Too Liberal Artsy for MIT?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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(i’m sorry if this is super resume-y but it is 12am and I’m tired)
(just read the first line of every chunk for a summary)

I’m applying for a BFA, but I know MIT does not accept by major.

I have bare-bones math and science:
AP Chem (5), AP Physics I (4), AP Physics C (tba), and BC Calculus (5) (all A’s)
(SAT subjects yet to be taken)
but no research experience, tech courses, AIMEs, camps, anything.
maybe Tiger Robotics, but I was Graphic Design leader and am President.
Also, I think only my Chemistry teacher knows me well, but he isn’t writing letters of recs anymore, so I’m really riding on my calc teacher’s impression of a kid who quietly sat in the back of class and failed her first 3 tests. (yikes)

same for liberal arts, but I have more AP’s and extracurriculars under my belt:
AP Human Geo (4), WHAP (5), APUSH (5), Gov/Econ (tba), English Lang (5), English Lit (tba), AP Studio (tba) (all A’s)
and a fine arts portfolio in the making (which I will be applying to SAIC, MICA, and RISD with)
and I attended SAIC’s ECP
and I have a few gold medals & a perfect paper for the National Latin Exam
regionals for UIL Litcrit; state for SkillsUSA graphic design; state for VASE; region for cello; piano theory something something

for my application I’ve been writing a bit about being a 2nd gen chinese immigrant, not losing my childlike fascination with… anything, really (but primarily art/painting, music/piano/cello, and science/chemistry), and valuing interdisciplinary shebangs (teaching science with art, possibly, and other neat interactions like between rhythm and comic composition. and also Ben Bloomsburg’s shenanigans with Jacob Collier that MIT did. which I thought was neat)

i don’t want to seem like a wishy washy general studies student (which I absolutely am, at this point in my life… because high school is kind of restricting, I guess)

so, chance me, or give me advice or some other colleges to check out so I don’t have to grapple with crippling uncertainty (im already struggling with risd)

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I won’t chance you, but I don’t think you’re too liberal artsy for MIT; I think you are a perfectly plausible applicant who doesn’t have everything figured out yet and doesn’t need to. and Ben is a friend of mine and I also think his stuff is cool! So we agree on that at least.

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Go look at the MIT course catalog and you’ll find all kinds of liberal arts type classes. My best friend at MIT, an Arrow Astro major, was really into music. If I recall, he even took some exchange classes in music at Wellesley College. I enjoyed the photography and literature classes.

And not everything is about what you do at the college. The Boston and Cambridge area has museums, concerts and many other opportunities.

Do pick up your grades. Failing math quizes isn’t the best path to MIT.

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Be sure you want to take the MIT core subjects, biology, chemistry, physics, and math. Also be sure the major you have in mind is available at MIT, I don’t know what you mean by BFA, bachelors of fine arts? MIT does not offer that per se, I think every degree is a bachelors of science, given the core is a science core for every major. However you can cross register fully at Wellesley so be sure to look at those classes too, to get a full picture of what you can do as an MIT student.

You have a solid amount of science and math, including a good physics class, so you can handle the MIT Core easily.
Students with less preparation than you, can still do it, but you will be well prepared. Be aware that one semester of biology is required for every degree at MIT, as well, if you have not had any biology in high school, that will be required.

If you are interested in continuing Latin, MIT does not offer it, but there are other world languages you can take:
https://mitgsl.mit.edu/academics

Fine arts, I don’t think MIT is a fit, unless architecture interests you, but the Media lab is something to explore.
Design is a key competency at MIT. Its not an art school though!

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Note that MIT students can also cross register at Harvard and MassArt:

https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/registration-information/cross-registration