What are my chances of getting into MIT as an international student?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

Hi everyone! I am an italian student and I want to start this discussion saying that I’ll only get my high school diploma in 2022 (I’ve just finished my first year and high school here lasts five years) and I know that by the time I’ll apply for college a lot of things will change and maybe it’s quite early for worrying about this, but I’d really like to have an idea of what my chances are.

I also want to specify that in Italy at the end of middle school you choose the “type” of high school you want to go to and you can’t choose your classes, so no things such as AP. I chose to attend the “Liceo Scientifico” the “licei” are a type of high school that prepares you for going to university, “scientifico” is a liceo where you study more Math, Earth Sciences, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I also chose the option that made me study Computer Science instead of Latin.

-I’d apply to Aero/Astro.
-In this first year of school my grades average is 9,2/10. I actually got an 8 in Italian because if you in the USA may have a teacher that just won’t give you an A here we have lots of teachers who gives grades from 2 to 8 when they should be from 1 to 10.
-I’ve just received the results of my English exam. It was a PET (B1) and I got 167/170. If you took a grade above 160, you’d “pass with distinction” and you’d be certified with a B2.
-In Italy schools generally don’t have clubs or things like that but sometimes schools have some sort of “projects” during the afternoons (we go to school 'till 13.00) starting from the second semester where you get a certification at the end of the year if you meet some attendance requirements. This “projects” are generally lessons of subjects you don’t study during the morning or a review of subjects you already do if you’re not doing so good at it. This year I took the French project and I’m actually interested in getting a certification (better chances for working at ESA), do you think this would be useful for my college admission?
-My Math teacher signed me and my classmate to the Math Olympiad (yep, he just signed us, he didn’t ask lel). We qualified for the regional competition (not sure how it’s called sorry) but simply no teacher or parent was willing to drive us to another town (45 min of car) to participate in it and there weren’t bus for that time. What a pity. However I’m willing to study and excercise in my free time so I can partecipate to another Olympiad next year and let’s see how it goes.
-I did a lot of different sports in this years including swimming, tennis, volleyball and soccerball but this year I started archery and I love it! I’ll participate in some competitions around October and maybe in these years I’ll be able to qualify for a national competition (some people of my club actually did so the ones that teach me have experience).
-Over this summer I’m learning stuff on my own using some websites and some books in pdf. I’ve started learning C++, which we will study next year, and Python. I’m interested in machine learning so I think I’ll study some Math too. I have also an interest in eletronics and I’m doing some projects with Arduino.
-I’m looking for how to prepare for SAT and I’m pretty okay with the English one though I obviously don’t know all the Math topics for now.

This was pretty much a sum on what my interests are and what I might achieve in these five years. I know that might isn’t enough for a top school such as MIT, especially for an international student, but give me your opinions, do you think trying to learn as much as I can on my own (most of all because I find my high school to go a bit slow because of some people who just aren’t interested in learning new things) would be appreciated? If I keep taking good grades, I pass the “esame di stato” (a final test that all high school students in Italy must take that gives you a grade from 0 to 100 judging the grades you got on the last three years of school, two written exams and an oral one) with an high grade and I go on with my ECs would it be enough? I don’t really think that I’ll achieve things such as an gold medal in IMO or I’ll get into Olympics by 2020 obviously, but do you think it would be enough?

I’d really love to go to MIT but I don’t really things I have good chances to get into it, I do those things because the interest me and I’ll continue doing them even knowing that I wouldn’t get admitted into MIT. I’ve started this discussion because I want to know if you think it’s possible or I just have to put my heart at peace.

I’m sorry if I wrote too much (I’d say yes lel) and maybe all this discussion didn’t have a point or maybe my English isn’t really that good (yet) and you’ve struggled to understand, but I hope you can somehow help me. Thank you in advance.

2

No one has a good chance of MIT. The overall acceptance rate is 8% and its even more competitive for international students. I like what you said about doing things because they interest you, not because of getting into college. That by far is the right approach! Enjoy your education, do what you feel passionate about, and have fun! Work hard and you will land at a great school, there are many!

3

Thank you for the answer! I’ll keep going and we’ll see what happens! Also, MIT is need-blind isn’t it? Is there a minimum you have to pay yearly even if you get the financial aid? Italian top unviersities cost waaay less than America cheapest colleges.

4

Yes, I believe MIT is need blind for international applicants. Financial aid numbers vary student by student based on their financial situation. Hopefully you will be also applying to Italian universities!

5

Of course! But really, university isn’t nearly as competitive. For some you simply apply, other ones are “a numero chiuso” that means the are limited seats and you have to take a test. In some schools, like the one I’d want to get in if (or when lel) I don’t get into MIT accept the SAT too (due to international students). So I’d say I’m okay from this point of view.

6

There really isn’t a minimum that students is expected to pay? I believe my parents have an annual income of €24000, that’s pretty average for an Italian family.

7

Use the net price calculator to see what your family would be expected to pay: http://mitadmissions.org/afford/calculator

8

I tried using it although sometimes I guessed 'cause I wasn’t sure on what putting in. I tried different numbers and I resulted with a range of family contribution that from 0$ to 4000$. Not sure if I messed something up or I’m really lucky XD. I’ll try to find something more specific to international students, but thanks.

9

0-4,000 sounds right for your income level.

