Small School-Chance for MIT or other Ivy's

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Hi Everyone. I am a junior from a really small school in Texas. We dont have any AP courses and i finally got the school to make Honor classes this past year. I would really like to go to MIT and Rice but i dont think i look that good cuz my school sucks so bad. Could anyone please give me some advice about how i could make myself look better?</p>

<p>9th grade: (A+ in everything)
Algebra 1
Geography
Integrated Physics and Chemistry
English 1
Athletics
Intro to Horticulture
I had something else but i dont remember, lol</p>

<p>10th grade:
Geometry-A+
English 2-A
World History-A+
Biology-A+
Business Computer Integration Systems(fancy for Word/Excel/Access...)-A+
Spanish 1-A
Ag Mechanics-A
Altheletics-A</p>

<p>11th grade:
Honors Algebra 2-A+
Honors English 3-A
Honors Chemistry-A+
Honors US history-A+
Theater 1-A+
Ag Mech 2/BCIS 2-A/A
Spanish 2-A
Humanties/Wildlife-A+/A+
Precal-A</p>

<p>**** Junior College:
Macro Economics(3 credit hours)-A+
Government(3 credit hours)-A+</p>

<p>Texas A&M-<strong><em>:
Calculus 3(4 credit hours)-A+
*</em> I am also completely self taught in mathematics. The only two math classes i have taken is Algebra 1 and Geometry. Earlier this year my school tried to put me in Algebra 2, but i tested out and got an A+. Then they tried to put me in Precal, but i tested out of that too and got an A. Then i decided to teach myself calculus and a month later i tested out of Cal 1 and Cal 2 at Texas A&M-</strong>* and enrolled in Cal 3 and got an A+. I am hoping to go back and take Diff Eq or something else this summer. </p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:</p>

<p>Freshmen Year:</p>

<p>FFA
Chapter Secretary
Greenhand Secretrary
Dupont Challenge Applicant
Tutor</p>

<p>Sophmore Year:</p>

<p>Student Council
Parlimentarian
FFA
Chapter Vice-President
Infinity Institute Math Award
Who's Who Among American High School Students
Varsity Golf
1st place District team
3rd place Regional team
Science UIL
4th place district Science Individual UIL
2nd place district Physics Individual UIL
2nd place district Science Team UIL
Tutor</p>

<p>Junior Year:</p>

<p>Beta Club
President
Math Club
President
FFA
Chapter Vice President
Student Council
Parlimentarian
Science UIL
1st place indvidual Emory TMSCA Invitational
1st place district Science UIL;
1st place Physics
1st place Chemistry
2nd place Biology
2nd place distric Science UIL team
3rd place regional Biology UIL
1st place STATE Science UIL Physics
Mathematics UIL
1st place District Mathematics UIL
6th place Emory TMSCA
Tutor</p>

<p>Im in other clubs but not as an officer. </p>

<p>ACT:
Composite: 30
Math: 32
Science: 33
Reading: 26
English: 29
I know my scores could be a little bit better so im going to take it again in August. Oh and i took this one in october of last year and it was my first time to take it. </p>

<p>My school sucks but im hoping if i take enough college classes from some local universities it will make me look better. Ill be taking Freshmen English and History next year from **** Junior College and i know ill get an A+ in them. I believe that i am a math genius but i dont know how to go about showing that and plus i know there are alot of other math geniuses applying for college too. So, do i have a chance for Ivy Leagues?</p>

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<p>i forgot to say that i will also be an intern for NASA this summer…sorry</p>

3

<p>do u have any APs? do u have a clue on wats ur GPA? i know u have all As but ur GPA can differ?</p>

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<p>yea, my GPA is 3.5 unwieghted and should be around a 4.1 weighted…Nope, my school doesnt offer AP classes and i missed the deadline this year for the ones i wanted to take</p>

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<p>How can your GPA be 3.5 when you appear to have nothing lower than A?</p>

<p>I would focus on raising your scores. Since your school is weak they will be especially important. A 32 is not a score expected from someone as good in math as you are. I would try the SAT too and get the books and study the test. College classes are great, but put equal time into the tests.</p>

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<p>MIT and HYPSM have tons of candidates for admission with awards like yours and that have taken college classes but have GPAs much higher than a 3.5. Are you sure you have a 3.5?
If you do, your chances aren’t very good.</p>

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<p>ok well. for ur esssay write about how YOU introduced honors classes into ur school, that will look really impressive because not everyone is that determined or has that much initiative.</p>

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<p>I think you could make it into Rice…</p>

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<p>Oh, sorry, i was calling an A+ between 95-100, and an A between 90-95. Thats how my school does it, i guess i should have clarified that.</p>

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<p>Um, one question, with your math background, how come no 36 on the math portion of the ACT? Is it a testing thing? Because frankly, the ACT isn’t even tricky, and since you’re that proficient at math, a 36 is realistic. It would also enhance your application greatly.</p>

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<p>I agree with dtl42. It’s going to look really weird to an adcom to see your math background and then your math scores. In fact it could be said that it is more favorable to have a B in a class and score well on a standardized test involving that subject than it is to have an A+ in that class and relatively “bomb” the standardized test. </p>

<p>On the other hand, I sympathize with you. I am not as good at math as you are, but I am not horrible at it either. Somehow, the logic of the SAT Math questions always messes me up. On the other hand, I felt I did really good on the SAT II math IIc. Probably because it was all rote math, not applied math. </p>

