What is my chance at MiT?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

SAT: 2270 (800 Math, 740 CR, 730 Writing)

-GPA: 95/100, 3.9 uw, 4.05 weighted (My school doesn’t give many APs)

-Class Rank: 9/110 (Top 9%)

-AP: 4 AP Biology, 4 AP Language and Composition. Will be taking AP Calc AB (studying for BC, not offered in my school explicitly), and AP European History.
*My school only allows 2 APs per year, beginning junior year.

-EC’s: National Honor Society, National Hispanic Recognition Scholar, Chess Club (President, have won official tournaments), Comic book club, Member of the Bronx Scifest Research Program at Lehman, Vice President of Student council.

Volunteer activities: Tutoring in algebra, chemistry, and trigonometry; Science lab assistant; Parent-teacher translator; Physics research assistant . In total 110 hours

Notable events: Finalist at MiT iNSPiRe (presented a research paper at MiT); Cornell Summer College on a full scholarship, A in Calculus; 97th percentile junior ranking in Chess after four tournaments; Translator (English - Spanish - Japanese - French).

State: New York
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
School type: Public School
Hooks: Taught myself operational calculus (I’ve taken derivatives and integrals with algebra to derive physics formulas, though I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time); Curious about things that nobody thinks about too hard (i.e. baskets); Push myself to solve problems alone
lncome: 30,000-48,000 (Household of 3)

Regents (I heard they don’t really care about these though):
ELA 79
Global history 98
Algebra ii 99
Algebra 100
Geometry 96
Living environment 86
Chemistry 94
Japanese 90
US History 98

2

MIT is a really competitive school (with a 5-7%) acceptance rate, so although your SAT is decent and your GPA is good (not amazing but good), you should apply and try your luck. Make sure your essays are amazing–and I MEAN AMAZING. At a school of this calibre, tens of thousands of applicants will have SATs/ACTs/GPAs higher than the next and extracurriculars that are somewhat bizarre (research, olympiads etc). Truth be told, even these people will be rejected inevitably; I read on MIT’s website that a guy built his own NUCLEAR FUSION REACTOR and was REJECTED. The admissions processes is grueling as heck.

So what matters most when MIT is looking at all these students with similar range SATs in the 2200s-2400, ACTs from 34-36, and 10-20 extracurriculars? Essays. That’s what separates the individual in this kind of competition. Even then, you could still do everything right and not make it. Sometimes you just need luck. But don’t give up hope.

Good luck man

3

Your hooks are not “hooks”. Hooks are URM, first gen, last name Kennedy, Obama, etc.

4

School might not be too good if not many AP courses and in Bronx: this is a negative for MIT. Worth applying to MIT if strong SAT IIs.

5

You may be eligible through questbridge. Google it. Also post in the parents forum about more info for questbridge. I don’t know that much about it, but many others in that forum do . Don’t ask about chances, because no one really knows. You seem to be a competitive applicant. You will need to take sat 2 tests. Also please have safeties and matches.

6

Also, the # of AP’s you took will be judged in context of your school. You may be aware that SUNY’s offer free tuittion for NY state residents in top 10% in STEM areas. But you have to work in NY State after you graduate. Anyway, something to keep in your list of options.
Link:
http://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/nys-grants-scholarships-awards/nys-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem-incentive-program.html

Be aware that the SUNY’s such as Binghamton, Stony Brook , Buffalo are top notch universities as well. Many students dismiss these schools offhand because all they hear is MIT or Cornell is the best. Put the SUNY’s in as matches /safeties

7

@michelle426 Ah, sorry. I thought hooks were essay topics that may draw the college’s attention. I can’t edit the post anymore, but I am a URM, a first generation applicant, and am from the Bronx (not a very wealthy area).

@mathprof63 Thank you so much for the options. Those look great, but having to work in NY after I graduate seems so incredibly limiting. It would be something I’d have to do for the rest of my life in NY, no?

8

@StrikerX well then you should be fine. I say apply.

9

Re:NY tuition - No, not a lifetime - the obligation is for a few years. Check the link. If you don’t follow through, then the freebie turns into a loan.

10

“Curious about things that nobody thinks about too hard (i.e. baskets); Push myself to solve problems” - Hook of the year…

MIT - low reach?

11

Your EC’s are good, but show nothing related to your major (which is what btw?)

12

My major would be physics.

@iamjack Sounds boring, but it’s much better in story form. Just trust me on that.

