The calc bc class at my school is like impossible would a ‘W’ on my transcript be damning?

sup, ive probably researched this more than ive actually studied but i just wanted to make sure from an authorized source such as yourselfves

im aly, an igsce egyptian freshman, living in egypt (obviously and unfortunately). i dont really put that much effort into studying because i can usually get A's and A+'s just based off of the knowledge i already have, but i think my natural laziness towards studying is going to completely eliminate any chance of surviving the horror stories of MIT. so on a scale of 1-10, how well do you think i'd manage? aside from my fears relating to being IN MIT, im also unsure whether international aid or scholarship opportunities extend that far, so i wanted to check with you guys.
thanks

I would really like someone more familiar than me with all of this to weigh in on the topic.

I am in my final year of "high-school" (rather, my country's equivalent of that), and I've had the thought of applying to MIT in the back of my mind for several years. I am in IB (expected at least 43/45), did the SAT last month with a score of 760+790, have a bunch of medals from my country's national olympiads in different STEM subjects, participated in IOL, qualified for IPhO (couldn't go because Iran). So, purely by the academic standards, I am probably at least decent enough to try applying.

On the other hand, I am daunted by the thought of actually starting and submitting the application. MIT states that they look for people with "collaborative spirit", "initiative", etc. While I am not a polar opposite of those, I do not really feel like some of those points are that representative of who I am. I like doing creative stuff, learning new skills, but I have never in my school life had the opportunity pop up to really "collaborate" in any of these things. My "ECs" are just stuff I like—music, photography, fitness—, but no clubs, volunteering, etc.

When I look at the essay prompts on the application website my mind simply blanks, partly because I don't feel like I've "done something different than what was expected", or "collaborated with others", or "managed an unexpected situation" in any truly meaningful way. I have read the MIT Admissions blog posts saying that these short responses have to be personal, not necessarily remarkable, but at this point I am having to wonder if this is a sign not to apply at all, simply because I would not fit either way.

Thoughts?

Hell everybody, this question is mainly for those who have been at mit at some point. Are there any groups formed by internationals who hail from the states (sort of like mirchi, but involving internationals who can share their experiences)? Are there even any internationals from the states at MIT?

I'm really scared. I got an interview request email from an alum two days ago, and I responded with a scheduled date and confirmation immediately.

However, she still hasn't responded back. Is the interview still on? Did I do something wrong, or am I just losing it??

For anyone like me who's super nervous about this rn, don't worry!

The interviewer was super chill and nice. I was literally shaking and stuttering while talking but he was so understanding about everything. Here's some questions he asked that might be helpful for those who haven't had their interviews yet:

1. What will MIT do for you
2. What's a big challenge you've faced
3. Who is your role model
4. Some follow up questions to what I was telling him (ex. I spoke about being a manager at my coding academy and he asked how that's helped me work with others)

It's definitely more of a conversation than an interview. It's really important for you to ask questions about the interviewer so that the conversation flows better and shows that you're interested in them. My interviewer told me that I fit MIT's mission statement really well, so let's hope that as an international with no crazy awards or ECs that all goes well.

Good luck to the people that haven't interviewed yet!

Applying to the Masters in Media Arts and Sciences there. Is this GPA a dealbreaker if I have previous FAANG internships, research experience (assistantships and independent through grants) and go to an Ivy? I’ve heard their admissions is a bit more forgiving of untraditional backgrounds (like how they don’t require a college degree)

Struggled at the beginning of college as a first gen student and failed a class. Has been dragging my GPA ever since. It has been an upward trajectory from there though.

Any ideas on how to compensate for the low GPA? One of the PIs at the Lab is affiliated with my current research lab on campus. Should I cold email?

Thanks for the help!

I'm expected to have around a 3.8 at the end of my junior year of HS. I should be graduating with an Associate in General Studies cause I'm taking 5 college courses per semester ontop of the 8 regular HS classes I have, one of which is AP Lang. I plan on taking AP Stats and AP Lit my senior year, or any other AP classes the school I move to (if I move) offers. My options currently are limited due to the school I got moved to (military), however, I may be moving to a significantly better school my senior year (military again.) I'm also involved in HS Beta, 4H, FFA, Student Council, and Robotics. I'm trying to increase my ACT score, as my superscore is a 22 and I know that isn't really acceptable 😬. (haven't taken the SAT yet) What could I start on right now to increase my chances of being admitted??

Should I send my phone number or something via email?

One of the ECs I listed was that I was part of a media production team for my school with like 3 other members, but that was an average because most of the team were seniors who graduated and left me with one teammate basically. So in one of my essays, I talked about how I tackled one of the projects alone, but since I talked about how we had other members, would it raise an eyebrow? Especially because I didn’t mention that other the other members were gone.

