***Official MIT RD Results/Discussion Class of 2021***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
41

[QUOTE=""]
Such a shame MIT only accepted female applicants. It shows how gender discrimination is still at large

[/QUOTE]

That is, of course, patently untrue. MIT’s statistics show they enrolled about 600 men in the class of 2020. Campus photographs show plenty of men.

Is this the kind of conclusion you draw given the evidence? What do you think this says about your ability to do science? And do you have the courage to go to RPIs president (assuming you go there) and tell her that you think her PhD from MIT is unearned and she got it through gender discrimination? (I would not recommend that)

You might want to rethink that.

42

@MITPhysicsAlum @myfuture09 I agree, especially in the fact that the more relevant response would be to self improve, strive to be a better applicant (though you won’t apply again, you get the point)
However, I don’t think the commenter (it’s a word now) of “gender discrimination” means to say that female admits didn’t earn it (if he/she means this I disagree strongly) but rather that they deserve it to a lesser degree than some other male applicants. This, I think, we can argue. Some may also argue that these comparisons are shades of grey.
It’s essential that we represent all positions accurately, and be empathetic to all situations, and consider that sometimes harsh language can come from bitterness and not logic. There’s no need to question someone’s ability/love/interest in science due to a few words they said behind an internet barrier in a perhaps bitter time.

To be clear: MIT did not accept “only female applicants”
also
I recommend those rejected use it as fuel for future successes.

43

[QUOTE=""]

“MIT only accepts women”
Also >“Girls deserve their admission to MIT less than men”
Also > “Affirmative action is the reason I didn’t get in” (I know no one has said that yet but I had to address it beforehand lol)

[/QUOTE]

But reading a lot of people’s applications, especially @ManaManaWegi , I should note that US citizenship plays a large role. Being considered an international applicant cleaves away at your acceptance rate.

If I didn’t have dual citizenship, I’d be rejexted in a heartbeat

44

Does anyone who was accepted know when financial aid is released? My portal says I need to complete something called the MIT Student Information Review Form. Thanks

45

@sweatearl I don’t understand what you’re saying, can you rephrase?

46

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

ACT superscore (breakdown): 35 (35E, 36M, 35R, 35S, 24W)
SAT II (subject, score): Math II - 800, Physics - 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.28
Weighted GPA: 4.982
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/282
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 (Stats, Calc AB, Lang, Comp Sci), 4 (APUSH, Physics 1, Physics C), 3 (Gov)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Studio Art, Technical Drawing & Design IV Honors, Econ
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): 2 X National Finalist: Verizon Innovative App Challenge, Shapeways 3D Printing Challenge National Finalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Some local STEM contest awards, honor roll (btw I wasn’t even commended for the PSAT lol)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Techmates (President), Bharathanatyam, Carnatic Violin, Varsity Tennis (all 4 years), Computer Club (founder), Science Olympiad, FRC
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring year-round, Development internship at Hyland Software
Volunteer/Community Service: STEM for Seniors (go to nursing homes and teach the elderly about technology)
Summer Experience: Took 2 classes at Carnegie Mellon in programming and audio engineering and earned 2 As, summer internships, travelling

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays:
For Fun - Drawing (10/10)
Department - EECS (9/10)
Community - STEM Volunteer group founding (8/10)
World You Come From - stereotypical brown and American essay (7/10)
Challenge - tennis probs (7/10)
Culture - bharatanatyam (8/10)

Teacher Recommendation #1: English Teacher: Pretty good; themed around me being a renaissance woman (8/10)
Teacher Recommendation #2: Engineering Teacher: Amazing (10/10)
Counselor Rec: She loves me (10/10)
Additional Info/Rec: Mentor from my summer internship (7/10)
Interview: Alright; he was kind of an awkward dude
Art Supplement: yes; alright but had a ton of different mediums
Maker Supplement: yes; submitted a bunch of stuff including a smart mirror I made

