Prospective MIT student

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>Hello everyone, I'm currently in the last weeks of my second year of high school, and I've been thinking about MIT for a substantial amount of time( Heck, my Mom got me a MIT Biochemistry brochure when I was like 2 years old.). I wanted to ask if my current plans seem 'good' enough for MIT. Anything you think should be done? Just comment.</p>

<p>Current:
I'm a home schooled 10th grader that has an obsession with physics and science. I use OCW for my Physics and Chemistry class( 8.01, and 3.091), just finished Algebra 2 with infinite series, working on a ACT, and SAT prep book(Sorry, I never took the PSAT or one of the prep test yet.), I studied World History too. I spend around 5 hours a day excluding Sundays for schoolwork.</p>

<p>Extracurricular:
I'm a student pilot; My Father is a pilot since 1981, so I learned many concepts extremely young.</p>

<p>Avid amateur astronomer; I have a 6" Newtonian-Reflector scope, and I go out almost every day as long as weather permits. I usually use HORIZONS and Stellarium for any data or relative positions.</p>

<p>I build, and fix computers, do a lot of networking, and network security(WiFi mostly). I just started on programming( I use Python, and 6.00 from OCW helps a lot with it.). </p>

<p>I work on aircraft with my Father extensively during the summer, and definitely going after an A&P licence. Maybe get a SpaceTec certification as well. </p>

<p>I extensively study fluid dynamics at an undergraduate level</p>

<p>Studying concepts of particle physics and basic quantum mechanics is my joy.</p>

<p>Sub-extracurricular</p>

<p>I Love making/sharing science puns, mostly from xkcd.com</p>

<p>Joke about DHMO</p>

<p>My future plan for 11th grade:</p>

<p>Take SAT, and get good scores
Take ACT, and get good scores
Enroll in Dual-Enrollment at a local community college
-Take a Astronomy course, Chemistry and History
My Dad is extremely fluent in Greek, so I'm going to study Greek for my last two years( And most likely beyond)
Do pre-calculus with Trigonometry
Most likely start on making a CO2 laser
I have a bunch of English textbooks from a friend that graduated college, so I'll use them.
At FAU , they have this ESP( Kind of like RSI) for Florida students. I want to do Ocean Engineering or Computer Science during the summer program they're having. </p>

<p>12th grade:
Take SAT, and ACT again.
DE at PBSC, and take a Physics and Calculus class
Study more Greek
And just continue my extracurricular stuff. Hopefully buy a new telescope from Meade.
Hopefully do a pre-undergraduate project in astronomy.
Apply to MIT via MyMIT
And hopefully get admitted to start a physics degree.</p>

<p>I'm definitely planning on meeting with an EC for an interview, and I'm hopefully going to go for an overnight stay at the campus to see what MIT is like.</p>

<p>Thanks,
sudo</p>

2

<p>Oh, and take the SAT Physics, and Math level II.</p>

3

<p>I don’t know if you’ll make it. Maybe, but unlikely…There isn’t quite enough rigor. I have a few buddies who got 5s on every single AP exam, and hold perfect scores on ACTs and SATs. They, combined, raised over 2.3 million for Aids research, and spent it all blending the cash up, and injecting it into the subjects blood stream (the widely assumed cure). The problem was that they were HOMESCHOOLED, and had no social skills :/</p>

<p>Lol jk, great stats</p>

4

<p>You have a lot of passions, and I’ve read everywhere that many colleges like that.
I am personally having trouble finding my passions. I love the outdoors, and I help out in a few service projects a year. I am really interested in public health, and staying fit…I love to read journals on stuff like that…But besides just telling people interesting facts and staying fit myself, there isn’t a ton of things that I can do…But I’m seriously looking into it.</p>

5

<p>haha, “The problem was that they were HOMESCHOOLED, and had no social skills :/”
lmao</p>

