<p>I'm a high school senior who's about to graduate this June. I applied to MIT, Boston University, WPI, Purdue University, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly SLO, California Baptist University, and Santa Monica College. So far, I only get accepted to Santa Monica College. I got 1300 on the SAT (reading, math, writing) and 630 on the math level 2 subject test. I have about 3.34 GPA. I only passed one AP exam. I'm now preparing to take the AP Calc BC exam this May. My father told me that if I can't get accepted to MIT, then I shouldn't go to other colleges even if I got accepted to other colleges. And he also told me that I can also take a year off. I want to major in electrical engineering at college and he told me to go to South Korea to study electrical engineering because they have advanced programs in STEM (science, technology, math, engineering). What should I do? I don't want to go to a normal college that can't get me a job after I graduate either and I don't want to waste my time in a bad college either but I don't think that I can get into such a college like MIT. Should I go back to South Korea like my dad told me to? My goal is to learn electrical engineering and invent advanced electronic devices and become electrical engineer and entrepreneur. I just want a college that can provide what I want. </p>
<p>Well first of all i highly doubt you’re going to get into MIT, secondly every college under MIT isnt a “normal college” that wont get you a job. </p>
<p>Engineers can get jobs if they don’t go to MIT. Any of the schools you name are fine.</p>
<p>I would have suggested a different college list, there are more CSUs than you mention, but you can also go to a community college for two years and transfer into a UC through TAG. I am not Korean and don’t speak the language or know the schools there, so I can’t really evaluate leaving to go to school there.</p>
<p>Or, if you do take a gap year, work on your SAT scores, and bring them up. Your gpa will get you in more places if you have higher test scores.</p>
<p>It’s unrealistic for anyone to have an “MIT or nothing” attitude. It’s just too competitive a school that turns away thousands of “perfect” students every year. Consider that it’s not just about getting in. Do you feel prepared to compete against the typical MIT kid in engineering? You may have more opportunity to stand-out at a less competitive school and thus, have a better resume upon graduating. </p>
<p>But if I take a gap year and score well on the SAT, will I be able to get into MIT? What other things do I need to work on to improve my chances for MIT? What about the GPA? If I take a gap year, I won’t attend school so what about the gpa?</p>
<p>My dad said besides MIT, other colleges are useless for my major and that Korea has many programs in my major. After I learn the techniques, I can always go to another country, anywhere I want. And after I learn the techniques, I’ll be able to invent electronic devices and earn huge money. Am I right?</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, Georgia Tech has more students from South Korea than any other college in the U.S. and they are all getting an excellent education. </p>
<p>Honestly, MIT is a very long shot with your grades, even with a perfect test score. Almost all engineering schools teach EE, but if you want to go to Korea, that’s an option. </p>
<p>I just don’t want to waste time, that’s all. My goal is to learn electrical engineering ASAP and invent electronic devices to earn huge money, that is all. If MIT is a very long shot with my grades even with a perfect test score, then I’d rather go back to Korea. And I don’t want to go to community college because they don’t offer advanced math courses beyond differential equations, am I right?</p>
<p>You are not going to get into MIT with a 1300 TOTAL score on the Sat. Sorry. </p>
<p>You can always go to some place else and transfer after two years.</p>
<p>You aren’t ever going to get into MIT–that’s a silly fantasy with a 3.34 GPA and no compensating extraordinary accomplishments on your resume (at least none you’ve mentioned). More important, though, with a 630 on your Math SAT II and truly terrible SAT I’s, why do you think you have the ability to take an “advanced STEM program” in Korea or anywhere else and succeed in a challenging field like electrical engineering (much less “invent electronics to earn huge money”–lol)? I think you should see a career counselor to get some guidance on what sort of college major and career you are best suited for in the real world and stop fantasizing about MIT and huge money. As for your father, he also seems to be quite ignorant about higher education in this country (i.e., thinking any US school other than MIT is a bad college) so I wouldn’t pay attention to his questionable advice.</p>
<p>Why do you think I don’t have the ability to do it? Why would I choose a different major rather than EE? EE is the perfect major for me because it’s challenging. And I’m very serious about my future. </p>
<p>I question your ability because the best predictor of one’s future academic performance is one’s past performance. If you have a particular aptitude for the STEM area, it’s not apparent from your GPA or scores. Wanting a challenge and being serious are not enough. For the sake of argument, I’m accepting the proposition that these Korean colleges are better for EE than all the US colleges other than MIT–an absurd concept, but let’s go with it. Can you compete with students who have 4.0’s in all their math and science classes, 5’s in math and science AP’s, and 700’s in math and science SAT II’s? Because that’s who’ll be sitting next to you at the most challenging engineering schools. I’m sure there are good colleges in the US where you could try EE and see if you can hack it. But your grades and scores suggest this would not be an easy path for you. Best of luck in whatever you decide.</p>
<p>MIT and UC Berkeley are far reaches. There’s nothing you can do except stick to your goal, and always strive to improve.</p>
<p>Can you get into a South Korean university with those grades? I read that South Korea has one of the most difficult entrance exams. I’d think their academic standards would be high too. You aren’t a strong candidate for much of your list, would you be a top candidate in Korea? If you are, why assume they have better programs than any school other than MIT? You seem pretty set and so I can only say good-luck. I just recommend your keep those options open.</p>
<p>I don’t think your father understands much about college and careers here in the U.S. or even in Korea. Almost any ABET accredited engineering school will work out for you. If you start at Santa Monica you would take the prerequisites for engineering and then transfer into a UC engineering school or a CSU and finish up with a good 4 year engineering degree. </p>
<p>In Korea, the top schools are fiercely competitive and you would not be qualified to get into them. Standardized exams are very important and yours are too low. So you would have to go to a much lesser school, if you even can. Still it is something to investigate.</p>
<p>You did not apply to a realistic list of schools because your combination of grades and scores are too low. But wait and see what happens. Santa Monica is a very good CC and you can talk to the transfer advisor and make a plan. If you do very well you can get in a good UC and graduate from there.</p>
<p>Now what have you been inventing and doing with your spare time? Are you running your own business, tinkering with electronics, doing robotics, coding apps, even working on cars or doing anything to show your aptitude for inventing and working on things? All those things are of interest when you apply to college. It will also tell you if you are the sort of person who can do the things you want. Colleges can teach you about the academics but you have to be the one to take initiative and do things and think of things. </p>
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<p>You are not looking for a 21st-century American university experience.
You are looking for what is referred to as a “trade school.”</p>
<p>MIT and most of the other schools you mentioned, are very much NOT that. Not by a long-shot.</p>
<p>P.S. I think you should put that quote above on your application essays. You should be honest with the schools to which you are applying and it’s important for them to know the type of student you will be, how you will contribute to the life of the university, etc.</p>
<p>There is just some kind of disconnect here. Some kind of problem, maybe.</p>
<p>Knowledge10, are sure you are saying your got 1300 out of 2400? Not 1300 out of 1600? </p>
<p>I don’t care about the difficulty of the entrance exams. In US, most colleges only look for the SAT, GPA, and extracurricular activities. I’m not good at any of them. SAT plays a major role in college admissions of USA. I only care about math, physics, electrical engineering. And Korea seems to offer what I want. I’m not that fluent in Korean but my father said the professors at korean colleges all speak English, so that’s pretty ideal for me. Can anyone tell me what they test you on the entrace exams at korea? Is it mostly math? What level of math?</p>