I have been wondering for a while whether it would be worthwhile for me to apply to MIT.
*My SAT scores were 740 in math and 770 in verbal (for a total of 1510).
*I have participated in UMPTYMP (University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program) for the past four years, including this one.
*My grades are good, but not exceptional, my average is probably an A-.
*I have always taken the hardest courses available, and I usually did better in hard courses (My UMPTYMP grades are almost all A’s, with one or two A-'s)
*I am somewhere in the top quarter of my class, though I don’t know exactly where.
*My lowest grade is a C+, in Honors English 10. I think this was a grading error, but I failed to get it corrected.
So, would it be worth the time (and money) to apply?
If the mods feel this is better suited to IMHO, please move it.
I applied (class salutatorian, 760 SAT math score), and I got an interview, but I didn’t get in. What the heck, it’s worth a shot. If you can claim minority status, that’ll probably help. Back when I applied, MIT would take maybe 3 or 4 people from each state, so you’ll be up against some very stiff competition.
As someone who applied to MIT three years ago, I can tell you that they are very selective. Without knowing your GPA (there’s a big difference between 3.9 and 3.6 for example), it’s hard to tell. Also, MIT might be interested in your other activities because think of it like this. Nearly everyone who is applying there will have as good of credentials as you. You need to set yourself apart somehow, and having unique extra-curricular activities is a great way to do that. With such a high SAT score I think you should apply. Anything in the 1500s is very good, and usually MIT will be looking for students that are way up there. I think you’re in fairly good shape if your GPA is high and you make yourself well-rounded on the application with extra-curricular activities, etc. Good luck!
You probably want to talk to a counselor, either at your high school or hire a private consultant, who can review your record in total and give you some ideas of schools you can get into and schools that you will “fit in.”
I’m sure there are plenty of folks who had the record to get into MIT or some other Ivy League school, but who were personally better suited to go to, say, a small liberal arts college.
Just on the basis of your SAT scores, I think you should apply.
I believe that schools put more emphasis on the SATs than they like to admit.
My own anecdotal experience: I was admitted to several fairly selective schools, including U.C. Berkeley, U. of Chicago, and Rice University (where I went). My SATs were high (though not as high as yours) and my grades were comparable to yours.
My sister also applied to Rice University a few years later. Her grades were better than mine, but her SATs were lower. She didn’t get in.
As for you, quelquechose, if you don’t apply, you have no chance of being admitted. Don’t have regrets later in life for not trying.
Your grades and scores are as good as those of a lot of MIT students. I would say that it definitely would be worth applying, if you want to go. It will probably depend a lot on the quality of your extracurriculars and your essays.
Have you visited MIT? It’s a wonderful school, but it appeals to a particular quirky type of student, I think. I transferred there from UC Berkeley, and was much happier. I did much better when surrounded by geeks like myself, in a culture that valued and celebrated cleverness. Others can’t deal with not being the big fish in the pond any more, and are very unhappy.
Grades and scores aren’t everything. It’s been said about Harvard - and so is probably true of most of the “elite” schools - that they could fill their Freshman class with nothing but valedictorians if they chose.
They don’t choose. They want a wider, rounder, more diverse student body. So you should feel every incentive to apply wherever you want and think you have an equally good chance to get in.
After they set aside all those places for the children of donating alumni, of course.
I don’t have a whole lot of extra curricular activities. I have been in Future Problem Solving since fifth grade, and I have gone to State Competition every year, and to International twice. I also work 20 hours a week, and have volunteered as a teacher’s assistant at a summer program for gifted children. I will probably be on math team next year, and possibly Science Olympiad (I will be working less).
Also, I am interested in studying biology (probably microbiology). Does anyone what schools I could reasonably get into with strong Biology programs? I’m especially interested in whether there are any around here (Twin Cities, MN).
I had higher scores and higher grades than you did, and MIT still rejected me. Surprised the hell out of my college guidance counselor. But the same year, they accepted an ex-boyfriend of mine who’d moved down to Madison to spend his senior year taking classes at the university, but got terrible grades because he spent the whole time playing Everquest and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Once you get within a certain range of grades and scores, a lot of it is just luck. So don’t have your heart set on it and don’t take it personally if you get rejected, but I certainly think you have a shot.
A small liberal arts college?? With that record s/he at least ought to be able to get into school with a strong math department. Or physics, or engineering, or whatever the interest is.
Maybe he could consider something like Harvey Mudd, or UCSD?
Well, for what it’s worth, I’ll be going there this fall, and here are all my pertinent statistics.
SAT I’s: 770 Verbal, 760 Math. The average scores for this year’s admitted class were 720 Verbal and 760 Math.
SAT II’s: 770 Physics, 790 Writing, 790 Math
My grades were similar to yours: mostly A-'s, with a few B+'s and A’s, all in courses that were the most difficult offered
My school officially doesn’t do ranking, but I think I was something like 25/380 in 11th grade.