Other

Date Submitted App: October 31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Ohio
School Type: Normal Public (usually send a couple people to top schools each year though)
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: > 110k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): girl in STEM

Reflection

Strengths: Maker Portfolio, Essays, Teacher Recs, GPA
Weaknesses: test scores, being Asian
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my passion for what I do really shined through :slight_smile: And, I’m a girl so…
What would you have done differently?: Absolutely nothing
Where else did you apply?
Accepted - UC Berkeley, Cornell (likely), UCLA (likely), UIUC, OSU
Waiting - Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, Carnegie Mellon, UMich (deferred EA lol)
Rejected - none so far

**Other Factors: **
Nothing else really special about me tbh

General Comments & Advice:
Honestly, just do what you like in life to the best of your ability and get the best grades possible. Can’t believe that I got in at all compared to the other applicants here. Shows you that luck is definitely involved!

47

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):1440
ACT (breakdown):34 Superscore 35
SAT II:Math 2 - 760 Chem - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 of 99
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 4 honors 1 college course
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Quiz Bowl, Quiz bowl All League, Spanish National Honors Society, High School Tech Team, Beta Tester for Readit app

48

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): 34C: 35M/35E/31R/34S
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): 800 M2, 800 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Not sure
Weighted GPA: 5.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/770
AP (place score in parentheses): CHEM-5 APUSH-5 APWH-5 STATISTICS-4
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP PHYSICS, AP CALCULUS BC, AP LANGUAGE, AP MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS, HONORS GOVERNMENT, MUSIC APPRECIATION
Number of other EA applicants in your school: Probably none
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar, 10th place in a structural competition, honor roll, winner of a how i survived freshman yr contest, etc.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): math team from soph to senior yr, treasurer of future business leaders of America from junior to senior yr, president of an engineering club, and technician for national honors society
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: I was a teacher’s assistant for two summers at different places and I partook in key club events
Summer Experience: had a political internship in the summer of junior year and as stated above, teacher’s assistant

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: 9/10;
I can’t find where the heck I put my final supplements. In my opinion, they were good ideas but the execution could’ve been better. Thinking back, I was really honest in the supplements I wrote because I honestly believed I didn’t have a chance.

Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 He loves me and really wanted me to get into MIT :slight_smile:
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8/10 I asked him last minute because I had found out very late that we needed a rec from a humanities teacher and STEM teacher… I had originally planned to use my chem teacher’s rec and my calculus teacher’s rec.
Counselor Rec: 8/10 Very generic, I glimpsed at it when my counsellor asked me to check if she had made a mistake. She called me an “academic powerhouse,” but 80% of the applicants that applied to MIT are academic powerhouses.
Additional Info/Rec: None
Interview: My interviewer looked SO bored of whatever I was saying. I was 100% sure I had bombed the interview and I’m pretty sure he didn’t think I was suited for MIT. He constantly corrected me about random things and that day, I was shell-shocked because I was confident I had ruined my chances. My intuition told me he wrote an average report on me because I certainly wasn’t very impressed with myself either. I did bring my art pieces to show him but he still looked bored. I did crack jokes here and there but he didn’t laugh so.
Art Supplement:

Other

Date Submitted App: Probably like a day before the deadline
U.S. State/Territory or Country: New York
School Type: Large public school that’s actually pretty bad
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Middle class, 80k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): I’m a Chinese female that genuinely loves STEM… First generation student and I really went in depth with the problems that came with being an ABC in America.

