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United States10328 Posts
Yo yo best of luck man. Show admissions that you fit here and deserve to be here.
On November 19 2010 13:51 d3_crescentia wrote:
So why are you applying to MIT? I mean, what about it attracts you?
Because it is awesome?
On November 19 2010 14:26 crazeman wrote:
Is there a penalty for applying to multiple schools? Is there a reason NOT to apply?
App fees are annoying 
And who makes roller coasters during their freshmen orientation? =P
Also only EC makes roller coasters 
Also whoa, didn't know "Cherry" did that... I should talk to people who do things other than math more often LOL
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Many ivy leagues also require you to write individual essays and have specific application processes, so it can add up to a lot of time and money in the long run :/
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Beautifully written.
Also really, really inspiring.
This blog made me feel a lot better (I'm still trying to 700 on my SAT Chemistry mock exams)
Thanks for the great post!
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On November 19 2010 17:21 Z3kk wrote:
Many ivy leagues also require you to write individual essays and have specific application processes, so it can add up to a lot of time and money in the long run :/
In terms of microeconomics,
Marginal benefit > Marginal cost
Here's a principle from my dad:
I don't care if you go to some random college, or decide to drop out of school to do something else. It will take me a long time to accept what you're doing, but I will eventually accept it as long as it's not crazy.
However, when you've set your goal, do it right. Put your full effort in to the work. Do it right, and make sure you work hard so that you won't regret later, even if you fail.
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College apps are always a dice roll, you can load the dice in your favor but in the end, some of the best of students get rejected from good schools and poor students can randomly get accepted to decent schools. There's no reason not to apply to a school you really want to go to because in the end, you might get the admissions officer who just got high and is in a good mood.
As far as MIT goes.. I always thought they were a bunch of work hard/party hard types living in a depressing part of a fucking cold region. Not really my flavor but to each their own.
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^ yeah, admissions at elite schools are chancy, because there are just soooo many HS students with excellent credentials, each applying to a lot of schools. In addition to everything else, schools are driven by US News rankings, so they are playing numbers games themselves.
So apply to a lot of great schools, and I'm sure you'll get into one 
In HS I was like "Yale or bust" and I was pretty devastated when I didn't get in - but to be honest, if you choose the schools you apply to carefully, you'll find once you are in college that it is just a fun experience and you'll make a ton of lifelong friends. All big/great US colleges provide an excellent undergrad education and environment. It really is on you to make the most of it.
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nice blog post. This is exactly the attitude you need to get to where you want to go in life, especially in the work place. Some people hide behind their excuses of fear of rejection, unemployment/the economy, headhunters aren't giving me the interviews I want -- but god damn it, the good jobs are tough to get so that only the people who really want them get them! And from my experience, attitude is by far the biggest factor in getting a job and doing well in it. So go get'em, MIT is nothing bro.
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Since when was 34 average for an ACT? I'm also pretty sure GPA is one of the smaller things when it comes to college apps, just because every school is different and it wouldn't be a fair assessment.
Who cares about elite schools, if you get in great, if you don't, there are a crapload of schools that still give you a good education/experience. I didn't do shit in high school since the effort it would take to get into an ivy(esp being a semi-rich asian), would mean less starcraft =[
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Good attitude. The entire reason these schools are prestigious is because of their exclusivity- if you go through life expecting to get into one, you're doing it wrong. The vast majority of the population will never be able to be accepted, so why should you feel badly about not getting in? I'd consider it a great privilege, not an inherent right.
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On November 19 2010 15:44 MarryMeSeanPlott wrote:I don't understand. Which is it? Regardless, you've got a shot at MIT. Probably not a good shot, but a shot. It's not like Caltech or anything. My friend got into MIT with just half a year of Calculus and a comparatively mediocre SAT (Something like 1300 out of 1600, I think?). Granted, she tried hard, had a good GPA, and good extracurriculars. It's possible. Write a good essay. :-)
The acceptance rate for women at MIT is three times that of men.
On November 20 2010 04:31 superbabosheki wrote:
Since when was 34 average for an ACT? I'm also pretty sure GPA is one of the smaller things when it comes to college apps, just because every school is different and it wouldn't be a fair assessment.
Who cares about elite schools, if you get in great, if you don't, there are a crapload of schools that still give you a good education/experience. I didn't do shit in high school since the effort it would take to get into an ivy(esp being a semi-rich asian), would mean less starcraft =[
A lot of times, GPA relative to the average GPA of one's peers in his/her school is a dealbreaker :/
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On November 20 2010 00:20 supernovamaniac wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2010 17:21 Z3kk wrote:
Many ivy leagues also require you to write individual essays and have specific application processes, so it can add up to a lot of time and money in the long run :/ In terms of microeconomics, Marginal benefit > Marginal cost Here's a principle from my dad: I don't care if you go to some random college, or decide to drop out of school to do something else. It will take me a long time to accept what you're doing, but I will eventually accept it as long as it's not crazy. However, when you've set your goal, do it right. Put your full effort in to the work. Do it right, and make sure you work hard so that you won't regret later, even if you fail.
Sorry, I should have quoted the statement to which I was responding :/
I wasn't trying to dissuade you out anything; someone was asking whether there were any drawbacks to applying to a huge number of colleges. The marginal benefit of attending MIT isn't necessarily greater than the marginal cost in MIT's case, however. If you do by some miracle get accepted (and I unconditionally wish you the best of course), you might find the structure and atmosphere of MIT not to your liking, and you might even have major difficulties with the coursework. Obviously, it's better to attend a mediocre college that prepares you an independent life than to attend MIT and do poorly/not feel like your experience there was particularly edifying.
Best of luck, though! MIT is also on the list of universities I want to attend--it's easily one of my top choices.