I submitted my EA app on 11/1. I just want to make sure I am an outlier for not getting an interview request before I reach out to admissions.

do mit alumni only interview in person if you are in their state or do they also interview internationals online?

I just won a cash prize and a first place in a reserach competition and think this would help my MIT app, but I submitted EA. I did an ‘applicant update’ for UPenn, but cant figure out how to do that for MIT.

Any advice on how to do an applicant update for MIT (if possible at all) would be appreciated.

I'm currently a Computer Science student from a third-world ASEAN country. Of course, my true passion is music, but with the way the world is, I had to pick a safer course. But lately, the urge for music has been calling to me.

I'm considering to take a Master's in Music Technology, and MIT has the program. Could I skip straight to taking the master's or would I have to study an undergrad that's actually related to music? Would MIT even accept an international applicant? Would participation in international music-related events help my chances? How big is my competition for available slots?

Thanks in advance and shoutout to the EMS for inspiring me to consider MIT.

Hi! On Monday, an EC emailed me to schedule my interview. I responded Tuesday morning with my availabilities, but they haven't answered yet. Is it too early to send a follow-up email? I know not much time has passed, but I'm getting a little anxious.

I am planning on applying to LGO next year with a test waiver, due to my circumstances. Assuming that the test waiver is granted, is my application viewed in any negative light?

Have you guys heard of anyone know has gotten into the LGO or Sloan program with a test waiver?

chance me please 🙏🙏

I go to a crappy rural public school uncompetitive except for class rank bc of grade inflation

Male, hispanic (colombian born), georgia, rural noncomp. public.

Intended Major(s): Mech E

** SAT: 1550 super score (770e/780m)**

**UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.96/4 UW 4.46/5 W/ 19/300 **

Coursework: Most rigorous stem course load at my school ap: pre calc, both calcs, stat, bio, chem, physics, apes, bio, world, us history, lang, gov, honors mostly everything no dual enrollment, 3 years of engineering and programming

Awards:

1. National Rural and Small Town Recognition Award + hispanic recognition

2. star award school and likely county level

3. NHS

4. FRC rookie all star and ready set go

5. National Spanish exam bronze medal

also ap scholar w distinction

Extracurriculars: 

1. Robotics: 9-12.

founding member of vex and highest leadership until we switched to frc, also helped found and highest leadership this year with a major role last year. We do robotics outreach with middle and elementary schoolers. We made it to worlds our rookie year for frc, no success w vex

2. STEM Club( math team and science olympiad): founded stem club which is basically a club that hosts math team and science olympiad. first comps next semester, 20+ members and highest leadership. we also do a lot of stem service projects

3. College App Forum: Founded an irl forum to help students at my school with applying to college. Have had as many as 30 ppl attend. No leadership positions just founded and recruited some friends to help run.

4. Paid engineering intern:

Engineering design intern at this local company. Designed and modeled hvac units for them. (11)

5. mathnasium: Work at mathnasium, teach kids math and run a digital sat bootcamp. (12)

6. ** tutoring :** i tutor a lot of students for free and paid in every subject and sat prep.

7. quizbowl: varisty quiz bowl all 4 years. made it to state. Captain 11th but no leadership now to focus on other things.

8. guitar: play guitar in a band. Self taught, i have built my own pedals and all that jazz

9. powerlifting/fitness. i powerlift and do free programming and personal training for various ppl in my community

10. deca: medalled at leadership conference for deca. Done all 4 years.

Essays/LORs/Other: i think i write rlly good essays but i fall back on robotics a lot which some people make me seem 1d (7/10)

LORS: ap ss teacher: 11/10. says im one of the best students hes ever met and will be my star teacher.

calc teacher: Sponsors math team, havent known her for too long tho but she rlly likes me. 6-7/10

Counselor: 10/10 she knows me very well

portfolio showing off my robotics projects from vex, frc, and another comp i did also electrathon ev stuff and guitar stuff thanks for reading :)

They ask a lot of questions in a relatively short amount of time. Don’t feel like you have to get yourself out there all in one go. Answer their questions and give them something to talk about. Mention topics that they might want you to expand on which leads to natural conversation. For instance, I briefly mentioned trips to Panama that I took to meet with family. My interviewer asked more about that and it led to an interesting conversation.

Some questions I was asked were:

• What ECs are you a part of?
• What do you do on weekends?
• Biggest regret in high school?
• Greatest hardship?
• Most influential person?
• What will 4 years of education at MIT lead you to?
• How did you prepare for MIT while in high school?
• What is something about you that your classmates would be surprised to learn?
• What are 3 words to describe yourself?
• Why should MIT admit you?