Reflection

Strengths: My essays were strong, I guess since I’m pretty sure they’re part of the reason why I got in. Scores and GPA, but then again, 80% of the applicants meet the academic requirements. My passion for STEM must’ve shown through in my essays.
Weaknesses: Not enough ECs, two of my recs weren’t stellar, the interviewer wasn’t impressed with me at all. Some of my supplements could’ve been executed better. I think my, “why this major,” supplement was utter trash.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?: If given the opportunity, I would’ve prepped for the interview more. I really wish my interviewer liked me more and although I’m sure he doesn’t necessarily hate me, I have a strong feeling he was rather surprised that I got in.
Where else did you apply? Cornell (likely letter), RPI(accepted), Caltech (Rejected), Macaulay Honors (full tuition to CUNY), JHU (waitlisted), Swarthmore (Accepted), Vanderbilt, Yale, Columbia, Lehigh, Emory

**Other Factors: **

General Comments & Advice: I feel so honored that MIT is making an investment in me by offering me a position to study at their institution. I honestly do feel like this is a mistake but MIT doesn’t make mistakes. Sometimes, I just feel the urge to email them, “are you sure? this investment is very risky…” My biggest advice is to be yourself. I’m sure it wouldn’t feel as good if MIT accepted you because you pretended to be someone else. That feeling you get when you poured your heart and soul out for a school and they listened is truly one of the best feeling on Earth. It feels like I finally was noticed by someone that I have been dreaming about for years.

49

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): 34C, 35M, 35E, 34S, 31R
ACT superscore (breakdown): one sitting ^
SAT II (subject, score): 800CHEM, 800M2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): not sure
Weighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/770
AP (place score in parentheses): CHEM-5, APUSH-5, APWH-5, STATISTICS-4
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP calculus bc, AP physics, AP Language, AP micro/macro economics, honors government, required music
Number of other EA applicants in your school: none
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): some general stuff and awards in school

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): usually a starter for math team for 3 years, treasurer of a business club for 2 yrs, president of an engineering club, technician for national honors society for 2 yrs
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: participated in numerous volunteer events such as walks, was also teacher’s assistant for two different locations, and I blog about issues that I believe are important.
Summer Experience: I did an internship for political figures I cared about

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: 8.5/10
good ideas, maybe poor execution. They were really honest answers because I earnestly thought I wouldn’t get in and said, “screw it.”
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 He loves me and really wanted me to get in :slight_smile:
Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10 He probably used a template since he legit wrote a recommendation for everyone… I asked him late too since I found out very late that I needed a recommendation from a humanities teacher too. I was going to ask for one from my calculus teacher/math team coach and my chemistry teacher.
Counselor Rec: 8/10; generic and actually didn’t provide much insight on me as a person and my thought process even though I wrote for her a 20 pg autobiography lol
Additional Info/Rec: none
Interview: I thought he hated me and wrote a bad report on me. Maybe he did but I doubt I would’ve gotten in if he did. I still do think he thinks I’m not suited for the school and he was very stoic. He didn’t laugh at any of my jokes and he looked SO bored of me. My interview was only 45 mins long-ish and he seemed like he wanted to stop talking to me ASAP. That day, I was shellshocked because I was so sure I had bombed my chances at MIT. I did bring things to show him, such as my art pieces, but even then, he looked bored. I’m sure he wasn’t that impressed with me and I don’t blame him because I certainly wasn’t impressed with myself that day.
Art Supplement:

Other

Date Submitted App: Probably a day before the deadline… procrastination
U.S. State/Territory or Country: New York
School Type: Large public school that’s actually pretty bad
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): I’m a Chinese female first generation student that genuinely enjoys stem, I guess.

Reflection

Strengths: Scores and gpa, but then again, I’m sure the majority of the applicants met the academic requirements. My essays were pretty good, except for the “why this major?” supplement. I was extremely honest with them and I feel like that really helped.
Weaknesses: My ECs are not that impressive, two letters of recommendations were probably not that great, I didn’t do enough things in HS and I regret it. I’m also sure that my interviewer doesn’t like me and I really wish he did because I want someone I could go to for advice.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was probably accepted because one teacher wrote me an AMAZING recommendation and because MIT really got to know who I am as a person. I didn’t BS my supplements and I was writing what I genuinely
What would you have done differently?:
Where else did you apply? Cornell (likely letter), Macaulay Honors program (Accepted) Caltech (rejected), RPI (Accepted), Swarthmore (accepted), JHU (waitlisted), Vanderbilt, Lehigh, Emory, CMU

