<p>Wouldn’t it make even more sense for you to apply to MIT, rather than settling for a second rate school?</p>
<p>You’ve already convinced yourself that you don’t have much of a chance/interest at a top school with a liberal arts focus (basically all ivies). Plus you wouldn’t have posted your stats if you weren’t looking for some sort of reassurance/confidence booster. It’s a no brainer that you’re competitive at MIT.</p>
<p>You’re going to base your entire future off of being afraid to ask for a rec?
The worst that can happen is they say no or they say yes, you get rejected, and are out the application fee. If you can’t even take a small risk like that, than you probably do not belong at MIT anyways.</p>