What are my chances of making MIT?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, I'm currently a junior at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in Denton, Texas. TAMS is basically a high school acceleration program in which both high school and college credits are earned simultaneously. It's part of the University of North Texas, so I'm taking UNT courses. Thus far, I've maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. </p>

<p>Before gaining admission into TAMS, I was a pre-IB student back at my old high school.</p>

<p>I am planning on applying to MIT (early decision), although I am also applying to CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkely, Stanford, and UT Austin (as a back-up/safety school). Basically, I would like to know my chances of getting into these top schools, especially MIT. MIT is my #1 choice.</p>

<p>I am worried that my SAT score, 2120 (CR: 670, Math: 680, Writing: 770) is not completely up to par with MIT standards, although I am taking it again.</p>

<p>I've yet to take my SATII subject tests, but I'm expecting to perform well on them, as I am taking college courses. I'll probably be taking Math IIC, Biology, and Chemistry. </p>

<p>Although my SAT scores aren't that high, considering that I've maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while taking actual college courses plus other extracurriculars such as co-founding a web site design company, as well as starting community projects (PROJECT SMILE; see below) do I stand a good chance of making MIT? </p>

<p>Also, I am participating in the Nanoexplorer's program at the University of Texas at Dallas (I got a TAMS research scholarship of $2500) this sumer. I aim to work enter this research project for competitions such as Siemens-Westinghouse, Intel Talent Search, etc.</p>

<p>Here's a quick look at my student profile:</p>

<p>Education
Junior Year (2007-2008)
Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (Class of 2009)
University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203
TAMS</a> Home, University of North Texas
GPA: 4.0 / 4.0</p>

<p>Pre-IB (International Baccalaureate) Program (2005 - 2007)
Clark High School
523 Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX 75023
Clark</a> High School
Class Rank: 17 / 656</p>

<p>Courses</p>

<p>TAMS Junior Year - 2nd Semester:
 Math 1710 (Calculus I)
 Biology 1722 (Honors Principles of Biology II)
 Biology 1740 (Honors Principles of Biology II Lab)
 Chemistry 1420 (General Chemistry)
 Chemistry 1440 (Chemistry Lab)
 Political Science 1050 (American Government)
 English 1325 (Writing about Literature II)</p>

<p>TAMS Junior Year - 1st Semester:
• Math 1650 (Pre-Calculus)
• Biology 1711 (Honors Principles of Biology I)
• Biology 1730 (Honors Principles of Biology Lab)
• Chemistry 1410 (General Chemistry)
• Chemistry 1430 (Chemistry Lab)
• English 1315 (Writing about Literature I)</p>

<p>Received University of North Texas (UNT) Credit for:
 Spanish 1010 (Elementary Spanish I)
 Spanish 1020 (Elementary Spanish II)
 Spanish 2040 (Intermediate Spanish I)</p>

<p>Courses Taken (Pre-IB): </p>

<p> Honors Algebra II
 Honors Algebra I
 Honors Geometry
 Honors Geography<br>
 Honors Biology
 Honors Chemistry
 Honors Spanish I, II, and III
? AP World History
? Honors English I and II
? Health
? P.E. Foundations
? Independent Research and Design (IRD)</p>

<p>Standardized Testing:
- Scored 2120 / 2400 on SAT (January 2008)
(Critical Reading: 670, Writing: 770, Math: 680)
- Scored 209 / 240 on the PSAT /NMSQT Exam (October 2007)
(Critical Reading: 68, Writing: 68, Math: 73)
- Scored 4 out of 5 on the AP World History Exam (May 2007) </p>

<p>Awards
2006-2007 (Pre-IB/10th Grade):
 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA):
Won 2nd place at Chapter Competition;
Won 2nd place at state competition in El Paso, TX;
Qualified for and Participated in National Competition in Chicago, IL</p>

<p> Science Fair Project : “Improving Efficiency of Hydrogen PEM Fuel Cells”
Won 1st place at school level;
Won 2nd place at district level;
Received Honorable Mention at the Beal Bank Dallas Regional Science Fair </p>

<p> Texas Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (Texas A&M University) : Participant</p>

<p> Received Medal of Excellence from Plano ISD’s Board of Trustees</p>

<p>2005-2006 (Pre-IB/ 9th Grade):
 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) :
Won 3rd place at Chapter Competition;
Won 2nd place at state competition in Corpus Christi, TX;
Qualified for National Competition in Nashville, TN</p>

<p> Academic Outstanding Achievement, Clark HS 2006
o Honors Spanish II
o Honors Algebra I
o Honors World Geography</p>

<p> Received Medal of Excellence from Plano ISD’s Board of Trustees</p>

<p>2003-2004 (7th Grade):
 Science Fair Project: “Which Type of Buildings withstands Earth Quakes the Best?”
Won 2nd place at school level in the Engineering Category</p>