**Other Factors: **
:slight_smile:

General Comments & Advice:
I was genuinely surprised that MIT saw something in me that I don’t quite see as of right now. I feel the need to email them and ask them if they are 100% sure they want to make this investment because I would advise against it. But jokes aside, I am truly blessed to be offered a position at this institution. I am a masochist because I can’t wait to suffer for the next 4 years. The next 4 years will be the hardest freaking years of my life but thinking about it makes me so happy.
One piece is advice is to just be honest. I poured my heart and soul out for MIT and they listened. Plus, it wouldn’t feel that great to be accepted by MIT only because you were pretending to be someone else. The feeling of shock and extreme happiness is unforgettable and I doubt I’ll ever experience it again in my lifetime, although I hope I will.

50

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2360 Superscore (Old SAT) 760 CR 800 Math 800 Writing 10 on the Essay?? (not sure)
ACT (breakdown): NA
ACT superscore (breakdown): NA
SAT II (subject, score): Math II 800, Chemistry 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parentheses):
-AP World History (5) AP Lang(5) APUSH(4) AP Chemistry(5) AP Calculus(5) AP Physics C Mechanics (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Computer Science, AP Physics 2, AP Macro&Microeconomics, Honors Advanced Calculus, Government, Spanish
Number of other EA applicants in your school: Not sure
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): NA
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, AIME Qualifier, A few minor math competition awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):Tennis, (10-12th Grade) Swim (11-12th Grade). Science Competition Club (VP) (11-12th Grade), Math competition club (10-12th Grade), Honors Society (12th Grade), Piano (Throughout High School)
Job/Work Experience:NA
Volunteer/Community Service:Peer tutoring, Honors Society
Summer Experience: NA

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: (7/10) tbh I was getting a little impatient from writing all the essays for different colleges. I really should have polished my essays for MIT more
Teacher Recommendation #1: (9/10) AP Calc Teacher. I did well in that class and I very am close to the teacher
Teacher Recommendation #2: (7/10) APUSH Teacher. Struggled at first in that class but showed progress
Counselor Rec: (6/10) public school so counsellors don’t really know the students
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: Pretty Good. My interviewer was really friendly :slight_smile:
Art Supplement: N/A

Other

Date Submitted App: Cannot remember
U.S. State/Territory or Country: OOS
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):

Reflection

Strengths: Scores and GPA
Weaknesses: Lack of major awards, essays, extra curricular
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?: Worked on the essay more. Plus better extracurricular/awards

51

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective
SAT I: M-770 CR-760 W-770 Essay-8
ACT: E-36 M-36 R-36 S-36 Essay-8/12
SAT II: Math-800 Bio-800
Unweighted GPA: 3.82 (converted, so probably not accurate)
Weighted GPA: 4.78 (converted)
Rank: 5+/291
AP: World-3 APUSH-4 Eng. Lang-5 Chem-5 Physics 1-5
IB: none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Calc BC, ASL, AP Eng. Lit, AP Microeconomics, Gov’t (my schedule was messed up)
Number of other applicants in your school: none that I know of
Major Awards : 1st in Science Olympiad event at nationals
Common Awards: AP awards, NMH finalist, high honor roll, NHS member

Subjective

Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad (7th-12th, officer), swimming (6th-10th, state qualifier), Jazz Ensemble (10th, lackluster)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: helped out at a local children’s museum weekly, spent a summer selling produce on a truck in impoverished communities
Summer Experience: self-taught some computer programming

Writing:

Essays: (6/10) I wrote about moving around a bunch when I was younger, helping a person through difficult times in their life, and my passion for science olympiad. I’d like to think I put quite a bit of effort into these but rereading them make cringe a bit. I’m not a very good writer, and I can see it clearly after setting them aside for a few months.

