[RD] Please chance an Asian female with LOW SAT scores...!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>hello :)</p>

<p>SAT I: cr660, m740, w680 (2080)
SAT II: Math II 780, Bio 700, US History 570, Physics 600
(taking bio history physics again in january, gonna ask MIT to accept them)
GPA/rank: 4.3 weighted/top 10%
it's weird- my freshman gpa was 3.6, but it was from korea so my counselor didnt add any honors status. then sophomore 4.33 junior 4.8 (both weighted)
TOEFL: 105
AP: Calculus ab (5) -> I was the only junior in a class of 17 other seniors..and the only one to get a 5 lol do you get the picture of my school?
I'm learning calculus bc by myself this year, since there is no more math course available at my HS. and it definitely sucks........... :(</p>

<p>senior year courseload
AP English Lit
AP Euro History
AP Bio
AP Physics
Spanish honors
gym, electives, etc </p>

<p>ethnicity/gender/school: korean/female/ small, sends 1-2 students to ivy league each year
intended major: chemical engineering or neuroscience.</p>

<p>I'm a recent immigrant (came to the US 2.5 years ago..) and no, I don't hv permanent residency so I guess I'll be considered as an international applicant.</p>

<p>family income: less than 10,000 a year. My mother and I pretty much are the breadwinners in my family.. my younger sister desperately needs to have another surgery soon (she was born with deformed facial features: cleft palate), and my father's been laid off because he's becoming blind. I'm using fee waivers for all the applications I'm sending in. it's one of the reasons that I'm applying to MIT and other top schools that hv generous FA. I must get accepted to college with a full ride (which doesn't often happen to internationals at other relatively less competitive universities..) otherwise I cannot expect to have any further education at this point. </p>

<p>activities, honors, awards:</p>

<p>Rensselaer Medalist
Columbia University Science Honors Program
NJ Bergen County Junior Commission on the Status of Women
NJ Bergen County Chorus
NJ Governor's School in the Sciences Finalist
NJ STARS nominee
NJ Bloustein Distinguished Scholar
Nordstrom Scholarship Finalist
Certification of merit from the society of women engineers
Commendation from NJ legislature for volunteerism
Nominee for the Tomorrow25 Leadership Competition (by Time magazine)
National Honor Society
National Spanish Honor Society
Student of the Month Award
FIRST Robotics Team- 3D captain, won an award for animation at regionals.
Math Team- Captain;merit awards from various math leagues, competitions.
Classical Guitar Club- Founder and President
Academic Decathlon- various medals at regionals, including 2 gold medals
School's Select Choir- Alto I section leader, pianist of the choir
Library Council- president
Rowan University Summer Institute in Materials Science</p>

<p>Jobs: tutoring, and I'm helping out my school's yearbook business staff</p>

<p>Hooks: I used to live abroad in many countries due to my dad's business, but something really horrible happened in my eighth grade and we've been poor ever since. Thus I'm fluent in four languages other than korean and english.
other than that..I've been serving as the school's pianist even though I do not own a piano anymore. sent in some piano solo works.</p>

<p>essay: wrote about my family; especially about my sister's stigma.
recommendations: a fascinating one from my AP calc teacher that seriously made me cry while reading, and another great one from my AP euro teacher. the one from my guidance counselor is also very excellent...my counselor stressed that I would have been a valedictorian for sure had my circumstances been less dramatic (moving from place to place, etc)</p>

<p>and I know my SAT scores are horrible compared to other Asian applicants...
but it's been hard for me to raise those scores up, especially when a prep book costs like 20 bucks each and i couldnt get an opportunity to study hardcore on just the SATs while having to make a living for both me and my family.</p>

<p>so.......do I have a chance?</p>

2

<p>Is this a joke? Your SATs need to be at least 2390, and your unweighted GPA a 4.5 to even have a 1% chance at MIT. </p>

<p>At this rate it doesn't even look like you stand a chance at the community college. </p>