<p>Have you taken SATs and SAT IIs yet?? That might help as well. </p>

<p>Finally, even though you don’t have AP or honors classes, most of the top schools look at you against you. In other words, they won’t hold it against you that your GPA isn’t higher than it is because it was a circumstance out of your control. They will look instead at what you have done with that circumstance.</p>

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<p>Well, i took the ACT last october, during that time, i could barely do precal, so my math will definitely go up the next time i take it. Ive been to busy to take it recently, but i plan on taking it again in august. Ive done a few practise tests since then and have gotten 35/36’s on the math each time so im pretty sure ill only miss 1 or none the next time.</p>

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<p>the ACT isnt that much precalc… what is considered pre calc… i think all the ACT stuff is grade 9 and 10 based… same with SAT 1… doesnt make sense… lol im not offending u or anything, i just dont understand… :P</p>

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<p>ambitiousteen: to me, the act math is quite different from sat I math. Some problems are a lot easier than sat I, and others are much, much harder. I have never taken the ACT, but I have tutored a friend in preparing for ACT math. And let me tell you, there is precalculus on the test. While the sat I touches on really simple trig you learn in geometry, the act actually works with radians and the unit circle.</p>

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<p>Mmmm… i had my friend take the test yesterday… i helped him out with the math section… he said all the questions were jokes after i helped him… well radians+unit circle is something u can teach urself very fast… heck i mean im the last person to study from a book but it is possible to teach urself precalc in under a month… depends on how fast you pick up material… that is just me… and ive glanced through the ACT math section and did a math section… at least 95% can be done with a calculator… and the unit circle+radian questions were a joke… This is just my thought… maybe it must be hard for others… my condolences…</p>

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<p>Wow, somebody is arrogant. I got a 32, which means i missed like 6, and i didnt even finish actually, i still had about 4 to go. Understand this, i taught myself algebra 2, precal, cal 1, and cal 2 in under 3 months, can you do that? I honestly doubt it. So dont come in here thinking ur better than everybody just cuz u glanced through an ACT practise test and thought it was easy.</p>

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<p>You have a good shot at Rice if you can raise your ACT or SAT a bit. You have a shot, not great, but a shot, at the Ivies. HYPM will be a stretch, but Dartmouth might be possible. Taking everything available at a small school and reaching out to area universities is just as good as taking every AP course at a larger high school. Admissions officers look to see if you take advantage of what you have available. They don’t penalize you for coming from a small or rural school.</p>

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<p>I was not trying to be rude or obnoxious false_alarm… i mean the friend i was teaching kept getting C and B grades… and for a kid like yourself who seems quite brilliant at mathematics, which you’ve stated you have and i trust your word, i still do not get the logic behind it… and if you’ve bother to read the last line of my post it said i was sorry… and its just my thinking that the ACT math section is quite facile… and i said i was sorry for others who did not think that way… so like i said again apologies to you… maybe it wasnt your strong suit to take that type of testing… So hope you did not take my post the wrong way… i was just stating if a kid with a grade that is a C/B can get a 35 in the math section im sure you can get a solid 36… try again it doesnt harm… But i was in no way trying to discourage you or anything… i did not find logic to your post… I trust your word so if you’ve taught math to yourself under 3 months that is great… seems to me you lost the sight of having a solid base to perform better in higher mathematics… maybe you should think about that when you took the test… </p>

<p>So, if you got the wrong idea about my post i was not trying to hurt your feelings or being arrogant… it was a practice test yah… maybe that isnt accurate enough but eh… my friend is proof enough who took the actual test this past saturday…</p>

<p>I’m not coming in here thinking I’m better than everyone else… The whole point of CC is to help each other… thus why I’m using this website… if i was better than someone id never touch upon this website ever… But i am not… That is great you taught yourself so much math… I’m enrolled in 2nd year calculus at a university right now… not a local community college or distance education… an actual sponsored course for me cuz i find math a joke… so claiming your teaching yourself can only go so far because who else knows that you’ve actually done it and taught yourself? is there a professor who has given you couple of assignments in class with 4- Thinking Inquiry and Problem Solving math questions?.. is there proof of your credentials that your actual fluent in calc 1 and 2?.. </p>

<p>And to answer your question, yes i can do it… Hence why I am going to be enrolling in Calc 2 at Carleton University in gr 12 next semester after summer… I am in the process of teaching myself Multivariable Calc/Linear Algebra/Diff Equations… and applications of MV Calc… Like i said… this is just for me benefit… i have proof… ive been recommended by professors… and there is logic behind what im saying… But hey its a website/forum and words over the internet only mean so much to someone.. we need factual evidence… anyone can claim they have done this and that… so take what you want from it… </p>

<p>I am definitely not trying to hurt your feelings… my apologies go out to you hope you do better</p>

<p>and if you want my opinion… you are a strong candidate for sure… a score and grade can get you so far… its the essays and recs that will convey your skills/ECs/ ability to communicate and verify your intelligence… Some people maybe weak in essays so this is not quite reflective of the people who struggle in writing essays so they might not be well conveyed to an adcom… but if you are a strong candidate (which it seems) you’ll understand that the essay will set you apart from the many candidate who I’m sure will have similar profile to yours… each person is unique to a certain extent when it comes to university admissions.. and so in order to be unique you’ll need to know that there is a high probability that people have done similar course load+ECs as you’ve done… Keep up the good work and remember, uniqueness of your character can only be conveyed through the essays/interview/ and recommendations…</p>

<p>All the Bests in your admissions, I will be applying Next year as well… Good luck bro.</p>

<p>No hard feelings, even though you directly attacked me…</p>