13

I think you definitely have a shot. Your stats seem better than mine (2060 SAT and no ECs in the STEM field) and I was admitted last year. I was also a National Hispanic Scholar, but I’m a female so my chances of being admitted were probably a bit higher. I’d like to second what sattut said about APs: MIT seems like they could care less about them. MIT requires you to take at least two SAT II tests to apply: one math and one science. I didn’t know this until late in the fall and had to send my scores blind, which I would not recommend. Take the tests ASAP. Also, MIT does not let you declare your major until sophomore year and does not ask you what your plan is at all on your application, so you shouldn’t worry about tailoring yourself to be the ideal physics scholar. I’d say your tutoring covers your math and science bases (I also tutored peers in similar subjects). My advice is to play up your diversity in your application.

14

Thanks anmurno, I really appreciate the advice and encouragement. May I ask what you mean by play up my diversity? Do you mean just make sure I bring up how my ethnicity and life have influenced me in my essay?

15

MIT is a reach for everybody, but I wouldn’t say that your chances are any worse than most other people’s. I know MIT probably won’t look at regents exam scores, but I’m just wondering about the 79 on English. I’m not trying to be mean or anything, I swear, but it does seem a little low.

16

I wouldn’t worry too much about AP’s if you’re limited by what your school offers. I know MIT students who took no AP/IB courses. Also, the ones you have likely won’t grant you credit (unless you score a 4 or 5 on BC, or a 5 on any of the arts/history exams - MIT gives 9 units of elective credit if I’m not mistaken).

I don’t know much about NY Regents, but I didn’t bother putting my state standardized test scores when applying to MIT.

It will still be a reach since it’s a reach for nearly everyone.

17

hmm, if you dont mind… id try to make a guess on why you say thinking about baskets is interesting in story form.

Basically, you did really well in a physics class and you found the time to wander off and think about questions that seem stupid on a superficial level but you secretly know that you are understanding a level of the content no one else in the class is, and you feel like you are the next issac newton. am i right?

18

@emilyskates Yeah, don’t worry about it, I think it’s low too. I hadn’t taken an English class designed for the regents in almost a year by then, so nobody told me that the book I chose to write about wasn’t ‘good for the test essay’ until afterwards. The test is weighted very heavily on a couple of essays, and doing mediocrely on one is enough for a steep decline in your grade.

@MITer94 Fair enough. Thanks!

@iamjack Nope. I’ve never taken a physics class, I just enjoy thinking about the things in it. Honestly, what I think about sometimes borders on being part of an engineering class, like using my shadow as a compass or whatever. But baskets were just one of the gateways to thinking about these dumb things, and I think it’ll be an interesting story if I do it right. I’m well aware I’m no Isaac Newton lol.

19

Seems like your credentials would be attractive to MIT and suggestive of a good fit. Not sure what Iamjack means by a low reach. I don’t really buy all this reach and safety designations anyway. For very competitive schools the issue is fit since above a certain criteria, scores and grades become meaningless. I’m pretty impressed that you took Japanese despite a Hispanic background.

The Regents seem irrelevant except to the extent that some schools count them as worth one semester or a quarter of the grade-so they may impact on the GPA but are meaningless for the sake of college applications outside NY and maybe even inside NY.

For MIT, this statement is off “So what matters most when MIT is looking at all these students with similar range SATs in the 2200s-2400, ACTs from 34-36, and 10-20 extracurriculars?”. I don’t think having 20 ECs would impress MIT much. The point is involve yourself in what you think is meaningful at a meaningful level of involvement. One very time consuming meaningful activity where you can demonstrate excellence is probably more valuable then having 20 ECs which you dabble in.

Good luck. You seem like a good EA candidate for MIT!

20

@lostaccount I’d always assumed that a person’s fit in the school would be more important than stats after a certain point, but I hear of so many conflicting viewpoints that I really don’t know what to believe. Thanks for clarifying the whole regents situation though.

I certainly have never had 20 extracurriculars at once, not even 5. But I have been playing chess since the 3rd grade, and began playing competitively in the 9th grade with pretty good success. And I’ve also been very invested in science, ranging from biology on animal planet and documentaries to physics and just looking at stuff around me. I’ve enjoyed those things for so many years that I think it’s a good idea to bring them up in my essay.

Thanks for the encouragement, I really appreciate it. I can’t apply EA because I still have to take SAT IIs, but I expect decent scores in those by the time I apply for regular action. I’ll be sure to apply regular decision since it seems like I have a chance though. Thanks!