Walking Distance

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>Tis' the summer before my sophmore year in high school. I'm a minority going to a pretty bad inner city public school. Now I ask you, CC, what can I do now to help my chances of attending a prestigious school like MIT possible?</p>

<p>I have a 4.4 GPA, 4.0 unweighted. I'm planning on joining two sports this year, both of which I should easily be able to make varsitty by Junior year, if not earlier. I'm a member of my school's Quiz Bowl Team, as well as other clubs, such as the E-Club and the Key Club. I'm a talented artist and will be taking two AP courses. Also, I'm maintaining a summer job at the moment.</p>

<p>As you can see MIT will have thousands of other students like me, with much more impressive stories to tell. Most of them will be much better equipped financially and so will get more opportunities than I could ever hope to obtain. This is why I'm asking you lovely folks to please share any advice that you have with me. All advice will be appreciated, but I would like to get more than, "score 2200+ on your SAT's", since that's clearly been repeated many times. </p>

<p>What specific things would make me a better candidate? I don't believe I can hope to achieve anything such as USAMO finalist, but I can try. Of course to try I'd need to find out about these first. Is there anything besides this that I could use? I've heard of students doing research, which I'd have no clue about how to get started with.</p>

<p>Also, should I even consider dreaming about schools like MIT and Stanford? If I do get into these schools my parents will not be able to provide much, if any, financial help. A cousin of mine has been struggling to pay his college loans for years, and he ended up never getting his degree, so as you can imagine college has a stigma in my family. Are there any scholarships I should be applying to now? Should I apply for them?</p>

<p>I would prefer not to get answers telling me that it's too early to start worrying about these things and to enjoy my high school years. This is the first generation that has had the opportunity that my siblings and I are having, and being my parent's last hope I don't want to disappoint them. Most importantly, I don't want to disappoint myself. </p>

<p>Anyone who answers this post will have my thanks in advance. Are you or have you been in the same situation I'm in right now? Then please, comment and let me know what you did or what you plan on doing. </p>

<p>From here on my journey through CC starts and I will do everything within my reach, within my walking distance, to achieve the goals I have set for myself. Three years from now I hope to be able to let you guys know that I accomplished them, and if I didn't, then I want to know that I truly did my best. That is all.</p>

<p>PS. Hey, MITChris, what's up :D? (Lol)</p>

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<p>Enjoy your high school years. I’m not telling you this because it’s too early - I’m telling you this because Admissions seems pretty good at differentiating between people who actively pursue things they like and people who just make the laundry list.</p>

<p>Now, if “enjoying yourself” means doing nothing with your time, all the time… MIT is probably not a match for you. If enjoying yourself means doing things - like you mentioned above (sports, quizbowl, etc) - keep on that path, and MIT might be a match for you.</p>

<p>But prepare yourself for disappointment. Remember, MIT’s admission rate is something like 10%. Just 10% of all the wonderful, qualified applicants. You will likely not get in. That’s true for anyone. Don’t hinge all your future hopes on MIT. Remember that MIT is a very big and helpful stepping stone, but not by any means the only way to have a decent future.</p>

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<p>If you want not to disappoint yourself, in my humble opinion, you should have a “different” goal in mind - to prove to yourself and to your family that you can do great things with education. You’re coming in with a perspective and energy which not everyone does to college - the education you’re seeking is the exception, not the rule, for your family. </p>

<p>Hence, as Piper says, early on, do not fixate yourself on single schools, but do try to enrich yourself with the great schools’ figures as some models. Put in the effort, and that’s the small bit you can do - the opportunities will come find you over time. More important than getting into prestigious schools is realizing what makes them such great places, and what is special about the people there. Suffice it to say, it’s my strong belief that most students who attend prestigious schools will never realize beyond a simplistic sense why the schools they attend are so renowned, beyond “hype” - which is a tiny part of the story. </p>

<p>Ask yourself questions - why do you care about studying so much or researching so much anyway? You could live a fun life with much less work, and still be a great person to the people around you. A lot of the interesting stuff you’ll learn, only a few people will care about *directly<a href=“although%20it%20can%20have%20the%20power%20to%20influence%20them%20indirectly”>/i</a>. Why would *you<a href=“other%20than%20personal%20ego-stroking”>/i</a> want to be a part of this intellectual process? What makes you think you might make use of a spot, if given one, at a great site of learning? Because really, the site of learning is greater than any particular one of its specific students, admissions committees, etc, as a collective in a certain sense, even if its components are what make it what it is.</p>

<p>In trying to answer these questions, attempt to study and do things which you feel will enrich you, and regardless of where you end up, you will be prepared if you can even attempt a serious answer to most of these. Do not just philosophize about them - you need to try to work at serious math/science/etc before being able to philosophize, or you’ll philosophize empty thoughts.</p>

<p>An important basic thing to do is master fundamental skills very well if you can, so that you lead yourself in the right direction. Learn how science, math, engineering, and other subjects MIT is good at affect the world in a broad sense, but also learn how to be capable to do them in a skilled fashion yourself - this means challenging yourself with classes, and attempting to go beyond the immediate resources given to you (schools will know if students were at a disadvantage with granted resources - but you are expected to be extraordinary either way). Try reading some serious books on these subjects yourself. If possible, find out what you love to do, but that can take time, and it’s OK to be more general at the beginning.</p>

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<p>In fact, if you defined enjoyment that way, it would purely be delusion. It would be like a child who hasn’t tried doing something (s)he has a very good chance of liking refusing to do it, and just sitting around. </p>

<p>Try to find something enriching, and a match may or may not happen, but that’s not really the most important thing, because even in case it did happen, odds are against getting in.</p>

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<ul>
<li>keep up the good grades in tough classes </li>
<li>keep doing the ECAs that you love </li>
<li>don’t worry about money; MIT is “full need”, so we will meet every single cent of your family’s demonstrated financial need when it comes to paying for school </li>
<li>tell your cousin to check out [IBRinfo</a> :: Help is here!](<a href=“http://ibrinfo.org%5DIBRinfo”>http://ibrinfo.org) </li>
</ul>

<p>there’s no one thing you can do that will get you in to MIT. just keep doing well. make sure you tell us about your socioeconomic situation (that you’re FGC for example) - not that it will get you in per se, but it will help us appreciate what you’ve done in your context. </p>

<p>other than that, i’m sorry - you’re just going to have to enjoy your high school years :)</p>