<p>I know the poli sci program at MIT is amazing, but I'm worried because I'm not much of a math/science program. So here's my question: would MIT be more inclined to admit a poli sci major who is good at humanities stuff but eh at math and science or would it be more inclined to admit someone who is decent at humanities stuff but amazing at math and science? I just have this overwhelming feeling that it would be the latter because MIT wants to maintain its reputation. What is your opinion on this?</p>
<p>Here's some more info about me: I'm not terrible at math/science but I've never been that interested in it so I've never really gone above and beyond in the subject. I have multiple awards at science fair but it's nothing like international intel/isef. It's only regional awards in a very competitive county. Math is actually one of my favorite subjects but I have nothing to show for it except for that I'm taking IB Math HL next year. My subject test (730 in math 2) and SAT math portion (700) are generally mediocre and pretty horrible for MIT. Do you think I'm on the right track with assuming that MIT will value their reputation of being a strong math and science school and neglect the fact that I'm good at humanities? Please let me know if you have the same view or if you believe I'm completely off track. </p>
<p>There have been many similar threads in the past so I would advise looking at those. An important question is why do you want to go to MIT (political science is not a sufficient answer by itself)? If you have a good answer you may be overcome the weak (for MIT) math scores. If you don’t have a good answer then you will probably get rejected (as you should in that case).</p>
<p>I can’t understand wanting to go to a school with a math/science core if you want to study polysci. I mean the department is great, but you WILL study math through multivariable calculus, a year of physics, chemistry and biology. Then there are science distribution requirements, etc. That’s a lot unless you have substantial interest. </p>
<p>In order to graduate from MIT, you will need to take a year of calculus, a year of physics, a semester of chemistry, a semester of biology, two additional restricted electives in science/engineering, and a lab course. You need to have sufficient interest and skill to get through those requirements.</p>
<p>From my understanding, our political science department is takes on a more science-based approach than on average, and you’ll be surrounded by students who love science and engineering throughout the school (in your living group, clubs, etc).</p>
<p>You don’t have to be amazing at math and science, but you have to be cool with the above.</p>
<p>That’s it. MIT students don’t all love math and science, but they are all fairly comfortable and tolerant of it, if only because they need to take a lot of it, compared with other top level universities. That being said, the OP says that math is “one of my favorite subjects”. That actually sounds right. If math is one of your favorite subjects, but you really want to study political science, then you might match very well for an MIT student in these fields. </p>
<p>The admissions office knows that not everyone comes to MIT to study science and engineering. There are plenty of students studying architecture, political science, linguistics, and even the humanities. One of the ECs in my region has an undergraduate degree in music composition from MIT. They are unlikely to admit someone who they do not feel can handle the math/science requirements, but if you can, then the fact that you want to major in a non-STEM field is not a problem or an issue in any way.</p>
<p>I actually love math but I’ve never felt inclined to do more in the subject (like math competitions or independent study). Even though it doesn’t show through my standardized tests, I am quite good at it and have gotten the highest grades in my math classes since the 7th grade. Science is another story. I have always gotten good grades in science classes and I actually like physics and genetics, but not much else of biology or chemistry. I like the analysis involved in science, which is why I do so well in science fair, but I’m not good with memorization which is why science is sometimes difficult for me. </p>
<p>I like the poli sci program at MIT because like I mentioned above, I like the analysis part of science, specifically interpreting data. I’ve taken IB physics and part of our internal assessments is to do a data analysis. I totally crush this. I analyze the data so thoroughly that my teacher has a hard time coming up with any suggestions for me to improve on. The data analysis involves finding the line of best fit, linearizing if necessary, determining what that lines mean, interpreting the slope, finding error bars, finding uncertainties (my favorite part) and then finally, concluding with what we could have done better with our experiment. I find all of this fun, and I may be wrong, but my impression is that the poli sci program at MIT consists of a lot of stuff similar to the data analysis I did in class. </p>
<p>Also thank you all for answering my question! I am getting a few mixed responses though so I would love more feedback from others at MIT or those merely familiar with the school. I don’t mind how the poli sci program is science and math centered, but I am iffy about all the general science requirements that all students have to take.</p>
<p>Very little of the general science courses at MIT will require memorization, if that’s a concern for you. </p>
<p>I think you are overestimating the amount of data analysis in undergrad political science classes. MIT’s undergrad political science curriculum may be more quantitative than most other places but it seems the large majority of undergrad classes are non quantitative (17.869 and 17.871 and some electives are exceptions). At least historically MIT political science was primarily known for IR and comparative politics not quantitative methods. </p>
<p>Data analysis in political science (and other social sciences) is generally quite different than in natural sciences. Because social scientists rarely have experimental data it is much more difficult to make causal inferences. The data analysis in high school classes is also very simple.</p>
<p>I think many other schools offer what you are looking for that are not initially competitive as MIT. They recognize that some students may want to change majors after getting in, and they want to make sure all students are qualified and ready for their extremely rigorous courseload in their math and science courses.</p>
<p>Many schools who require students to take statistics courses as a political science major and apply it in their other classes may offer the environment you seek. It should be noted though, that political science is not directly quantitative itself, but will definitely ask you to support your stances with evidence such as statistics</p>
<p>I was a HASS major at MIT, and I was admitted with a score lower than the OP’s on the math section of the SAT I. I wanted to study the humanities and I wanted to take serious math and science classes. Your profile reminds me a bit of my own and I think you would fit in well at MIT.</p>
<p>Obviously, even at MIT, student with intel awards are a rarity. Most students simply got good grades in their math and science classes at school. They’re not all mini Einsteins. Don’t think that they’re all going to be leagues above you.</p>
<p>In terms of interactions you’ll have with other students, I think it can be a bit difficult to be a HASS major. It was very common for people to assume that people in my course had switched after doing poorly in another major. People usually name their classes by giving the titles or course numbers for their technicals and then adding on “and a HASS.” That always gave me the impression that they cared very little as to what HASSes they were taking and assumed that others would be equally uninterested. Many of my friends were sure to take the easiest, least immersive HASSes possible and then went on to assume that since most of my classes were HASS, I had little to no “real work.” It can definitely be very annoying to be a HASS major at MIT.</p>