Teacher Recommendation #1: AP Chem (9/10) - My teacher really liked me. I was one of his best students, despite falling asleep in his class.
Teacher Recommendation #2: APUSH (6/10) - My teacher liked me, but that was all. He probably wrote a generic “good student” rec.
Counselor Rec: (7/10) I’m on good terms with my counselor, but we didn’t really know each other personally.

Interview: Lackluster. I met a very nice older lady. We talked for an hour about what I’ve done in high school and the future of AI. Looking back, I feel like I sounded like a generic student, and I was most likely a bit pretentious.

Other

Date Submitted App: 12/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NY
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: male
Income Bracket Range: ~$110,000
Hooks: nothing of note

Reflection

Strengths: science olympiad…?
Weaknesses: essays, interview, recommendations, lack of leadership, lack of work experience, ethnicity

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I didn’t really my passion for MIT shine through. It was my first choice, but I didn’t give any indication that I admired the whimsical architecture of some of the buildings, the motley assortment of clubs, or the light-hearted nature of hacks.

What would you have done differently?: If I could redo one thing, it would be my interview (see above), even though it probably had the least amount of impact on my decision. I also wish I had written my essays, put them aside for a few weeks, and come back to them later.

Where else did you apply?:
Accepted: SUNY Stony Brook, University of Rochester, UCLA
Rejected: Caltech
Pending: Berkeley, CMU, Cornell Stanford

**Other Factors: ** nothing of note

General Comments & Advice: If you ever get an interview, show your passion for the university and the field you’re vying for. On the other hand, let your essays show who you are. If you think a particular university is the best possible fit for you, the committee reviewing you application will see it. The number of academically qualified students is maybe 90% of applicants. The 4% that are admitted have the passion and personality that fits the campus (as deemed by the admissions committee).

52

Burrito, your argument that girls have 116% better chance to get in MIT is completely flawed. MIT is looking for the best fit and best students to change the world. The females pool applying to Engineering schools are already more excellent than males. 13% of females are equivalent or even better than 6% of males. I know a girl is accepted by MIT this year, she has perfect SAT score all 800, every single sections and subjects, publishing research papers, kick all boys ass in AP physics c and math class, excellent club leaders and dancer, her peers got in MIT are Regeneron and ISEF winners. Girls competed well steel on steel, hand to hand against boys. She does not go to sleep until 2am everyday 365 days a year, last 3.5 years. Many boys indulge in video games on the other hand. If you can’t do the grit, stop complaining. Let me give you a bit warning and advice, buddy, your ass will be kicked by your wife when you are married, if you are lucky to find a wife. - A retired engineer.

53

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective
SAT I: M-770 CR-760 W-770 Essay-8
ACT: E-36 M-36 R-36 S-36 Essay-8/12
SAT II: Math-800 Bio-800
Unweighted GPA: 3.82 (converted, so probably not accurate)
Weighted GPA: 4.78 (converted)
Rank: 5+/291
AP: World-3 APUSH-4 Eng. Lang-5 Chem-5 Physics 1-5
IB: none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Calc BC, ASL, AP Eng. Lit, AP Micro, Gov’t (my schedule was messed up)
Number of other applicants in your school: none that I know of
Major Awards : 1st in Science Olympiad event at nationals
Common Awards: AP awards, NMH finalist, high honor roll, NHS member

Subjective

Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad (7th-12th, officer), swimming (6th-10th, state qualifier), Jazz Ensemble (10th, lackluster)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: helped out at a local children’s museum weekly, spent a summer selling produce on a truck in impoverished communities
Summer Experience: self-taught some computer programming

Writing:

Essays: (6/10) I wrote about moving around a bunch when I was younger, helping a person through difficult times in their life, and my passion for science olympiad. I’d like to think I put quite a bit of effort into these but rereading them make cringe a bit. I’m not a very good writer, and I can see it clearly after setting them aside for a few months.