<p>Entrepreneurial Skills/ Experience:
2007:
Co-Founder, REYLL STUDIOS: REYLL STUDIOS specializes in creating affordable, high-quality web designs for small business that are seeking to expand their advertising options. </p>

<p>Extra-Curricular Activities:</p>

<p>2007 - 2008:
Active Member of:
- RO (Research Organization)
- HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere)
- TFLA (TAMS Forensics and Leadership Association)
- FACES (Cultural Club)
- Sports Club</p>

<p>2005- 2007:
Active Member of:
- FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
- LASER (Learning About Science and Engineering Research)
- NHS (National Honor Society)
- Orchestra (Violin)
- Spanish Club
Community Service:
 2007: Project SMILE -
Took the initiative to contact Dr. Likith Reddy of the GSR Institute of Craniofacial Surgery in Hyderabad, India; organized a 5k walk to raise money for this institute. Money was used to improve hospital conditions.</p>

<p> 2002-2007:
As an active member of the Indian Community service organization, participated in and contributed to various community service projects in Dallas/ Fort Worth Metropolis for Plano City House (a shelter for troubled teens), Austin Street Center (a shelter for the homeless), and Meals on Wheels.</p>

<p> 2007:
Inducted into the Clark HS Chapter of NHS (National Honor Society)<br>
 2005:
Inducted into the Rice MS Chapter of NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) </p>

<p> 1997-2002:
Was a Cub Scout from 1st Grade through 5th Grade</p>

<p>Interests/ Hobbies, and Related Skills:
 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Areas
 Sports
 Music (Violin, Piano)
 Community Service
 Proficiency in Working with Computers
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
- Microsoft Office
- Macromedia Flash MX</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Improving your SAT score is probably pretty important. Also, they usually look for your extracurricular activities in high school, not before (unless you went to Mathcounts and got 1st in nation or won Scripps Spelling Bee or something like that). I'd probably say a reach...</p>

3

<p>Sorry to say, but your SAT scores are a real problem. Your CR+M score of 1350, while good for 98% of the schools in the country - is below the 25th percentile (1380) of accepted MIT applicants. Unless you bring the scores up substantially, you have scant chance of being accepted there.</p>

<p>You may have to set your sights a tad lower, but not to worry, there's plenty of good tech/math/science schools where your scores and grades would be very competitive. Here's a few:</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon
Georgia Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Case Western Reserve</p>

4

<p>Agreed that my SAT score is rather low, it's not like it's SO LOW that it's impossible to get into MIT, right? </p>

<p>Looking at my strengths: I did manage a 4.0 while taking college courses at TAMS, I got a $2500 TAMS scholarship to do research at the Unviersity of Texas at Dallas, I won numerous awards, and I'm hoping to win the regional science fair as well as Siemens/Intel/etc.</p>

<p>People do get in with lower scores right? SAT scores by themselves don't determine someone's chances right?</p>

<p>I'm planning to take the SAT again in June...if my scores improve to around 2200 - 2250 is that considered "good" ? </p>

<p>I really want to make MIT.</p>

5

<p>your college courses don't matter for peanuts unless you can score well on the SAT (after all, being in college means you should be above and beyond that material anyway). If nothing else, your poor SAT scores are an equally poor reflection on the university at which you are receiving classes. In any case, I have a feeling your college courses are not very different from APs (from the sounds of it). MIT is a big reach unless you significantly improve those scores.</p>

6

<p>Understood...Thanks for the advice everybody</p>

<p>I will work hard to improve my SAT scores.</p>

7

<p>Just a suggestion...</p>

<p>Take a look at Harvey Mudd College. It's a math/science/eng LAC...lots of cross-application with the schools that interest you. It's an excellent school, but, as a small LAC, it may be a bit more forgiving re: test scores. On the whole, its averages are quite high (I believe that you're currently at/below the 25% in both M/CR), but I know a few students who were accepted with sub-par scores and good amounts of otherwise-demonstrated skill/interest/experience. Your obvious passion could serve you well.</p>

<p>Judging from the other schools that you're looking at, HMC may not interest you because of (1) size (be sure to acquaint yourself with the Claremont consortium in general--<a href="http://www.claremont.edu--but"&gt;www.claremont.edu--but&lt;/a> even altogether, this is a different sort of set-up); (2) significant humanities requirement; (3) less widespread name recognition. </p>

<p>I'm not qualified to weigh in on your other chances, but you are an interesting applicant. Good luck!</p>

<p>ETA: As a previous poster mentioned, remove pre-HS activities/accomplishments from your resume, except where truly necessary or beneficial (Ex: to explain current depth of involvement, as with a longterm EC, or like the specific examples offered earlier). No need for 7th grade science project, no need for cub scouts. It makes you seem as if you're scrounging, when you really don't need to.</p>

