@JackLuzzy
APPLY!!! DO IT!!! You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
For MIT here are stats http://mitadmissions.org/apply/process/stats, the midrange being 33-35. You’re at 32. That’s SO close and because it’s a mid range that means there are people below and above. So you’re within range. Don’t listen to CC, go to the source!
And honestly, I was riding a 32 on my ACT until the fall when I was applying when I got my 34, so I applied still thinking I had a 32. Same for my SAT 2 scores, which definitely shot up by 40 points. So I would definitely recommend retaking and having them sent. MIT only considers the highest scores, so literally this can’t hurt you. Almost everyone I know has had scores go up with retesting. And once again, you are so close!
You can also apply RA and then have your scores then too plus be eligible for more tests!
Honestly, in my honest opinion, I think it’s worth applying. Mostly because I applied and my rank was way lower than yours and my scores only shot up at the last minute and you’re in the ballpark.
As for what MIT is looking for…that’s the hard question. I think, if it had to be anything, it’d be narrowed down to two components.
- Passion. They want to see something that drives you and makes you wake up early and go to bed late. And it doesn't necessarily have to be one thing. MIT kids are beyond committed to what they do. And a lot of times they do things that aren't just what they "have to" or "should" be doing. These are the things that should sparkle in your essays. The things the interviewer can tell that you are passionate about. These are the things you annoy your friends with because you will literally not shut up about the awesome.
- They look for different things in different people. MIT is very team oriented, so they find a class with people who have strengths in different arenas and personalities that make them all gel. Looking back, I like to think that the admissions panel tries to find the thing that every applicant has and the ones that work the best together and the ones that shine the brightest are selected. And that thing doesn't have to be mind blowing or perfect scores.
What did they see in me? Oh geez…I really don’t know.
I’ve wanted to go to MIT since I was 8. And I told them about that. I told them how much I loved about MIT; the culture, the people, the opportunities, and what the institute stood for. I made my application extremely specific to MIT and I talked about how MIT was an inspiration for me growing up and I remember specifically saying that, even if I didn’t get in, I would be ok with that. Because thanks to MIT and all of the information and inspiration I had found in it, I would be the first person in my family to go to college and that was a huge deal.
I talked about how much I loved to code, how I started because for the first time my love of visual arts and love of logic came together with programming. I talked about ridiculous things I’ve done for club recruitment. I talked about my family and my friends and just everything. I think the MIT admissions panel knows more about me than my cat, and I talk to my cat constantly.
So I think, for me, what they saw was someone who loved learning and loved their community and would do whatever they could to add to it. Someone who cares about other people and writes long answers to strangers because they know what it’s like to be behind that screen and constantly compare themselves and eat too much cookie dough because of said comparing (avoid cookie dough and CC together; bad combo!). I think they saw my initiative; I took a lot of risks in high school and I did a lot of my own things instead of pre-set activities. I also did what I wanted to do. I hate Science/Math Olympiad. Ew. Not fun. Why?! So I made videos in high school and painted props. I didn’t gun for an internship or program before my senior year because I had the time of my life playing multiplication games with little girls in Mexico.
I also remember specifically the soul in my essays. Not gonna lie, I ended up crying after I wrote some of my essays because I wrote things down I’d never written before and realized how much I’m going to miss some of the people and things that have made me who I am. My essays sounded like me. My application was me. And I think MIT really bought into me because of that.
That and I talked about baking and they were probably really hungry, so who knows!
Also, it’s important to not apologize for your “weaknesses” in applications. Play to your strengths and own them! You can’t do anything about them now.
At the end of the day, it’s not about why you got in somewhere, but what you do with it. And I encourage you to remember that.
So, tl;dr: APPLY TO MIT!!! And other competitive schools. Because it’s worth it and you never know.
PS: If you’re looking for other schools, I am a strong proponent of Carnegie Mellon. They are amazing and have a quirky culture much like MIT. Had I not gotten into MIT I would have definitely gone to CMU had they accepted me (I never found out because I withdrew my application). Also Michigan and Ohio and NYU are super solid for CS. Oh and CalPoly!
And good luck! 
Hope this helps!
Hope these help!