Teacher Recommendation #1: AP Chem (9/10) - My teacher really liked me. I was one of his best students, despite falling asleep in his class.
Teacher Recommendation #2: APUSH (6/10) - My teacher liked me, but that was all. He probably wrote a generic “good student” rec.
Counselor Rec: (7/10) I’m on good terms with my counselor, but we didn’t really know each other personally.

Interview: Lackluster. I met a very nice older lady. We talked for an hour about what I’ve done in high school and the future of AI. Looking back, I feel like I sounded like a generic student, and I was most likely a bit pretentious.

Other

Date Submitted App: 12/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NY
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: male
Income Bracket Range: ~$110,000
Hooks: nothing of note

Reflection

Strengths: science olympiad…?
Weaknesses: essays, interview, recommendations, lack of leadership, lack of work experience, ethnicity

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I didn’t really my passion for MIT shine through. It was my first choice, but I didn’t give any indication that I admired the whimsical architecture of some of the buildings, the motley assortment of clubs, or the light-hearted nature of hacks.

What would you have done differently?: If I could redo one thing, it would be my interview (see above), even though it probably had the least amount of impact on my decision. I also wish I had written my essays, put them aside for a few weeks, and come back to them later.

Where else did you apply?:
Accepted: SUNY Stony Brook, University of Rochester, UCLA
Rejected: Caltech
Pending: Berkeley, CMU, Cornell Stanford

**Other Factors: ** nothing of note

General Comments & Advice: If you ever get an interview, show your passion for the university and the field you’re vying for. On the other hand, let your essays show who you are. If you think a particular university is the best possible fit for you, the committee reviewing you application will see it. The number of academically qualified students is maybe 90% of applicants. The 4% that are admitted have the passion and personality that fits the campus (as deemed by the admissions committee).

54

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): took it three times 31, 31, 32
ACT superscore (breakdown): 33 (35E, 33M, 30R, 33S)
SAT II (subject, score): Math II (800) and Chem (780)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Weighted GPA: 4.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3rd / 543
AP (place score in parentheses): Psych(5), Stat(5), CalcBC(5), Lang(4), Bio(4)
IB (place score in parentheses): Chem(5), Spanish(5) (both of these were one point from a 6 and to this day it still bothers me)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Math HL, IB Psych HL, IB English HL, IB Physics HL, AP Micro/Macro, Studio Art
Number of other EA applicants in your school: Don’t really know
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Deca State Qualifier in PFL, Junior Escort (honor at my school), NHS, NEHS, National Spanish Honor Society, Academic Achievement Award (a glorified honor roll)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): IB Mentors and Link Leaders (tutored freshman and stuff), Cross Country (JV not that good), Ultimate Frisbee ( Co-founded the club senior year as a CAS Project), Ethiopian Cultural club member.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Lots of Volunteering through clubs. IB CAS
Summer Experience: Interned at the Auschwitz Medical Campus in the summers after my Sophomore and Junior year

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: 9/10 I felt pretty confident, but I rushed them.

Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 Math Teacher. Funny, Ih have a really good and have known him since freshman year.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 10/10 IB English teacher, really good as well. I’ve only known him since junior year but he was a great teacher.
Counselor Rec: 9/10 Don’t really know him that well but I’ve read his draft LoRs and they were suprisingly really good.
Additional Info/Rec: 9/10 Had a letter of rec from a research doctor I interned under during my the summer before my junior year.
Interview: 9/10 Interview was great. It might have been the best interview I’ve done.
Art Supplement: submitted 10/10 pieces. ( I felt maybe 7-8 of them were pretty good)

Other

Date Submitted App: 1/1/17
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Colorado, US (Was born in Ethiopia)
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Black (Ethiopian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: ~90k (didn’t always make that much)
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): First Generation, URM,

