Hi,
I am an international applicant from Canada and I would like to know if my grades are competitive for MIT.
Note that in Canada 80-100% is an A.
Below are my average for each year:
9: 87%
10: 93%
11(current):99%
My average has increased 6% each year, is this a good thing that I have shown progression?
Would it have been better if I had just had 99% for all of the years?
Progression is definitely good, but schools like MIT look beyond grades when it comes to admission. Your ECs, essays, letters of recommendation, etc. all play a big role in the process, so there isn’t a decision-making difference between a kid with 99% all three years and a kid who improves 6% every year to a 99% his junior year. Many kids are rejected from MIT with perfect test scores and 4.0 GPAs, while some are accepted with imperfect grades and test scores. Top-tier schools are looking for people, not numbers.
More is always better, but you’ll find diminishing returns. Your current grades are excellent, and if you keep them up, I doubt they’ll be a detriment to your application! Also, to my knowledge (and like azwu331 said), the more selective American schools care less about your scores than most any other portion of your application.
The Canadian system may be dissimilar in this respect, but that’s cool! Canada is cool. The real clincher for universities down south, though, will be the rest of your app.
Have you tried the SAT or ACT yet? MIT also requires 2 SAT subject tests and they expect scores of 750+ on each of them. D16 has excellent grades and an excellent ACT score, but the subject tests kicked her butt. The math and science curricula in Canada lag behind the US. They catch up by the end of grade 12, but you will need to take the subject tests by mid grade 12 at the latest. So, you will not have covered all of the math/chemistry/physics/biology that is covered by their subject tests. I recommend start prepping for the SAT or ACT and the subject tests now.
MIT will also look seriously at your extracurriculars. Do you have extracurriculars that are related to what you want to study?