Hi,
Seeing as every HS senior I’ve met gives me advice on how to get into a good college, I’ve decided to plan early. I’m a ninth grader who really wants to go to MIT. People who were rejected and people who got in (preferably people who come from a tough denomination like me), how do I get in to MIT? What did you do right and what did you do wrong? Help!
Edit: going into ninth grade this Fall
@ConfusedYouth I am a now-alumnus of MIT and the best thing I can tell you is that there is no one “way” to get into MIT. The best thing you can do is to do well in high school (i.e. high grades in challenging courses, good test scores), and find things that you enjoy and pursue them. You have a long way ahead and probably don’t need to be thinking about colleges right now - after all, I don’t think I had even heard of MIT until 10th grade.
Haha. Thanks! I don’t wanna be kicking myself in 12th grade seeing my upperclassmen and all. Thanks for the advice!
Interesting link…Not sure if this give me hope or takes it away… Thanks though!
Don’t get hung up on any one particular school, including MIT. Focus on what you want to do as a career. By turning your attention to what your career will be you will be able to discern what skills you need to pick up. At this point it is basic math and science if an engineering or science career is where you’re headed. You’ll also start to realize that MIT, or any other college, is just a means to an end. Getting into MIT or any other elite STEM college will help enhance your career but it won’t necessarily make or break it. The knowledge you gather in college and how you are able to apply it will determine how successful your career will be.
I am currently a freshman in HS… I am preparing for the elite STEM colleges. What I have heard from the seniors is that u should try to get some of the prestigious awards and start preparing for them ASAP…
@ConfusedYouth I am an MIT Educational Counselor.
One step you can take, is to identify your Educational Counselor early in the process. Although you cannot interview early, some Educational Counselors may be willing to answer your questions. Or write directly to the Admissions office. But sure to ask questions that cannot be answered from MIT’s detailed website!
IF math is your joy, Find a math club and take the AMC 10 and AMC 12 exams. That could qualify you for other math teams and advanced math contests. Develop a list of colleges once you see what your strengths are after two years of high school. So, for instance if you score higher on English than Math standardized tests, and enjoy history, English, social sciences, consider including liberal arts colleges, and start to research those. MIT does offer strong programs in many humanities and social sciences. If you do very well in science and math, consider what other technical schools might round out your college list.
To learn more about MIT and your fit to the campus and student body, talk to alumni like your Educational Counselor and read the on line MIT blogs.
Visit the MIT campus if you can, and make sure you like the urban campus and environment in Cambridge. Being familiar with campus, may help you with your MIT interview a little bit although visiting is entirely optional. The interview is key for admission, read about it and sign up as early as possible, in your senior year, that usually leads to a slightly better interview as the Educational Counselor is fresh,and not tired out, as he/she may be if you wait til the last second (last week of December ) to schedule your interview.
Look over the OPTIONAL portfolio projects for the MIT application, which could be music, art or a techy maker type of project and think about if any of that interests you, and what sort of project would express your strong interests to the Admissions Office.
@appleisbetter While that can show initiative and potential, it is far from the only way. Many of my classmates did not have national or international awards.