<p>I'm a Canadian IB student looking forward to apply at MIT next year, although I'm not sure if I should bother doing so because:</p>
<p>For the past few years, I have been facing severe family and medical issues, which led me to be diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia eventually. As such, throughout my high school I had to put an extremely huge amount of effort to simply attain "average" grades. Also, I wasn't of course able to do much outside of school, as I was struggling with home and my own personal delusions/hallucinations.</p>
<p>Today, I'm enrolled in CEGEP (post-secondary institution - grade 12 & 13) and I'm pursuing the IB diploma program. My grades are exceptionally well and my teachers strongly believe I can achieve a 42+ if I maintain this pace. I have been also involved in UN Model and hospital volunteering. On top of that, I may possibly work with a group of researchers at McGill university over the course of summer. This may not be much, but it is all I can do, as I also need some time to rest/recover.</p>
<p>So, with the circumstances described above, should I at all bother applying? </p>
<p>Obviously, I am not MITChiris, but I do think you should apply. It sounds like you are really passionate about your education and about attending MIT. MIT will understand your circumstances.</p>
<p>That’s a tough question for me to answer without knowing more about your circumstances. But the rule of thumb is - you can’t get in if you don’t apply. </p>
<p>I wish I could give you a more satisfying answer, but it’s really impossible for me to do so. I’m glad you’re healing up and moving on the right track, though! That’s a good thing FOR YOU irrespective of MIT.</p>
<p>Actually I was hoping if you’d know of a way for me to make mention of this in my application. For instance, Cambridge has its own CSAS (Cambridge Special Access Scheme) which allows any student who’s education may have been affected by any particular situation to apply. This provides valuable information to the admission staff so that they can accurately judge the academic report of the applicant, as well as his/her potential.</p>
<p>After browsing through some of the past applicants who’ve got accepted at MIT, I have to admit I don’t have those tremendous amount of EC’s, a valedictorian status, etc. But I do have the strength to persevere and I have been doing much better, both at school and outside (as stated in the OP). I know grades are important, and in fact I am achieving good grades now - though my previous high school record (notably grade 10 and 11) are way out of “the league”…</p>
<p>I’m not MITChris either, but I do know that there are many ways for you to communicate your situation through the MIT application. Some students add a supplemental essay to explain unusual circumstances. You can also ask one of the individuals who will write your letters of recommendation to talk about the ways you have overcome some serious challenges and succeeded. Don’t worry about this!</p>
<p>I think thats precisely what I should do! (Write a supplemental essay!) I wonder if they regard the student’s situation when examining the ECs. I mean, I surely do not have a big stack of volunteering hours, school clubs, etc. I hope they would understand that almost (if not entirely) most of my time throughout high school went with struggling with some issues and more recently with schizophrenia. It is only recently that I have really begun doing some extracurricular work! But what I’m afraid of is that there may be times during which I may not pursue such activities, most importantly because of my delusions and as such I would end up behaving erratically.</p>
<p>Oh and I appreciate your kind words («Don’t worry about this!»). Always nice to hear some form of reassurance!</p>
<p>photon 1:
I don’t know much about you but I think that people that overcome severe obstacles in life can see things from a perspective that many of us cannot. I think you have as good of a chance as anyone else applying who is committed to hard work and making the world a better place. If you are academically strong you should throw your hat in the ring. Good luck to you-you sound like a strong individual who will make a mark on the world.</p>
<p>There’s also a section for “tell us about anything you think we should know” - this is probably a good place for an essay about your background.</p>
<p>May I ask why you want to go to MIT so bad? Have you considered the enormous stress might take a toll on your mental health? Just some food for thought. Best of luck to you</p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestions - I’ll definitely consider them.</p>
<p>@ DoinSchool: To be honest, I tried to give a convincing answer to your questions but I can not come up with something concise. It’s really a long, long explanation!</p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestions, guys. I believe writing a supplemental essay or complete the “Tell us about anything you think we should know” section should suffice to explain my circumstances. </p>
<p><strong>On a side note, does anyone know if MIT considers raw % grades or do they look at the IB marks. For instance, someone with an 85% average in Physics HL is highly likely to obtain a mark of 7. Also add to that a group average of, say, 70% (which is deemed pretty strong in my school, given how teachers are picky about giving 90+).</strong> </p>
<p>I’m not suggesting that these are my current grades, it was simply used as an example.</p>