<p>It's been established that doing science fair is not necessary to get into MIT for a science major but is this always true? For example, for extremely competitive regions like SoCal, if a student seems like a great applicant and perhaps even has independent research but has no Intel/Siemens, is that a dealbreaker? Is no science fair only okay for non-ORMs in unique geographies because they are considered distanced from these opportunities, or is it genuinely okay if someone is not a "science fair" type person even if they live in a competitive state where science fair is the norm?
I understand that there's no hard answer, but just wondering if someone who has good knowledge of the results threads could comment.</p>
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This. It is genuinely okay. </p>
<p>It’s great to participate in science fairs if you’re interested in attending MIT, but that’s because participating in a science fair is one of a number of things that are fun and that you can do that relates to science, not because participating in a science fair is a requirement.</p>
<p>Thanks, Mollie!</p>
<p>As a current high school student I can say that science fairs aren’t really a requirement but rather a way to demonstrate your interest and love for science.</p>
<p>I hope that science fairs are never considered “necessary” in any way for getting into MIT. I’ve been somewhat dissatisfied with my science fair experiences in high school and have far preferred Science Olympiad, which some may argue is less “real” science (given that it’s not original research in a laboratory setting), yet in my opinion provides a much more festive, fun, and collaborative medium in which to do science. I’m glad that I started out with Science Olympiad instead of science fair because I think I may even have been turned off of science if my formative science experiences had happened through science fair.</p>
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<p>If you are a math whiz kid, then you probably are not participating in Science Fairs, and still have a good chance.</p>
<p>Science fairs are just one way to demonstrate a passion. There was a funny blog where the Admissions Officer said they rejected a student that built a nuclear reactor in his garage. His point was that MIT looks at the totality of the application. All else being equal, Science Fair could make a different. But, all else is not usually equal.</p>