<p>Thanks Evan,
good luck to you.</p>

6

<p>Participate in Olympiads at your local public HS and get semifinalist recognition at least. Apply to summer programs or spend your summer doing something extraordinary. Those are some ways to improve your chances.Good luck!</p>

7

<p>Thanks, I’ll look into that. Maybe make some calls, and etc.</p>

<p>‘Edit’</p>

<p>I did SECME, I thought of mathematics for second when you said ‘Olympiads’</p>

<p>We got 3rd place when I was in 9th grade.</p>

8

<p>Anyone who went to MIT, or recently got in? What was your application like?
Also anyone who was rejected(sadly), what did you think was a contributing factor of that decision? </p>

<p>Interviews too, anything. I’ve looked and found such things, but the newest class has the ‘closest’ idea to what it really is like. </p>

<p>-Thanks</p>

9

<p>your curriculum sounds really cool to me, and if you can get far with sat’s and act’s while pursuing your passions, you’ll definitely get in. BUT, you should show your passion with great success. If you really enjoy astronomy, or aeronautics, you should look into doing a research project over the summer with a professor and submitting that into competitions like Siemens, or Intel STS when you’re a senior. And if you enjoy other subjects, you should get involved competitively with Olympiads (AMC/AIME/USAMO, USAPhO, USNCO, USACO). if you get far in any of them, you should be proud and have a better chance at MIT. But don’t forget, they’re not just looking at your talent, but your match with MIT. Getting involved in math and science will show how much more of a match you are of MIT’s scientific culture, but personally (through essays), you have to show how much of a match you are of MIT’s communal culture.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

10

<p>You definitely have a great shot! You have substantial extracurricular activities in fields relating to majors at MIT, you have shown your passion and thirst for knowledge, try and add a few awards to your application and make sure your essays show excitement for particular programs at MIT, and the best of luck to you lol. Applying for aerospace engineering could be beneficial, too. :)</p>

11

<p>^^^ “Applying for aerospace engineering could be beneficial, too.”</p>

<p>Unless MIT has changed recently, admission is to the college and the department doesn’t matter. They may ask what department you are interested in, but it has no bearing on admissions, just an FYI question.</p>

12

<p>^ I suspect that was said because the prospective student is interested in planes. I am also a pilot, but I when I applied I said I was interested in biological engineering (I am now doing EECS). Having different academic and extracurricular interests is not harmful :)</p>

13

<p>I know only 2 homeschooled kids. One won the national spelling bee and Intel Talent search. He got into MIT and Harvard. He is going to Harvard for a math major. The other only studied and played tennis. She is going to Stanford as a recruit</p>

14

<p>gethenian, I was thinking of a CubeSAT with some a small radio payload. Since it was such an expensive idea, I never went into any further research. Being able to receive radio signals from Voyager 1 would be the purpose, but the required equipment probably will be too large to be supported by a CubeSAT. </p>

<p>Here’s the site anyways; [CubeSat</a> Kit Home](<a href=“http://www.cubesatkit.com/]CubeSat”>http://www.cubesatkit.com/)</p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into ISEF, and STS.</p>

15

<p>haha we share a similar passion for making science/math puns haha</p>

16

<p>haha, they’re awesome. </p>

<p>“My wheels got spin, but they’re not integer.”</p>

<p>I was riding my bike and thought of those silly gangster quotes about their rims, or whatever. So I made a Particle Physics pun (Explanation: Since bosons have integer spin, and fermions don’t.)</p>

17

<p>Thanks everyone, at least I have a better idea of my position. </p>

<p>I appreciate it,
sudo</p>

18

<p>

Check out the decisions thread stickied at the top of the forum – it contains profiles from a number of students who applied to MIT this year on CC. Also, the decisions threads from the last several years are linked in the first post of the FAQ, which is also stickied.</p>

<p>Those threads will give you an idea of the kinds of students who are accepted by MIT, although of course there are no hard and fast rules.</p>