Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Back in high school, I used to get by by memorizing patterns, tricks, and shortcuts to pass all my exams and assignments. Instead of trying to lead twenty different committees, pick the one that's the most special to you and give it everything you have. How to Get Into Stanford (by an Accepted Student), In her research project, recently featured in, , Lillian built a simple tool to investigate how well harvests would do in the next season. It's no surprise that admitted students have high ACT scores, too. Maybe teaching is your calling instead. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. Currently, MIT's acceptance rate is 4.1%, which means it only accepts around 4 applicants for every 100 people that apply. Stanford cares about far more than just academics, so try to squeeze in some good extracurriculars and volunteer experience. How much did your lunch cost? For the AP exams, aim for a 5 in each of these fields. All rights reserved. Note: If you've read our article on Harvard admissions, note that I will be covering similar material here. Remember that the less prestigious a competition or field is, the higher you have to rank in it to be afforded the same credit. There are lots of writers out there giving admissions advice without any personal experience. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? ), except MIT is simply more STEM-oriented than the other ones. 5 Jun. For example, you can opt to apply to become a Burchard Scholar (which Paul and I both are). While getting into Stanford is very tough, there are definite rules to Stanford admissions. For one, it's the oldest of the high school subject Olympiads, and it was the subject of Cold War tensions between the US and USSR. A Comprehensive Guide. You might want to skim this section, but do pay attention to the differences between the application processes at Harvard and Stanford. I love every blog where you mention Japanese and Japan :3, Dont worry I get emails that begin with Hey Christ a lot. Now, obviously, the more recognized the competition, the better. Describe one way you have collaborated with people who are different from you to contribute to your community. I think it all comes down to whether you want to be the big fish in the small pond, or the small fish in the big pond.. Thanks for the post! For example, if you started a theater club that has an impressive number of audience members or consistently do journal-quality academic research on Victorian English literature, you'd be well positioned for your spike. When it comes to prestigious STEM competitions, two of them take the cake: the US Math Olympiad (which I'll refer to as the "USAMO series") and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF). 07-22-2010 at 7:33 pm. All the money donated to Collegeboard!! by section 8 housing o'fallon mo stitch studio by nicole yarn chateau. 5. Amazing post! This second mythand by far the biggest and most harmful mythis that Stanford cares about students being well rounded in the sense that they should be equally excellent in all areas. A few dozen hours of volunteering is fine. When it comes to spikes, the name of the game is to be highly ranked in recognized fields. We've said it already and we'll say it again: MIT likes unique applicants. Audition for world-class ensembles, enter competitions, basically just stand out. ways. One of the most natural environments to be ranked in is a competition. Be number one or number two on your school debate team. Unfortunately, college admissions are much more like an unstable boat: being too well rounded will ultimately sink you. Part of this, however, is a self-fulfilling prophecy: because good engineering-type undergrads come here, it becomes an ideal place for similarly minded students. Past behavior is a predictor of future behavior. I came into MIT with a lot of hopes and ideas of what I was going to do. If you're a little weaker on the humanities side, shoring up your SAT/ACT score is the fastest and most effective way to improve. The MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) is one of the five schools of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But I did a summer program at MIT, and my brother went to MIT, and I really love the community and the mentality that exist at MIT. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it. Using these rules to your advantage will greatly increase your chances of getting in. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, one of the most difficult colleges to get into, wrote an entirely separate essay for the Stanford application, as high as 1420 on the SAT or 32 on the ACT, roughly 2,300 students Stanford accepts each year, humanities-heavy application that would do well at Harvard, improve quickly and consistently to the 700+ level on the SAT, our guide on how to get into the Ivy League, how many questions you can afford to get wrong, Our guide lists hundreds of extracurriculars, it's important for any student to have a professional academic scientist or engineer as their mentor, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Informatics (Computer Science) Olympiads, our complete guide to Stanford University, our college admissions and test-prep guide, You need high baseline academics, with SAT scores above 600 (ideally 750 in each section), You need to have a diverse set of extracurriculars at which you're good (but not necessarily a pro), You need to have a "spike" for which you're (ideally) ranked in the top 100-1,000 compared to other students, Stanford admissions is all about academics, Stanford wants you to be as evenly well rounded as possible. Starting your MIT application? I really understand what you mean. Stanford isn't just admitting students with the highest GPAs and the highest SAT/ACT scoresthey want a lot more than that! That means that, if you take the ACT multiple times, MIT will consider the highest score achieved in each section. Many students are strong in STEM but aren't exceptional when it comes to solving timed problems. You don't need to be captain of the football team, the co-chair of the debate team, and the first chair violinist in the school orchestra to get into MIT. The first reason is basic numbers: there are simply too many students with stellar academics. Needless to say, he'll fit right in at MIT next year. THIS, and the same applies to other selective schools (HYPS, ivies, top LAC's etc. In reality, the above truth of multi-area admissions is actually well known to people who have done even a minimal amount of college admissions research. As for your spike, since your natural strength is outside STEM, I wouldn't go for a STEM-type spike. When our Lit teacher first dissected The Four Quartets for us that warm sunny day in March of my senior year, my view towards English Literature changed forever. Admitting lots of students with different spikes allows Stanford to create the diverse student body it desires. