<p>A friend of mine just got accepted to Caltech. His SAT scores weren't impressive at all. De facto he took it 4 times, and the last two times, since his climax, 2160, were going down and down, approaching 1900.
BUT, he made some sort of a mathematical theorem. Basically it was a generalization of a previously existing theorem.
He applied and now he's in.</p>
<p>While I can't really manage to impress CIT with my science extracurricular activities, except for a couple of national programming competitions, I may score strikingly in SAT supported by an outstanding GPA throughout highschool.
NOW, can this be enough to outweigh my extracurricular hiatus?</p>
<p>I don't know enough to say exactly, but here's my two cents:
A 760 math SAT puts you in the 25% for caltech. From what I've seen, a 3.9+ gpa (uw) is perfectly normal. I can't imagine anything doable within normal high school bounds that would be, sans EC's or other evidence of the ever-illusive passion, enough. Joint enrollment or independent study beyond normal curriculum seems to go over real well though.</p>
<p>The national programming competitions sound like they could be something. What'd you do?</p>
<p>Speaking of ECs, I have lots of others, hardly related to science, like professional soccer(2002-), some charity activities and a modest math group, where we help other students.</p>
<p>Well, I only had a couple regional-level awards and I got in. Sounds like you're somewhat better off in terms of ECs. I had some research experience, but nothing earth-shattering at all... SAT scores weren't particularly high by Caltech standards either (2220 with 770 math). I did demonstrate diligence, willingness to work hard, and a love for science. IMHO, it's pointless to try to figure out what will impress Caltech admissions. Just follow your instinct (for example, I decided to forego a third year of Spanish so that I could take a difficult math+physics load at a community college, which led to an excellent rec from one of my professors). I'm guessing that so long as you're a strong applicant, a lot will depend on how you present yourself.</p>