Reflection

Strengths: URM (definitely), First Gen, Art Supplement (I thought it was good), Letters of Rec, Internship
Weaknesses: Scores(I think i could have done better on the ACT, but my parents capped me at three attempts)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably accepted because of my unique background as an URM, I think my Art Supplement also helped me stand out I guess.
What would you have done differently?: Probably done more ECs (not as a resume buffer but because I honestly feel like I wasted my time in high school by not doing as many ECs)
Where else did you apply? Stanford(unknown), Princeton(accepted), Columbia,

**Other Factors: **

**General Comments & Advice: **

55

I should be studying for finals, but I’m bored af. Filling this for my brother who got in last week!!! Lol, I was gonna post this sooner.

**Decision: Accepted!!! **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): Didn’t take

SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):

ACT (breakdown): 36 composite, one sitting. (35 W, 36 everything else) I think he got 11 on the essay, i’m not sure though.

ACT superscore (breakdown): Check above

SAT II (subject, score): 800 math 2, 800 physics, 800 biology E, 800 chemistry

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0

Weighted GPA: 5.0 I’m not sure, I think it was the same as mine

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/127

AP (place score in parentheses): NA

IB (place score in parentheses): HL math, physics, biology, english. SL spanish and chemistry. School only allows a max of 4 high level classes. It’d be suicidal to take more anyway!!!

Senior Year Course Load: All the IB classes above, plus psychology and 20th century history.

Number of other EA applicants in your school: No clue

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None

Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): All the awards offered by the school (honor roll, science and math awards, best athlete, best overall student)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars
Varsity Soccer Captain (9-12th grade): State and national champions junior and senior year
Varsity Tennis Captain (9-12th grade) National champions junior year
Varsity Volleyball (9-12th grade) Never won states nor nationals
Student Council President (previously class president 9-11th grade)
NHS president
Hispanic Honor Society
Mathletes captain (National champions 3/4 years of high school)

Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: ACT tutoring, not much really.
Summer Experience: Freshmen and sophomore summers he went to a soccer camp in Europe. This past summer, we did a little bit of traveling before I left for school, nothing college worthy tbh.

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays:
He wrote about sports and performing under pressure so many times and how that’s made him the person he is today. It sounds really boring, but it was an extended metaphor that worked.
Teacher Recommendation #1: IB math teacher (9/10). She knows my brother really well and he’s her best student. He said it was good.
Teacher Recommendation #2: IB spanish teacher (8/10). He said it was good, but boarding generic.
Counselor Rec: (10/10). It provided a lot of insight on who he is as a student and a person.
Additional Info/Rec: Soccer coach. Glowing rec.
Interview: NA
Art Supplement: I think my brother can’t even hold a brush.

Other

Date Submitted App: 31/12/16
U.S. State/Territory or Country: International
School Type: International
Ethnicity: White-hispanic
Gender: XY
Income Bracket Range: Doesn’t qualify for aid
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None

Reflection

Strengths: ACT score, GPA, SATs2, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Barely any volunteer work, no research, no major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because my brother is awesome, a smart athlete and a literal genius. I guess he had a good balance between sports and science.
What would you have done differently?: lol, he got in, so I guess nothing.
Where else did you apply?Accepted early at Harvard, still waiting on Stanford, Princeton and Yale

**Other Factors: **

General Comments & Advice:
Just find what you love and do it!
Still, I hope he gets into heaven on Earth (Stanford)

56

@Maggallina They are lucky to have you as a student. You need to turn that mentality around. Congrats. Now quit thinking they did you a favor, and decide if that is where you want to go! :slight_smile:

57

@hopeyhippie Thanks so much for your kind words, especially at a time where doubt is rampant! I know I shouldn’t think like a cynical old man but I just can’t help it! Jokes aside, I think MIT is the one for me. It’s my first time falling in love so deeply… Haha