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations? Its amazing to know that MIT offers so many opportunities for humanities thanks SO much for this post. ^ If you have any better way of writing about humanities at MIT without using personal examples, be my guest. It is no easier to be admitted as a prospective English or management major than as a prospective chemistry or electrical engineering major.</p> <p>Although MIT has excellent programs in many humanities and social science disciplines, prospective students in these fields should be aware that MIT's . Im not forcing you to read my blog, so if you think its revolting then by all means, please go do something else that doesnt disgust you. MIT wants to instill in us the confidence that after we leave the Institvte, we would be able to tackle whatever problems come our way, either through our own ability or with help from teammates. MIT students are high-achievers. If you havent noticed already. The picture of every undergrad goes on the departmental wall. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? The top 75% of admitted students score a 34 or above on the ACT. In fact, most early rounds are about recalling the text of Campbell Biology in a timed fashion. You'll need to be disciplined and work hard to compete with the other applicants. up to you. I dont personally think its real humanities though since the econ classes here use multivariate calculus at times but I know Econ at many other schools entail writing essays so meh. For me, I started out in a C. elegans lab with absolutely zero biology lab experience aside from looking at pretty slides and dissecting rats in AP Bio. Knowing the rules won't guarantee you admission, but you'll have a heck of a better chance than if you were applying in the dark. For your Stanford spike, you could brainstorm an amazing discovery, such as a biological process, an electrical engineering discovery, or something else entirely. You have to be an academic and community god. Thanks and great post! MIT admits around 1,400 students a year, and you can definitely be one of them! If you're applying to Stanford, it's important to know everything there is to know about the school. In short, it helps set you apart and makes you unique. These non-academic factors (often known under the umbrella term "extracurriculars") include participation in clubs or sports and a dedication to helping others. Think of it like this: whereas winning your high school's local science fair is like winning a 100-meter dash in your town, winning the ISEF is like winning the 100-meter dash in the Olympics. You might also consider playing a sport. 13211311123113112211. Besides that I also do quiz bowl, track, theater production, and assorted math/cs competitions. I'm not saying this to brag; I'm just letting you know that I have some unique qualifications that allow me to help you the most. And for your IAPs, did you have to be fluent in Japanese and Spanish to take part in it? Speaking of which, a kid who made IMO in 9th grade at my top school got rejected last year from MIT. I got in, 3.65 gpa but difficult school + lots of course rigor so I assume that was factored in. He would literally put all his time into building these robots, often skipping English classes, physics classes, and even sleep to spend time on this intense passion he had. Many opportunities via the MISTI international internship program are also possible if you demonstrate competence in a foreign language. Japan this January I did without MIT assistance (MIT doesnt have an IAP program in Japan), so that one was a little bit different. Didn't have too many ECs, but that's mostly because robotics takes up so much time and runs for most of the year. You can read about the competition's judging criteria and a real winner's experiences on the official website. For example, the Department of Literature (21L) offers an exciting series of literature classes that are generally only a dozen students in size, providing great interaction between professors and students for knowledge exchange, relationship building, and lets face it recommendation letters. Our guide lists hundreds of extracurriculars, which you can use to brainstorm how you can build a diversified base. What does a winning ISEF project look like? The best resource to train for the USAMO series is Art of Problem Solving. If you do well in that, you can advance to the next ISEF rounds. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Stanford is also by far the top US News-ranked school west of the Mississippi (the second is Caltech, which attracts a very different crowd). . I promise I will stop philosophizing (aka. In other words, aim for that high seat in your school orchestra. The USAMO series is all about pure math and solving problems fairly quickly (think a few minutes to an hour in a timed environment). This said, I want to point out some other reasons why I feel like if you are a strong humanities student, it may even be better for you to come to MIT rather than another traditional humanities school. Its ridiculously difficult but worth it for MIT. Just curious, but how many APs did you take in high school? There's nothing to set you apart. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. I hope the rest of you will similarly find this useful. They're difficult enough that getting a sufficiently high score signals you're in the 95th percentile or above in all the UScertainly enough to qualify as well rounded. you'll still have to pick and choose) 13112221. Im part of the MIT Model United Nations team (serving as the 09-10 president for the group) again, a very humanities activity, you probably would agree. Let's say that you are a smart student - not a genius by any means but have otherwise done some pretty impressive things. and psst, hes in one of the photos on that blog I linked to if you cant find him). Students whose forte isn't engineering should know that Stanford is welcoming of interdisciplinary study. MIT doesn't want to admit students who will be content to take their expensive diploma and sit at home doing nothing with it. There are many more STEM competitions besides the two above. As you know, strong test scores are an important part of your Stanford application. Your spike makes you a strong candidate because it's unlikely that many other students will have the exact same spike as you. College Info. MIT places a