I would like to hear your opinion about my circumstance.
I’m an international student from Indonesia.
I got 800 for SAT Math 1, Math 2 and Physics.
I got 1900 for SAT Reasoning Test.
And 89 in TOEFL iBT.
Last year, I applied to my dream university - MIT but wasn’t accepted.
On the other side, I got full scholarship to a university in South Korea.
Now, I’m really thinking about taking a gap year, making up my iBT and SAT Score, and re-apply as an undergraduate at MIT.
I didn’t have many great achievements as what students there usually did.
I only got Gold Medal for Math Olympiad and Silver Medal for Physics (both of them are national level) and I also participated in International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) without getting any medal.
I also join a futsal and basketball team, music group but I’ve only won regional competitions and don’t have any certificates to prove it.
My long-term mission is to fight against poverty and have a company to financially support that mission. So, should I reapply or just go to Korea?
I think that’s all I can say. It would be nice to hear from you guys.
It’s tough to say because I don’t really know anything about the quality of South Korean colleges. Are they good schools? How much is that free ride worth to you? Would you be able to afford relocating to America to attend MIT if you get accepted later without financial aid?
Note that there are other very good engineering schools in the US not located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Did you apply to MIT and no where else? But unless your parents are wealthy, I would recommend that you strongly consider taking advantage of the full scholarship you were offered.
(Disclaimer: I attended Rensselaer, after applying to and rejected from MIT.)