58

[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:[/b
]
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1570
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800 Math, 770 Reading/Writing (essay unknown)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36M, 35R, 35W, 36S)
ACT superscore (breakdown): One sitting
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 800 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/360
AP (place score in parentheses): Statistics(5), Chemistry(5), Government(5), Physics 1(5), Spanish(5), Lang and Comp(5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science A, AP Biology, AP BC Calculus, AP Psychology, AP Literature and Composition, Engineering II (Through the University of Cincinnati), AP Physics 2
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with distinction, Academic Team player of the year, Top Student award for essentially every subject (Math, English, Band, Engineering, Spanish, Social Studies, Science). National Merit Finalist. M3 Challenge Honorable Mention.

[ b]Subjective:**

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Varsity Tennis (9-12) *State qualifier
Club Tennis (9-12) *Top 50 rank in the midwest, regularly play against national champions that go to the same club
Math Team (9-12) *4 year starter, Captain
Academic Quiz Team (10-12) *3 year starter, Captain, player of the year
Mock Trial (12) *State qualifier
Jazz Band (9-10) *1st chair alto saxophone

Job/Work Experience: nada
Volunteer/Community Service:
Student aided in a class for struggling math students aged 6-12 through a school district summer school program. Also logged about 50 hours volunteering at the local food pantry.

Summer Experience: Tennis summer camp (20 hours of combined fitness/outdoor play per week). Traveled to Europe for a couple weeks.

[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):**

Essays: One of the biggest regrets that I had over my Stanford application was that the essays, however polished, didn’t really allow my personality to come across. I decided to take a different approach for MIT. With these, for the most part I felt that I was really genuine. (8/10)

Teacher Recommendation #1: (10/10) First rec was from my government teacher. I was one of her favorite students (she always brags to other teachers that I didn’t get a 100 on her exam), and she clearly was determined to single-handedly get me into MIT haha
Teacher Recommendation #2: (9/10) Second rec was my Engineering/Computer Science teacher. He knew me extremely well after 3 years of after school projects so he had a lot of material to make the rec really personalized.
Counselor Rec: (9/10) He was my algebra teacher and the coach of the quiz team before becoming my counselor, so to put it mildly he knew me extremely well.
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: Overall it went well, but it was by no means outstanding. My interviewer brought her son along because she had to shuttle him to lacrosse practice, so the interview had a 45 minute timeframe. All in all, it felt rushed.
Art Supplement:

[ b]Other**

Date Submitted App: 12/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: OH
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths: GPA, scores, EC
Weaknesses: No research, some lackluster moments in essays, generic interview.
Why you think you were rejected? No hooks. I honestly feel like with these elite schools the admissions officers look to those to tier applicants.
What would you have done differently?: Done research. As strange as it sounds, I probably fell into a certain applicant archetype (the studies all the time, perfect SAT score people). Research and the corresponding rec would have done a great deal to separate me from the pack.
Where else did you apply? Stanford, UIUC, Georgia Tech, UMich

[ b]Other Factors: **

[ b]General Comments & Advice:**
I won’t lie, this rejection stung worse than I could have imagined. For me, blanks for ECs and classes couldn’t paint the whole picture. Over the past 3 years, I’ve nearly single-handedly carried my school to victories in Quiz Team, Math Team, Science Bowl, and tennis. (For example, I recently scored 70 of the 83 points our five person team earned at a math bowl). As petty as it sounds, I was almost looking to this decision as validation for all of that unrecognized achievement. I digress. Admissions are a crapshoot, my advice is to try to maximize your odds. Either be born with or work toward a hook (one that admissions officers can actually see in the process.)

59

If any admit is sitting on the fence about enrolling at MIT, please post your reservations here. Current students or alums might be able to help you sort out the issues and arrive at a correct decision. MIT is a fantastic place, as close to perfection as is possible for the right kind of student. I urge admits to think hard before passing up the chance to be a member of this wonderful community.