high value on having students with quirks and unique passions, not just high test scores. haha. When it comes to the students that get into MIT, the average SAT and ACT scores are incredibly high. Even if you're above the 50th percentile, if you haven't prepped at least a few dozen hours yet, you should aim for the 75th percentile to strengthen your application. I personally participated in each one of these while in high school. Fred graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor's in Mathematics and a PhD in Economics. Here's an excerpt from the profile of the 2020 1st place winner: "In her research project, recently featured inBloomberg, Lillian built a simple tool to investigate how well harvests would do in the next season. People with international awards are often rejected. MIT considers it as a Social Science so it fits in with our HASS requirement (humanities, arts, and social science). There are a ton of other IAP trips though through various MIT departments if you look for them. Stanford cares about extracurriculars, too, and doing well in just one area of school (or even all of school) isn't enough. Students who have historically had a lot of trouble staying focused or finishing projects should be wary. Which is easier to get into MIT or Harvard? Your essays are an opportunity to highlight the special facets of your personality. College Admissions I'll also explain which admissions strategies are false and could seriously impact your chances of getting accepted if you follow them. Answer (1 of 11): This will come as no surprise: Depends. I was taking three humanities classes and an easier technical class, my first semester taking three HASS classes and it was a really eye-opening experience. How to Get Into MIT: 5 Expert Admissions Tips, applicants who applied early action had a fairly significant advantage over students who applied at the regular deadline, encouraged (but not required) to submit scores from an English proficiency exam, , rather than write one long essay. 13112221. In fact, I myself during my early years of high school believed in this horrible assumption, even though I'd already done hundreds of hours of research at that point. But gaining admission to MIT is easier said than done. The best way to convince MIT that you'll do this while there? Now, what if you're good at tests and competitionsbut not math? Todays availability of open-source tutorials, software and datasets opens the doors for anyone to learn at their own pace. Lilian worked on her project at her own desk and says others can do the same. With 3.7 million high school seniors a year, this is about 37,000 studentsmany times larger than the roughly 2,300 students Stanford accepts each year. :). Our HYPS acceptance rates are 6x our MIT one, Not exactly hard to tell which school you're talking about, but other privates have it easier. Your essays are the best opportunity to show off your skills and your unique interests. les 5 doigts de la main gestion de classe; is the armed forces vacation club legitimate; biggest drug bust in the world guyana; This letter has been modified to summarize meaning and protect privacy. Even if you dont want to major in science, do you think you will be able to complete the core sequence of 2 semesters of calculus, 2 semesters of physics, 1 semester of chemistry, 1 semester of biology, 2 electives in science, and 1 lab course? 2.5% of Olin alumni ends up founding a startup, in comparison MIT has 0.5% ish. MIT has a very low acceptance rate, so it's important that your application is as strong as possible to be considered. When you say a school is "good in the humanities," you still can't take every single class that the school offers. Not someone who got into MIT but one of my closest friends did. Remember, MIT wants applicants that are interesting as people. Using this method, you can find ways to show off your spike outside the set ones above. To learn more about working on your spike for college, check out our guide on how to get into the Ivy League (search for "Part 2" and scroll down to #4). I visited the campus twice before even applying, attended admissions sessions where I asked dozens of questions about what they were looking for, searched online and in bookstores, wrote an entirely separate essay for the Stanford application, and used a separate admissions strategy for Stanford alone. (I took the equivalent of Japanese 4 there). If you were doing original research in cancer which no one has done before and in which there are no established answers, then what do you do in that case? Now that you've achieved good SAT/ACT scores and have a well-rounded base of activities, it's time to build up that final factor that will get you in: your spike! Many areas in politics and law are surprisingly close to the logical systems you're used to in STEM. take the SAT, be sure to check out this article. Then this section is for you! Check out our complete guide to Ivy League acceptance rates. If you can solve this without any issues, then you'd be a strong candidate for a math competition: Three real numbers in the interval [0, 1] are chosen independently and at random. A moderately good score in your English class will do. The only way you can get an advantage in admission to MIT is by donating or being a URM. To be honest, I don't really know myself. Conversely, if you're above the SAT/ACT Math threshold, you definitely will benefit from taking the USAMO series, even if it isn't your spike. Indeed, the school would love to see you talk not just about the humanities, but also how your expertise in the humanities uses areas such as computer science or math to help refine your analysis. That being said, due to the caliber of students accepted at MIT, we can assume that the average GPA is quite high. With only a 7.3% acceptance rate, the bar is unsurprisingly set quite high. why was carrie's sister dropped from king of queens . We can help. In other words, take APs when they are available and, within APs, try to choose the harder option (Calculus BC instead of AB, for example). Don't just take my word for it, thoughyou can Google it yourself. You can do this yourself or take advantage of our online SAT/ACT prep program, which will automatically identify these weaknesses for you. I owe you all a giant photo blog soon =p. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. Will it be easier for me to get into MIT? Now that we've gone over the biggest myths and facts about Stanford admissions, let's take a look at another part of the highly prestigious university: its emphasis on STEM and what this means for you, whether you're into STEM or not.

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