<p>Also, don't assume high SAT II scores without specific preparation. You expected higher SAT I scores than you received, despite what looks like good proficiency, so learn from that experience. If your SAT I scores--particularly math--don't rise, then strong SAT II's might really help you. Try to find some online tests, study books, or something just to make sure you know what to expect.</p>

8

<p>Trim the fat on that application. You have a dizzying amount of little commitments here and there, and while the length is impressive, it's not terribly convincing in its portrayal of a future leader passionate about his or her extracurricular exploits. Do not include your victory in the 7th grade science fair, unless it's going to be a core theme of your application.</p>

<p>I know people have brought up SATs over and over, but because you're in a pretty unique high school system, something is going to have to convince MIT that you're in a legit system. They have no AP scores to look at, and if you're only getting a 680 on the math SAT, you're not going to look like you're being challenged enough to be accepted into one of the best technical schools in the nation. And remember APs are college courses as well, attending North Texas isn't going to directly convince anybody.</p>

<p>And as people are saying, there are many great engineering options that are decidedly easier to get into, and might have a more friendly environment.</p>

9

<p>We know students who go to TAMS and they get into MIT, CalTech, RSI, etc. every year. A student who transferred to TAMS from our high school got into both CalTech and MIT early this year. So I don't really think the problem is TAMS. I would suggest you talk to your TAMS counselor right away about your SAT scores. They probably have all sorts of resources to help you prepare and can help you pinpoint what went wrong. Perhaps you need to review lower level math that you haven't used in a while. Good luck!</p>

10

<p>definitely study for your SATs...it's not too late to bring them up</p>

11

<p>^ ditto...</p>

12

<p>Raise that math SAT. Why is it so low anyway if you're taking college-level courses?</p>

<p>REYLL STUDIOS doesn't seem to be that unique...I'm betting a significant portion of MIT's applicants knows how to webdesign and have done something substantial with it. </p>

<p>I would say MIT is a slight reach for you, and a total reach if you don't get your SAT Math up to at least 750. </p>

<p>God bless.</p>

13

<p>I've trimmed my resume as per general suggestion - I just put down anything and everything I could think of - but now it details only my high school years. </p>

<p>I'm really fixed on getting into MIT. About 5-6 TAMS kids are accepted into MIT each year - I really want to get in.</p>

<p>For now, I'm preparing on improving my SAT scores, as well as studying for my SAT II subject tests.</p>

14

<p>School courses are completely different from the SAT.</p>

<p>You could be the smartest kid in your school, but still screw up when it comes to the SAT. They both require different reasoning skills - some ppl have both and do extremely well on the SAT, some ppl have to work hard to get a decent score.</p>

15

<p>^ Although that is true, my opinion is that if you're good at math, you're good at math (especially Algebra as in the SAT). Don't make that reason your crutch.</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
School courses are completely different from the SAT.</p>

<p>You could be the smartest kid in your school, but still screw up when it comes to the SAT. They both require different reasoning skills - some ppl have both and do extremely well on the SAT, some ppl have to work hard to get a decent score.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The SAT is basically a form of an IQ test. "ppl" that are really good at school and yet do badly on the SAT are just the "ppl" that overachieve and put in a lot of time to do well. If a kid is really the "smartest" in the school, he/she should also have one of the best SAT scores.</p>

17

<p>^um, no. not really</p>

18

<p>"The SAT is basically a form of an IQ test. "ppl" that are really good at school and yet do badly on the SAT are just the "ppl" that overachieve and put in a lot of time to do well. If a kid is really the "smartest" in the school, he/she should also have one of the best SAT scores."</p>

<p>I rarely disagree with you atomicfusion but I just have to right now. The SAT is not in any way, shape, or form an IQ test. It is a generic exam that is meant to measure one's readiness for college based on an expected HS curriculum and set of acquired skills.</p>

<p>Proof:
Taking an SAT class can increase your SAT score by a statistically significant value.
Since IQ is a long-term function of mental function, the class cannot have a profound enough impact on one's IQ.
Therefore, the increase in score from the SAT class comes from something other than an intelligence increase.
The SAT is not a direct function of IQ.
QED</p>

<p>Also, don't get me started on my examples. I didn't do too hot on the SAT because I don't read very quickly. Does that make me dumb? No. It just means that my optical symbol to abstraction process/synapsis sucks. Sometimes it is because my eyes hurt and other times it is because I suck at character recognition. Not to boast, however, but I've been told that I'm not too shabby even for a Mudder.</p>

19

<p>S2-S1>∂ (two scores, 2, 1)
∂ is significant
IQ=f(</p>

20

<p>(Lest the OP doubt that Mudd might hold any appeal...;))</p>