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On November 20 2010 08:46 Z3kk wrote:Show nested quote +On November 20 2010 00:20 supernovamaniac wrote:On November 19 2010 17:21 Z3kk wrote:
Many ivy leagues also require you to write individual essays and have specific application processes, so it can add up to a lot of time and money in the long run :/ In terms of microeconomics, Marginal benefit > Marginal cost Here's a principle from my dad: I don't care if you go to some random college, or decide to drop out of school to do something else. It will take me a long time to accept what you're doing, but I will eventually accept it as long as it's not crazy. However, when you've set your goal, do it right. Put your full effort in to the work. Do it right, and make sure you work hard so that you won't regret later, even if you fail. Sorry, I should have quoted the statement to which I was responding :/ I wasn't trying to dissuade you out anything; someone was asking whether there were any drawbacks to applying to a huge number of colleges. The marginal benefit of attending MIT isn't necessarily greater than the marginal cost in MIT's case, however. If you do by some miracle get accepted (and I unconditionally wish you the best of course), you might find the structure and atmosphere of MIT not to your liking, and you might even have major difficulties with the coursework. Obviously, it's better to attend a mediocre college that prepares you an independent life than to attend MIT and do poorly/not feel like your experience there was particularly edifying. Best of luck, though! MIT is also on the list of universities I want to attend--it's easily one of my top choices.
Oh, I understand that you weren't trying to dissuade me; I just wanted to put in my perspective from my situation.
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Korea (South)1897 Posts
Schools love these kinds of come back stories,
let your desire and passion shine and you'll get want you want in time,
if you have this much tenacity already, then life ain't anything for you.
Gogo! You are more than your GPA! Desire for life!
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Didnt read the whole thing but I just want to say that theres plenty of other schools out there that are more than good enough too lol. Getting into your top school shouldn't be everything.
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On November 20 2010 04:38 3clipse wrote:
Good attitude. The entire reason these schools are prestigious is because of their exclusivity- if you go through life expecting to get into one, you're doing it wrong. The vast majority of the population will never be able to be accepted, so why should you feel badly about not getting in? I'd consider it a great privilege, not an inherent right.
It's all about relative worth; I went to a great high school (60% went to ivy leagues or non-ivy peer schools like Stanford). It would be a pretty big lie if I said I didn't feel deserving of an acceptance at a top-tier college during my HS years.
@OP; If you feel strongly about going to MIT, just apply. The marginal amount of work required shouldn't be a deterrent.
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On November 22 2010 03:27 MightyAtom wrote:
Schools love these kinds of come back stories,
let your desire and passion shine and you'll get want you want in time,
if you have this much tenacity already, then life ain't anything for you.
Gogo! You are more than your GPA! Desire for life!
For some reason, I think I learned more about life than math, reading, science etc. combined in High School.
I learned something that I was supposed to face and learn later. Now, I'm not afraid of any challenges that I will have to face.
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On December 23 2010 05:44 supernovamaniac wrote:
Question. Do you like the colleges that you're applying to? (aka do you want to go there?)
If yes, applying gives you more than 0% chance at acceptance.
SAT2: Chem 680 (FML) Math II 800 Korean w/ Listening 800 (I AM QUALIFIED TO TRANSLATE)
ACT: 34 superscore (R-31 E-34 S-35 M-36)
GPA: 3.519 UW, Senior year 1st tri: 3.7+
Schools: MIT, CMU, UMich, UChicago, Columbia (MAYBE), Lehigh, NYU-Poly etc.
You think I have no chance at these schools?
http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=178802¤tpage=2
^
I do go on to say I love ALMOST every school I'm applying to.
You probably won't get in to MIT. It's just the sad truth of the matter. But it can't hurt Your GPA is a a little weak. But your extra-curriculars could be amazing. I don't know. Your essays can still be amazing. I think you have a solid ACT score, and I assume you are going into some kind of engineering major. I think you should show the schools that aren't MIT some serious love.
Basically, MIT and Columbia is going to be a crapshoot. It is the same for any Asian unless you have an extenuating circumstances anyway. I think you're in good shape for the other colleges you're applying to as long as you don't plan to major in chemical engineering.
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What makes you want to go to MIT in the first place? When I was applying in 05, I thought I wanted to go to CalTech, 100% dream school etc. But then I started visiting colleges, and talking to current undergrads. The more I heard, the less and less I wanted to go there. I can't really put it into words, but its just the environment and the attitudes of the people. It felt cutthroat and arrogant, and just a little bit ugly under the shiny surface. I ended up turning them down.
I'll never tell someone to not apply somewhere - its always worth a shot. But definitely before you make a final decision, you always want to really think about where you want to LIVE 24/7 for the next 4+ years of your life. It's a large part of the deal, and you don't want to get stuck with a bad one.
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On December 23 2010 08:41 susySquark wrote:
What makes you want to go to MIT in the first place? When I was applying in 05, I thought I wanted to go to CalTech, 100% dream school etc. But then I started visiting colleges, and talking to current undergrads. The more I heard, the less and less I wanted to go there. I can't really put it into words, but its just the environment and the attitudes of the people. It felt cutthroat and arrogant, and just a little bit ugly under the shiny surface. I ended up turning them down.
I'll never tell someone to not apply somewhere - its always worth a shot. But definitely before you make a final decision, you always want to really think about where you want to LIVE 24/7 for the next 4+ years of your life. It's a large part of the deal, and you don't want to get stuck with a bad one.
People.
Unlike your story, I've heard good things about these people. And I know a lot of them too. It's a place where I think I'll be comfortable for the next 4+ years of my life.
Well, if I get in and don't end up in East Campus I might change my thoughts. =P
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Don't colleges charge like $40-50 to apply? It adds up after awhile. That's really the only reason why someone should hesitate on applying.
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EPT