<p>(Obviously I'm kidding, if those really are you stats then you probably have a 20%+ chance. And you're counselor is wrong, you don't have to be a valedictorian under any circumstances. In fact, it's difficult to say that being valedictorian helps all that much. But either way, your chances are probably quite high, although the elite schools are unpredictable. Btw, how did you manage to win 9 zillion awards if you have to work to feed your family?)</p>

3

<p>you have such a special case that predicting your chances lies beyond the abilities of most CC users. since i first got to read this forum, ive gotten so used to predicting for normal cases with extraordinary ECs, great scores, good collection of awards, and upper-middle-class background. though i know that MIT will really value the obstacles you have come through and the resiliency you've shown, i really dont know (chance-wise) how colleges would treat special cases like yours.
best of luck.</p>

4

<p>I think we can safely say >20%</p>

5

<p>She has a pretty good record, but she is an international student.</p>

6

<p>thx for the comments, guys. :)</p>

<p>Forgive my ignorance, but I've been hearing this since like years ago.
Is it true that MIT sets a certain quota in terms of gender?
if it is true, then how does the student population consist of almost 5:5 ratio of men and women?</p>

7

<p>There is no gender quota. The female applicant pool is smaller but more self-selecting according to the MIT adcoms. There is on the other hand an international applicant quota of around 8%. You will be competing against other international applicants not US applicants even though you live in the US. Acceptance rate has hovered around 5% (100 admissions for 2,000 applicants over the past few years) and it is therefore not relevant to apply criteria used for US applicants to assess chances of admission. More than likely you will be competing against other Korean applicants as MIT only picks a few internationals per country and strives for diversity.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
Is it true that MIT sets a certain quota in terms of gender?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No.</p>

<p>People may wank endlessly about whether there's any sort of gender-based advantage, but there is no quota.</p>

9

<p>Well, I hope you get in.</p>

10

<p>If you would have written compellin essays.. You might have a good shot.. keeping in mind your unusual circumstances.. All the best!!</p>

11

<p>You don't have to submit your SAT 1 scores right?</p>

12

<p>I dindt check, but I think MIT will technically take ACT scores with no SAT I scores. However, they do require SAT II scores, and I'm afrai that when you submit the II scores, you also submit the I scores. CollegeBoard doesn't allow you to send them separately. All SAT testing results (both I and II) will be sent to any instituation you apply to that requires one or the other.</p>

13

<p>But MIT always considers the scores that place you in the best light.</p>

<p>I think you have a VERY good chance. I think MIT will place a lot of weight on your unique situation and how well you seem to have coped with it. Good luck, in any case; nobody ever knows for sure.</p>

14

<p>thanks for all the comments/advices.
would anyone care to share and read the application essay?
please PM me if you're interested.</p>

15

<p>yeah i'll read it. PM ing now</p>

16

<p>wondering - I'm in IB, so that basically means that my IB bio course is divided into two years (11th molecular, 12th physiology/ecology). I took the sat subject test in june of junior year, but i didn't really study and i got a 710. Now that's ok, right? I didn't wanna take it again - too lazy - i justified not taking it again cause i knew that the curve for bio is pretty difficult. atleast that's what I realized when looking at some of the practice exams. What do you guys think? My math 2 score was fine..770 eh..but whatever it's above a 750.</p>

<p>I know everything's over and there's nothing i can do about it but just wondering...</p>

17

<p>Don’t get your hopes down, you got a great shot. And trust me, those SATs scores are well above average, even for an Asian.</p>

18

<p>Are you retared, OP? you’re an international, so your SAT scores are not expected to be as high as native Asian American type students. Nevertheless, it’s still competitive, and I think it’s fine. What’s important is what you convey on your “subjective component” of the application, which is the dominant factor, considering that a vast group of MIT applicants (those who are iffy) have similar stats.</p>

19

<p>Asian with a 2080…at MIT?</p>

<p>HAHA</p>

20

<p>Asians bring up the SAT average, they don’t drag it down.</p>