verisimilarity

Okay, so I'm an MIT hopeful. I'm 15 years old (dropped out of middle school at 13 to be a part-time non-matric student at RIT - not in a degree program or anything), and I have SATs coming up on December 5th. With the following specs in mind, what do you think I need to get on my SATs/SAT IIs to have a decent chance? What ECs, etc. should I add?

-White, Male, 15, New York
-Dropped out of school at 13 for part-time university, current 4.0 student at RIT
-Summer programs at RIT involving web programming and robotics
-Homeschooled while not taking RIT classes, 98 scores on all state tests
-Registered to take SATs, Math IIC, Physics SATs
-(EDIT) I'm doing research with a math professor at RIT right now involving recursive maze analysis - this may or may not be published, but it's happening
-(EDIT) I'm a very good guitarist, but no formal lessons

I still have some time before I apply - since I don't have any actual high school classes, would it benefit me to take biology, calculus, and chemistry at RIT before I apply? Is it easier to transfer into MIT from RIT, or to apply to MIT only (in terms of getting in)? What kinds of ECs and community service can I complete before applying?

Also, if I take the SATs/SAT IIs and take another year before applying, will the scores still be accepted?

An0maly

Your scenario is pretty unique. Why don't you talk to your college counselor at RIT and see what he or she says? MIT says that anything 700+ is good enough for them, and they mean that.

I would recommend that you be yourself. Stuff like "What ECs..should I add?" is generally looked down upon in this section. There is no cookie cutter "if you do x and y, you will get into MIT" EC. Do what you enjoy and what you're passionate about, study hard, be a good person, and let fate handle everything else.

verisimilarity

An0maly-

Thanks for the reply. I phrased that a little weird - I kind of meant, are they looking for purely academic ECs, like robotics clubs and independent research into your field of study, or are they impressed by things like martial arts? I'm interested in a lot of things, but I'd like to know what would be most beneficial to pursue.

molliebatmit

They're looking for ECs that you like and are passionate about. Check out the decisions threads from the past two years (stickied at the top of the forum) to see what kinds of ECs former applicants/admits have pursued -- they run the gamut from purely academic to purely for fun.

It is much easier to get into MIT as a freshman than to transfer in, by a factor of about five in most years.

verisimilarity

What should I pay more attention to on my SATs specifically? Also, do they require IIC, or just IC in terms of subject test math?

molliebatmit

MIT requires a math and a science subject test, but the specific tests you take are up to you. Either Ic or IIc is fine.

k4r3n2

I would echo that you should apply as a freshman applicant - furthermore, I think you should apply as a homeschooled freshman applicant. There's a boy on my hall who basically was in the same scenario as you are - dropped out of public school to take classes at a university (in his case, it was MIT because he lives nearby) and was homeschooled for his other classes. I think that all he had to do was fill out the homeschool supplements and provide proof of his grades in his college classes.

You might also consider e-mailing the admissions office (not right now, though, as they're totally flooded with EA materials) to ask whether you can still apply as a homeschooled freshman applicant.

verisimilarity

K4r3n2, I don't know if that would apply to me since I'm currently a student at RIT, not MIT, and it would be tough to try and compare (and have RIT even come close). But do you think that my situation would give me an edge as a normal freshman applicant? If I don't get amazing SAT scores (700-750 each), would I still have a chance?

lidusha

I'm pretty sure that taking college classes in general gives you an edge, and that 700-ish SAT scores won't kill you. SAT scores are supposed to demonstrate your ability to handle college-level work, something you've already shown by taking college classes.