I am currently a sophomore and debating on whether to attend TAMS or not. I am one of the top students at my school (falling under top 4 %), but my high school isn’t that great. Its a IB school, and I am going to take full IB next year if I stay. There are 224 people in my graduating class, and the best college people go from my school is UT Austin. I am also heavily involved, I am in varsity tennis, top band, and like 5 clubs.
I want to get into my dream college (MIT)
I understand I need to stand out at TAMS in order to get into my dream school. I am really busy, and I think going to TAMS will help me focus on parts of my MIT application that count the most. I am also a really hard-working student, and I am confused on whether I should keep working hard at my school or work-hard at TAMS in order to get into MIT.
Should I stay at my high school and take full IB, or go to TAMS in order to get into MIT?
Hello! Current TAMS student here. 3 people last graduating class got into MIT. This will probably get you really excited about your odds, but just realize that MIT is insanely hard to get into, and no matter how good you are, your admittance is still questionable, simply due to the caliber of students they admit. TAMS will offer you a lot more opportunities outside of classes, but the thing you need to decide for yourself is if you will be able to do more here than you are currently doing at your high school. Keep in mind that the classes here are a lot harder than the classes you will take at your high school even if you take 5-6 APs at one time.
Based on stats alone, going to TAMS will give you a better chance of getting into MIT, but only if you are intelligent enough, and take advantage of as many opportunities as you can. As to whether you should come, I cannot answer that for you. The most I can do in that department is to tell you about my decision-making process when I decided to leave my high school.
Thanks, btw why did you decide to go to TAMS?
My school had a large emphasis on sports, and the only one I actually play is badminton, which obviously they did not have a team for. The robotics program was decent, but not nearly as good as the one at TAMS. TAMS offered me more opportunities I actually wanted, such as access to a good robotics team, access to research professors, and more rigorous classes. The peer group is also way more intelligent here, which has really motivated me to work harder and get involved more. I can be more independent which was a huge bonus, and I definitely feel like I have more potential here, and I don’t regret coming at all.
thx, can you give me any suggestions or things I need to do to have a better chance of getting in?
TAMS says they have a “holistic” method of deciding admissions, but almost everyone agrees that is most likely not the case. As long as you are doing something other than academics like leading a club or participating in robotics, for example, the most important thing you can do is focus on grades, rank and SAT/ACT score. Try and make sure you only have A’s, you are ranked in top 10% at least and aim for a 1400+ score on the SAT and/or around a 30 on the ACT because those combined should make you above average enough to have a decent chance at getting it.
I’m familiar with TAMS. It’s amazing if you have the discipline and self-motivation to take advantage of its opportunities. It’s a lot of independence, but you will love it if you can manage that!
ummmm I accidently got one 88 in geometry (because the teacher didn’t teach anything but gave really hard tests) but my sat score is above 1450. I am also the founder and president of a club. Is this good enough? or should I do something else? It would be really helpful if you guys could tell me something else to do in order to have a better chance (I want to get into to tams really bad)
I’m another current TAMS student, and to be honest, I had a really bad SAT score compared to everyone else when I applied with 1150. My school was tiny and didn’t have any actual extracurricular classes besides drama, band, choir, and agriculture, and we didn’t have any clubs at the time. I was in band and student council, but beyond that all I had were my grades and teacher recs that could actually speak for me. A lot of students at TAMS think that it isn’t holistic, but I honestly think it is, because if it was strictly SAT scores and grades, I wouldn’t have gotten in. I think you’ll be fine @King32 since it’s one class and you have a great SAT. Also, founding a club is a big thing they seem to like as well.
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