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.but I think in no way are my stats perfect
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<p>People are referring, most likely, to your scores + grades, which under some interpretation are certainly "perfect" -- like I said, I know another girl with very similar stats, but not much in the way of outlandishly amazing science and math awards, who made it into MIT. You have a shot for sure :)</p>
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Not sure whether it'll give me an additional boost, but I'd rather get in b/c of my merits.
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<p>Not a terribly constructive comment on my part here, but it's my belief nowadays that "boosts" are always welcome. Why not? You must be a smart person, but there are other smart people out there, and it's ultimately a matter of a boost that'll actually push you over the fence, and you can only win by having the option of accessing MIT's resources. I'd certainly not mind any boost I can have to get me into graduate school, for one thing, as long as I am sure that I'd not be wasting my and the school's time by going as an under-qualified student.</p>