Answer these with ONLY THE TRUTH. The truth is what you know best. I recommend preparing beforehand as well if you are worried about how to answer the questions.

If you are nervous, don’t be afraid to mention it to them. They know that MIT is super prestigious and that you as a person will be nervous trying to “prove yourself” to such a school.

Finally, make sure you conduct yourself nicely. Not too dressed up, nice environment, and clean character. Don’t speak of yourself too highly but don’t be afraid to mention any accomplishments. Make sure you have lots of questions to ask them at the end as well! Shows interest in the school!

All the best to the applicants! Here’s to hoping we all get what we’re looking for!

How can I increase my admission chance for MIT I am a freshman so I have time to work on it

Hello! Im a student at a rural school in Georgia and I’ve spearheaded all of the engineering related extracurriculars at my school

We’ve done vex, frc, a tech comp( built a robotic hand), and built an ev

I designed and built major parts of all of these, should I document this in my maker portfolio? Or should I put that time into essay as I have not done any projects outside of my extracurriculars. My intended major is either ME or EE and Comp Sci.

Hello! I have a kind of stupid issue, my October ACT test shows as being reported three times in my application portal. Not sure how it’s there three times (I can only explain two lol) but should I email admissions to fix it? “It’s just small mistake” and “ there shouldn’t be any mistakes in my app” are fighting in my head right now.

Been seeing a recurring theme of good questions, thought this might help. If others have similar resources please donate to this thread.

Mission Statement | MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Interview Tips from an MIT Educational Counselor | MIT Admissions

First-year eligibility | MIT Admissions

Transfer deadlines & requirements | MIT Admissions

International applicants | MIT Admissions

in mit, what grades do people have in high school? Like does EVERYONE get A’s and B’s.

ik this might be a dumb question

My school is European so I don't have a GPA or ACT or SAT. I just have separate grades for each subject and the standardized test is the baccalaureate. I also don't have classes like calculus or algebra, it's just math. In the school there are only 2 math competitions each year. What do I do in this situation and will it even be possible for me to apply to mit in the future? I am currently in the tenth year.

Im a high school student applying to MIT and my interview is soon. What kind of questions will they be asking? Should I bring anything? I had two supplemental portfolios, a maker and an art portfolio, should I bring anything from them? Thanks for the help!

I'm homeschooled: took all my core classes from a super rigorous online college prep school. They grade very harshly with no curve and I have a fair number of Bs. Does this cook me? I have a 36 ACT when superscored so hoping that helps.

My official transcript will have full course descriptions, etc, and I have great LORs from these same teachers I got the B's from. The MIT culture is exactly me and I think I can write some killer essays too.

Just curious how cooked this community thinks I am. Thank you! :pray:

1st Gen white male btw

Hey everyone!

Last year, I applied to MIT and had an interview. and I reapplied this year. Does that mean I wont get an interview because i already did one last year?

Hello! When did y’all get an email about interview availability? I want to interview SO BAD, I’m just nervous because I can’t tell what the time frame for being notified is (I applied EA on Nov 1st if that helps). I think I’m more anxious about knowing whether or not I can interview than the actual interview lol. The website mentioned Skype interviews as a possibility if no one was available, do I have to specifically request to be considered for those? Thank you to anyone who reads this!

So I got a letter in the mail a few months ago from mit telling me saying quote “you qualify for an application fee waiver so applying to mit will cost nothing for you. Simply select the “request fee waiver” option as you submit your application”. At the point I received the letter I had sent my act scores to mit through my act but I had not even created an application in the portal.

My family is middle class and definitely would not qualify for a fee waiver and I didn’t use one on my common app for example but I am paying for my app fees myself so I figured I would use it since they told me I could. I submitted EA with the fee waiver last week and I am just wondering why they sent me one or if anyone else knows why I got one.

I am also a domestic applicant for reference.

Did anyone else get this letter and know why?

In terms of STEM stuff, I do have internship exp (tech company, significant work for an intern IMO), not-too-bad national-SEF research (bronze medal), and developed a generic mobile application for students at my high school. No olympiads, no international awards or whatever; weak for an intended STEM major, I know.

Aside from that, most of my ECs are community service/NGO work.

MIT's mission statement says one of its missions is "working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the world’s great challenges" and essay prompts are writable for those kinds of non-STEM activities too, so I guess I could come up with a way to apply RD for MIT but at the same time kinda unsure.

I really love the outreach programs MIT has and the school's curriculum but I'm not sure if I'm the guy MIT is looking for.