I think it was my extracurricular activities that got me in, though. For three years I’ve been working for a software company doing programming, and one of the systems I’ve written is now being used by literally hundreds of major companies. I’ve also written about 15 web-based administrative systems for my high school (for free), and have started a company to sell them to other districts. I got letters of reccommendation from my boss at the company and the technology director at the high school, which I think helped a lot.
I haven’t really done any major extracurriculars besides that: I don’t play any sports (on school teams anyway), and have never participated in any clubs because I have a low tolerance for idiots. I was never in any sort of academic competition or group (like the math team).
I actually applied early and was deferred, then got in through regular decision. I’m also an upper-class white male, which does play a role in the decision (regardless of what they tell you).
Your grades and test scores are certainly high enough to get past the threshold that MIT would set on basic performance. But most applicants to schools like that will pass that threshold, and the school can still only admit maybe 10% of the remainder. What means they use to determine, within that group, who they admit is something of a mystery. For what it’s worth, I had higher grades and test scores and did not get in.
But there’s certainly nothing in the information you’ve provided that would make them reject you out of hand. Beyond that, who knows what they look for. So go for it.
I’m at Northwestern University right now . Though I’m not a Bio major, I’ve heard the department is supposed to be good. One thing I do know is they used to only accept Bio credit from here and Harvard, but don’t accept Harvard anymore because it’s too easy. My roommate is a molecular biogenetics major and says he can answer some questions if you have any.
I’m from Minnesota, too. It’s about a 7-8 hour drive back home for me (I’m about halfway between the cities and Duluth). Also, some of my friends from the cities take the train back for breaks. The weather isn’t gorgeous, but it’s a pretty noticible difference in the middle of winter. It’s also funny to see all the people from California complain about the weather and try to walk on ice without falling.
UCSD? Come on (while we’re flinging incredulity around here).
Are, you, by any chance, a girl? MIT has slightly preferential admissions towards women, as I understand it. You stats are good, but they by no means guarantee admission into an institution like MIT. As some have already noted, admission into a school like MIT is never guaranteed.
You should always apply to at least one school that feels almost out of reach. You never know, you might get in. Likewise, you should always apply to one school that you could barely get rejected from if you tried. Your “safety.”
You should also think about what kind of university you would like to attend… big, small, urban, rural, etc. This has a huge impact on your college experience.
Current MIT grad student here (not for much longer). I was rejected (wait-listed actually) for the undergrad program. I had excellent grades in high school and SAT scores similar to yours. I had a lot of extra-curricular activities as well – numerous music ensembles, yearbook photo team, etc.
I believe my interview (with an MIT alum that lived in my area) is what sunk my application. The interviewer was disappointed that I had not travelled extensively and that I had not played on any high-school sports teams. It is these extra, non-academic activities that will make or break your application. Grades alone are not enough, since everyone here has high SAT scores and A averages, nor are things like the math team and tutoring, since everyone here did that stuff too.
After being at MIT as a grad student for a number of years now, all I can say is that it’s a unique place. There are good teachers here, but also bad ones, and there are more grad students than undergrads. There is not nearly as much diversity (in the sense of diverse student interests, personalities, etc.) as at my eventual undergrad university. You should definitely apply, but visit (and spend a while) to see if you like it – both the school itself and the people who go here.
He/she said she was interested in biology. Basically any school one chooses to go to will have a biology department. Some students like small schools better than large ones. If the choice is between going to, say, Amherst or Pomona and enjoying one’s college experience, or going to a larger university, esteemed though it may be, and not fitting in, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to consider the former. These are things a counselor can help a student figure out.
I wonder why the suggestion to open one’s mind to a liberal arts college, among other options, warrants two question marks. Whatever.
What’s that supposed to mean, exactly? There are a lot of small liberal arts colleges out there that are excellent. Close to home (for the poster), Carleton is a top-notch school—and they have an excellent math/CS department. There are others scattered around the Midwest and, for that matter, all over the country. State schools and big private universities have their place in the world, but the small college is nothing to sneeze at. (In the US at least; I understand that “college” in some other parts of the world means something more akin to what we would call a “community college” or “junior college”.)
With regards to MIT, it can’t hurt to try. Whatever their average SAT, class rank, GPA, whatever, half of the people that went there got lower! A 1510 is respectable anywhere. Just remember not to sell yourself short on your application: make note of all the things that make you an interesting person that they’d want to invite, as opposed to just a statistic—statistics they can get anywhere.
Oh, and I just can’t let this slide:
MIT is not an Ivy League school. Whether you regard that as a plus or a minus is up to you.
The liberal arts include math and natural sciences. A liberal arts college is opposed to, say, law, medicine, or business, i.e., professional skill-oriented colleges.
My roommate is a molecular biogenetics major and says he can answer some questions if you have any.