<p>Okay so I want to know what are my chances of getting into MIT, Stanford, University of Illinois @ Urbana Champaign, and Georgia Tech for engineering.</p>
<p>I am currently in the IB (International Baccalaureate) program and here is my profile-</p>
<p>IB score-
Math HL- 7
Physics HL - 7
Chemistry HL- 7
Economics SL- 6
French B SL- 6
English A SL- 6</p>
<p>SAT Score- 2200 (780 math, 720 CR, and 700 writing)
SAT subject lvl 2- Math: 750 Physics: 700</p>
<p>ECA's and Achievements
MUN (Model United Nations)- 3 years
Tennis- 4 years
British Club Cricket Bangkok- 2 years
Pune Robotics Class award
Violin ABRSM Grade 8</p>
<p>Your IB predicteds and SAT I scores are good, but you should maybe try to retake your subject SATs since both of those in particular have generous curves and a 750/700 isn’t exactly at the high end (or even middle 50%) of MIT/Stanford scores. </p>
<p>Other than that, your ECs are relatively weak, perhaps if you’ve done anything significant while learning violin (joined an orchestra, solo performances, etc) it would help a lot. When you’re going to put in your ECs, don’t just list them out (like you’ve written here). It would help if you described them further, especially the ones on Robotics and your violin practice. </p>
<p>Also, if it’s not to late, try to include some community service before you apply in December? It would especially help if your service is related to your skill set / ECs.</p>
<p>Thanks for your quick responses. Luckily I am doing CAS with the ib and have clocked 50 hours of service in that regard. Okay I have given solo performances at large festivals and I also have joined an orchestra that comprised of 4 international schools. Would this be able to boost my application? Also if I retake the SAT subject level 2 and score maybe 770+ on both, how would my application look then. Also is my IB score lacking in anyway? Because I have chosen the most rigorous IB course available by taking PCM at HL level. Please reply quickly. Thank you</p>
<p>Your IB score looks great, Physics is probably the hardest HL to take by far (for me at least). A 39/42 is a great score and it doesn’t really need any improving. A 7 on Economics should be easy to pull off (especially at SL) so maybe you could boost your score there.</p>
<p>770+ on both will make you a lot more competitive since right now your scores are slightly below the norm…</p>
<p>Yes, it’ll help that you’ve been in an orchestra and have done solo performances. Make sure to mention those when you apply.</p>
<p>As long as your CAS activities show dedication it’ll help. However, i’m pretty sure that universities are well aware that CAS is a requirement and that all IB students have to do it. So don’t list things in your application such as “I spent 15 hours doing x at an orphanage” because they won’t really see any dedication. All they would see is that you’re fulfilling whatever requirements that you need to get the diploma for.</p>
<p>UIUC and GA Tech are match. MIT and Stanford are reach.
UIUC engineering is indeed very competitive with mid 50 ACT 31-34. But it varies slightly depending on which program you apply to as most students are directly admitted to a specific major. Have you decided which major in engineering you want to apply?</p>
<p>Okay, just some questions here, what is this match and reach vocabulary that everyone is using?
And to answer your question billcsho, I am deciding between chemical engineering or the electrical engineering and computer science double major.
And the answer regarding my GPA is that I do not live in the US and so my school is a full IB school and we do not have GPA’s. we are scored out of the IB 42 (plus 3 points for EE and TOK)
Now, what do I need to do to have a good crack at MIT and Stanford?
Also thanks to all of you for these quick replies</p>
<p>The chance increase in the order below:
high reach, reach, low reach, high match, match, low match, safety.
Your scores is a bit low for MIT and Stanford, however, there is a different rule for international students. Like MIT, there is limited number of foreign students from each country. You can definitely give them a try, but be prepared to have no expectation.
For UIUC, Chemical Engineering is not part of the Engineering school officially but in LAS. It is pretty much like a joint program between LAS and engineering though. While for computer science, there are 2 programs in LAS plus one in engineering. In LAS, they have Math & Computer Science as well as Statistics & Computer Science. You can find that information on their website. In general, LAS is less competitive than school of engineering, but with the exception of these ones.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses. I have decided to retake the SAT subject tests and hopefully boost my scores. Also, I am a US citizen, just ethnically Indian and I haven’t lived in the US for nearly 7 years now.</p>
<p>Now, how would my ECA’s look with the following details?-</p>
<p>Tennis, 4 years playing- Won the silver medal at our school’s Falcon tennis ECA, and I play regularly.
British Club Cricket 3 years playing- I haven’t been able to play matches here due to the lack of Cricket popularity in Thailand, but we play full on proper Cricket, with pads and leather balls.
Violin 8 years experience- I am going to take ABRSM grade 8 (The final grade) at the end of Year 13 IB and have participated in numerous solo and group performances at Indian Festivals and have participated in the Bangkok International Schools String Orchestra which was a combined Orchestra with 5 schools.
Robotics class in Pune India- We worked on building cars out of simple materials and used electrical circuits and radio signals to design cars that could be remote controls. We then built these cars in teams of two and participated in races.</p>
<p>Along with the above ECA’s, a SAT subject score (math 2 and physics) of around 770 (for both), How do my chances look for MIT and Stanford?</p>
<p>These EC are good but still only among average applicants. So it may not help much. As for the SAT2 scores, 770 would be within the mid 50 for MIT but the median is close to 800. Math2 and Physics are two of the most generous tests in scores. The 90% is at 800.</p>
<p>Okay, I’m getting a bit confused here. What exactly do I need to do for a good chance into MIT or Stanford. With my current application, what would an awesome college essay do for me. Also could you tell me the importance of a college essay and how much it impacts your selection. Also, what is one supposed to write in the essay?</p>
<p>First of all, no one can have a “good chance” to get into MIT or Stanford. Even with perfect stat, it would be around 20% acceptance rate. Your scores are rather low compare to the average admission stat for them while their overall acceptance rates are around 6-7%. Besides great scores, you may need to have some major personal awards, research publication, or other spectacular EC on the list. For MIT, simply participating in robot team is not enough.</p>
<p>OP. You are competitive enough for both Stanford and MIT. Don’t worry about what is out of your control now…what you should be doing is working on your ESSAYS and RECOMMENDATIONS to both Stanford and MIT.</p>
<p>…since you are an international…best strategy would be to apply to Stanford REA (early) along with your state schools…and then apply to MIT regular decision since they don’t allow EA for internationals.</p>
<p>…Essays to Stanford and MIT can make or break your application…so get going! </p>
<p>Really? Do you think I can apply with a fair shot? Okay so it seems the essay is key here. I thought Stanford and MIT don’t look at recomendations. What is EA?</p>