so there was no way that the score was just a fluctuation within the 670 score range.</p>

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<p>Grr, forgot another thing: are there any other suggested schools that I should look at?</p>

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<p>SAT’s are really good (Im in the exact same CR boat <3). your EC’s are very interesting/numerous but what hurts you is that your skills arent quantifiable (i.e - your piano skills, enter a concerto competition/make all state piano) or your computer buildings skills (ever though of robotics/skills USA) and your wrestling (state wrestling individually/team champs). i would say reach for MIT Princeton Harvard, and Low Reach to Match for the rest.
chance back?
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<p>I do have things to show for things that I have done with electronic and computers (can send in pictures/code/other supplements for that). I’ve never heard of skills USA, but I have heard of other robotics competitions. I’ve been trying to have the engineering club compete in competitions, but we have run into a few problems. Sophomore year we tried for the entire year to find a teacher to oversee the club, so we did not end up forming it until the end of 10th grade. Our school was unable to give us any funding so during junior year we did a few small projects and started planning for next year to enter into competitions. So yeah, there have been some financial and school administrative issues there.</p>

<p>For wrestling, I have won awards at the state level (both individual and team). I was extremely sick due to a medical condition during the winter junior year, so I missed out on going onto the postseason. But have won medals in state tournaments during my freshman and sophomore years.</p>

<p>Piano, like I said, it is just a hobby. I could send in a music supplement if you think that would help. I have several pieces that I play extremely well, and I could have my friend record them for me.</p>

<p>Computer wise, like I said, I am setting up a new website and I do have a job doing web design. I also have some old games that I could submit or send in code for if necessary.</p>

<p>PS: Should I look into Cornell? I do prefer an urban/suburban campus over a rural one, but I haven’t checked out Cornell’s campus.</p>

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<p>I think your only real reaches are MIT, Harvard, and Princeton. And they are for everyone.</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;

15

<p>Are you asian?
Some adcoms will automatically think asian when they see High Math but low CR. Its true.</p>

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<p>Ahh, but adcoms also look at the check boxes for race. And I am as white as can be. If I were any whiter people would bump into me…not true; I’m not that white :slight_smile: . The only bit asian that I am is -asian with Cauc- in front of it (Caucasian). Also, just asking again, does anyone have any suggestions for other schools that I should look into?</p>