Rising High School Junior, intrested in MIT

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>I am a rising junior in NC. And I want to attend MIT. I have fairly good grades, a 4.33 GPA (weighted, we are also on a 7 pt. scale), and have been in a few extra curricular activities, but... I have a "unique" math situation. When I moved to NC, between 8th and 9th grade, the high school would not recognize my 8th grade algebra 1 curriculum... so I took Algebra 1 my freshman year. I know, and I want to get into MIT? </p>

<p>The cherry on top of the situation is, I cannot test out of the NC math classes, take summer courses, etc. Only a full year in the classroom counts (to the best of my, three math teachers, a school secretary, and a student counselor's knowledge). So the furthest I can get in high school credits is Honers Pre Calculus. Think that might slightly hurt my chances? Just a little?</p>

<p>Might current solution for the situation is, to work ahead in the honors algebra 2 text (I swiped one, so I have my own), be done with it about halfway through the year or so (I've started already, I'm a few chapters in), start in on the pre cal text (I can get one just as easy), finish it before my senior year, and as a senior, get through a calculus b/c text, or just a college text (I have a copy of "Calculus" by Gilbert Strang). I might even be able to start in on whatever other texts I can get my hands on.</p>

<p>Now, having done that, can I even list on my resume that I've been through these texts independently? Or do I just test out of MIT's Calc 101 class? Can I write "I am confident that I can pass your Calculus 101 final now" on my resume? How does independent study work into admissions? Anyone know?</p>

<p>If you have any knowledge, information, or just an opinion on my situation, please post. I don't know if this is the best way for me to compensate for my lack of, well, challenging math classes, but it's certainly the way I'm most comfortable with.</p>

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<p>You can definitely mention in the application that you've independently studied calculus. There's a section on the application for "anything else you'd like to tell us", and applicants often use it to list independent studies they've undertaken.</p>

<p>Still, people on College Confidential notwithstanding, there are a number of people who come to MIT each year without ever taken calculus, or whose grasp is fuzzy enough that they don't want to move on without taking MIT calc I (18.01). Clearly it can't impact admissions probabilities to such a great degree if so many people start in 18.01 as MIT freshmen.</p>

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<p>If you want, you can also take the AP tests since you're self-studying calculus on your own. I know that a score of 5 on the Calc AB test will put you into an accelerated Calc I course (18.01L I believe?), and a score of 4 or 5 on the Calc BC test will allow you to move directly onto Calc II (18.02). You don't have to have taken the classes to take the AP tests, so it's actually a pretty nice way of seeing how much material you've grasped by yourself. </p>

<p>Also, with my counselor, when we talked, she asked if there was anything that I wanted her to mention in her report. My school had a conflict with AP Biology and Chemistry, so I had to choose one over the other, so I had her mention that as well. If it's scheduling/credit problems, then I'm sure admissions won't hold it against you. Besides, it looks like you're doing everything you can to take advantage of the resources you can get your hands on, so it shows that you have initiative. I don't think your current situation will hurt you at all :)</p>

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<p>See if you can dual enroll at a local community college or take your courses online. Your goal is to finish Calc BC and AP Stat with 5s.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

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<p>Liist, I disagree that he should focus on getting 5s on Calc BC and AP Stats - especially since he'd have to do that this year for them to show up on his application. I think there are plenty of more interesting things he can do in his spare time besides study the same old calculus and statistics that have been around for forever.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
I know that a score of 5 on the Calc AB test will put you into an accelerated Calc I course (18.01L I believe?)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>18.01A - Accelerated calculus 1, usually taken in conjunction with 18.02A. This gets you through both calculus 1 and 2 by first semester, assuming you take the remainder of the course over IAP. Some people will opt to take the remainder of the course during spring term (6 units), and you may concurrently enroll in 18.03 if you do this. (And yes, if you get a 4 or 5 on AP Calc AB, you can take 18.01A.)</p>

<p>8.01L - A slower-moving version of 8.01 that finishes during IAP.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies. Certainly gives me a little more faith in what I'm doing. I'll look into taking the AP test. A 5 would be a rather lofty goal, but the test would definitely give me something to gauge my grasp of the material with.</p>