All grades at 8+ on the Italian scale will be good, although 9+ is obviously better.
Sign up for the math Olympiad; see if your school participated in “math kangaroo” and any other science competition. If you qualify again and no adult can drive you, be proactive: take a bus or a train. Is there a national academic competition or awards? Participate in that.
Your EC’s will matter a lot - not their number but their level of achievement (national recognition would be good).
Other things you can do: develop an app or a phone game.
You should be able to take the sat subject in Latin this Fall (before you’ve forgotten all Latin ;)) since Italian students tend to have a pretty decent level overall. Don’t take the Italian language subject test as it’d prove nothing (OF COURSE your level is better than an American student who studied Italian dressing 3 years a couple hours a week, an 800 moves nothing.)

10

Thank you for the information. For my grades I should be good then. That I know my school participate in Math, Earth Science and Biolygy Olympiads, there may be more but there is nothing about it on my school website, I’ll try to find out. Next year I’ll be more confident and if I qualify I’ll try to find a way to reach the city of the competition. I’ll try to qualify for the Italian championships of archery in these years, let’s see what I can do. Developing an app is in my to-do list! I’ll have to borrow my cousin’s MacBook for that lel. For the sat, I never studied Latin and I don’t think I’ll ever study it at my school.

11

I found this scale for convertion: do you think it’s accurate?
9.00 - 10.00 Ottimo (Excellent) A+
8.00 - 8.99 Distinto (With Distinction) A
7.00 - 7.99 Buono (Good) B
6.00 - 6.99 Sufficiente (Sufficient) C
0.00 - 5.99 Respinto (Fail) F

Here’s the website: https://www.classbase.com/Countries/italy/Grading-System (under Secondary school).

12

If you never studied Latin then obviously don’t take the test :wink: (I thought it was a mandatory subject, as it changed lately?)
The general point is that once you’ve completed the requisite level in a subject you can take the subject test but it shouldn’t only be in one area (or., Only stem) if you’re trying to demonstrate mastery and the value of your grades in the Italian system.

13

Well it depends. If it interests you to know, you choose the type of school you want to attend and an adress if it has some. Adress presents diffferences in some subjects or on how many hour you do of each one and there’s a program with what subjects and for how many hours you’ll study them each year. The liceo scientifico has a “traditional” adress where you study Latin (but not Computer Science), a “applied science” where you study Computer Science instead of Latin and more hours of Science (and more lab hours, that are still around 3-4 a year though) and also a “sport” adress with more hours of PE, no Latin or Computer Sciences and Law from third year. We all agree that there’s not that much “applied science” in the “applied science” adress and people usually choose it so they don’t have to study Latin. Not my case, I simply like coding.
Good advice for the sat, do you usually take some sat subject before junior year?

14

8+ is an A.
7.5 is a B+, 7 is a B, 6.5 a B-, 6 a C+ or C. Hopefully you’ll get all grades at 8+.
(In converting for yourself, to see whether you’re within reachability, remember that 8=4.0, 9= 4.3, 7.5= 3.3, 7= 3 and hopefully you won’t go lower than this. Your estimated GPA should be 3.8-4.0.)

Since the Italian program/curriculum is standardized you’re just expected to meet the benchmark (8+ in your case with 9s as much as possible) then they move to other parts of your application.

You should take sat subject tests immediately after completing the course, whenever that is. You should check the test contents before deciding you’ll take it.

15

This year I actually got an 8 (in Italian) since you can’t get any half grade (+, - and .5) in your school report but I also got three 10’s (English, Art and Computer Science) and 9’s in the reamin subjects. I’ll go check the sat subjects.

16

Also, would my high school influence my admission? I attend school in a small town in the south of Italy.

17

Ok - I’ve seen students with .5 marks on reports (not esame) … I never realized it wasn’t normal. :frowning:
I admit I mostly knew liceo classico and liceo linguistico students so it’s interesting to hear about the liceo scientifico.
If you only have 6,7,8,9,10 and nothing else then that’s it for us colleges.
Most importantly don’t go below 8 (as much as possible) for the most selective colleges.

Try to get a book called Princeton Review’s best colleges ASAP and start looking for colleges of interest. There are 3,700 colleges in the US and you probably only know of 3 or 4: time’to learn about all of the others. You’ll find that there are lots and lots you like.
List all of them for now. No more than 10 colleges on your list should have an admit rate of 20% and below.
When you’re 16 get another book called The Fiske guide to know more about the universities you selected.
For now, keep up your grades and focus on ECs.

18

Just to know, this .5 was on the final report? I didn’t know it was even allowed lel. I don’t think it should be difficulte to keep my grades above 8, so lucky. I’ll search for that books thanks.

19

No

20

I’m glad to see an Italian student here. I am Spanish but it seems the grading is somewhat similar. When are you applying? One whole year of preparation is probably enough for scoring in the top of Italy in computing olympiads once you can program, maybe math olympiads too. I myself haven’t gone further than doing average in computing olympiads for vary reasons but it’s not far fetched to point high especially if you have a CS teacher and work extremely hard. Well, I am also an intl without proper ECs or major olympiad achievements. My grade average is a “notable” (distinto in Italian) though most my sciences are 'ottimo’s because here in Spain humanities are shoved down your throat. Sometimes I feel I don’t stand a chance at all and sometimes I feel I stand a decent one. Can someone tell me if I’ll get straight down rejected (like I was in Barcelona, because Spain sucks) for not having a perfect grade but a Spanish 7.94 average?
An obvious difference of your HS and mine is that the educative system in Spain just sucks a lot overall, hahaha.