<p>It may seem like a silly question, but my school doesn't offer AP or IB courses... so, does anyone know if I'll be considered worse, because I'm not enrolled in either AP or IB courses?</p>
<p><em>Sigh</em>... Sometimes I hate my school =)</p>
<p>Your achievements are evaluated in the context of your opportunities. If your school did not offer AP/IB courses, you won't be penalized for not taking them.</p>
<p>However, if you're still pre-senior, it would be well-advised to take courses at a community college, provided it is financially feasible.</p>
<p>I saw person that accepted to Yale without AP..even she was international..</p>
<p>I don't think MIT is going to check whether your school has AP or not.</p>
<p>Goldfish: then you should really spend more time looking over the application. The Secondary School Report has a whole section for your counselor to check which AP/IB classes are offered at the school.</p>
<ul>
<li>Timur</li>
</ul>
<p>MIT probably sees a fair number of applicants who have taken AP exams even though their schools do not offer the corresponding AP courses. If you are a pre-senior, you might want to consider beefing up some of the courses you are currently taking with some self-study and taking the exam anyway. It isn't that hard to do.</p>
<p>Interestingly, I just found out that MIT offers some Sunday classes for students in the Boston area who want to prepare for AP exams but attend schools which do not offer courses. It's called DELVE. <a href="http://esp.mit.edu/esp_web/%5B/url%5D">http://esp.mit.edu/esp_web/</a></p>
<p>mit, like any other competitive college, will look thoroughly at your particular high school. if you took the hardest classes at your school even though it didnt have ap or ib, its much more favorable than a person at a school with ib and ap that, say, takes only 2 ap tests</p>
<p>hmmm... yeah my school is the same. it only has one ap, and it's in comp gov (i took that and got a 5 tho ;) . but yeah, it will look even better if your school doesnt have ap's, but you took the test anyways (shows inituitive). for example, this guy at my school took like 8 ap's (got 5's on all of them, yeah i hate him too) and got a pretty decent scholarship to mit (but he chose stanford instead). so it probably wont kill your app, but if it comes down to the line, you may not cross through.</p>
<p>my school only offers calc AB (1 AP course) but I'm going to study for calc BC since MIT only accepts BC.</p>
<p>I will have taken 6 college courses through my high school (24 college credits I thinks) by the end of my senior year.</p>
<p>Do you think that helps?</p>
<p>Merudh: exceptionally. AP courses are designed to be college-level, and taking actual college-level courses when the alternative is not available says something about your dedication to your education.</p>
<ul>
<li>Timur</li>
</ul>
<p>Olo: do you know if most college apps ask for any college credits you have? .. even if they wont accpet them? </p>
<p>silly questions I know but just wondering :/</p>
<p>Question-My school didnt offer AP/IB course (there are only 10 ppl in my calc class out of 350) and I am poor so college credits were out long ago(I am however trying to study for the AP calc exam and already know enough to take the Comp Science AP exam)......will this lower my chances? plz tell me the truth :P</p>
<p>Gandhiji: Most apps don't have a place for them, but you can always submit your transcript from the college in addition to your other transcript.</p>
<p>CH12IS: I don't believe so, explain your situation on your app.</p>
<p>ok thx for the info Olo</p>
<p>Not a problem, and call me Timur, most of the people here do.</p>
<p>I didn't have any AP courses (because I wasn't offered any) and I also didn't take any AP tests, and I am a Class of '09 here now. Remember that MIT will be getting your application before you take senior year AP tests, so they couldn't possibly expect that you MUST have some scores to show. I did take courses at a community college, but that's because they were free, through the school district. MIT will judge you application only in the context of what was offered to you. Don't worry about it. </p>
<p>I would make sure you try to get some calc in sometime. I can't imagine making it through the first year without any previous calc experience.</p>
<p>
[quote]
MIT will judge you application only in the context of what was offered to you.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>MIT will judge your app in the context of what is available to you, which is a slightly different thing. There are many students applying to MIT who go way beyond what is automatically offered by their high schools. Anyone can self study, or seek out internships, or do lab experiments in thier basement, or take courses over the internet, or audit college courses if it is too expensive to register for them. Your application, while viewed in the context of your school's limitations, will also be viewed in the context of what other students with similar limitations have managed to accomplish. If you don't have enough initiative to seek opportunities beyond limited offerings your high school hands you on a platter, MIT may not be the right school for you.</p>
<p>^ ^ ^ ^</p>
<p>That's well said!</p>
<p>But it's not necessarily about seeking out the academic stuff that your school lacks in research or community college; your passion is your passion and may or may not be strictly academic. Just don't squander your time doing meaningless things. :)</p>
<p>But no, you won't be penalized if your school offers no AP's and you don't take any. Context is the key.</p>