Chance Me GT, MIT, CalTech - GA Resident, Top 10% of Class, 1600 SAT, 13 AP's (by end of high school)

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Demographics:

  • GA resident, US citizen
  • Not first gen, but parents are immigrants
  • Public high school in the suburbs (high school is pretty competitive)

Intended Major(s)

  • Neuroscience (GT)
  • Brain and Cognitive Sciences (MIT)
  • Chemistry or Biology (Caltech, haven’t decided yet)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Our school uses a 100 point scale; UW GPA is around a 96, Weighted is about a 102 (Most of my grades are A’s, 1 B in freshman year though)
  • Class Rank: Top 10% (specific ranks aren’t given, but I know I’m not gonna be val or sal)
  • ACT/SAT: 36 ACT, 1600 SAT (no superscoring)

List your HS coursework

  • English: took AP Lang 10th grade, AP Lit 11th grade, 5’s on both
  • Math: BC Calc in 11th grade (got a 5), currently dual enroll distance math at GT (taking Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus and have an A as of rn), currently taking AP Statistics
  • Science: AP Chemistry (5), APES (5), AP Bio (5), AP Physics C Mechanics/EMag (taking rn)
  • History and social studies: AP Gov (5), AP Micro/Macro (taking rn), Dual Enrolled US History and Psychology at GSU and got an A in both
  • Language other than English: Took 5 years worth of Spanish, including AP Spanish (got a 5)
  • Visual or performing arts: Did Orchestra in 9th grade but had to drop due to school scheduling policies (only 2 elective classes allowed, and I wanted to take Spanish, Healthcare, and Orchestra so one had to be dropped)
  • Other academic courses: School Healthcare Pathway (on the last course rn which will allow me to qualify as a CCMA), Internship (taking right now)

Awards

  • Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grant ($7500 grant from MIT to make an invention for a local problem)
  • Science Olympiad (won 7 nationwide, 6 statewide, and 3 regional medals in Bio and Chem related events)
  • HOSA - got 3rd at state for CPR/First Aid and got to go to ILC (international level) but didn’t win anything there
  • Beta Conference - got 3rd at state and 7th at nationals for Biomedical
  • Governor’s Honors Program - Semifinalist for Spanish and State Nominee for Chemistry
  • President’s Volunteer Service Award - Gold
  • National Spanish Exam - Gold from 2022-2024
  • AIME qualified (for MIT and Caltech)

Extracurriculars

  • Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam project (after we got the grant, we worked for that year designing, building, and testing our prototype)
  • Science Olympiad (Captain)
  • Hospital Volunteering at two different hospitals
  • Veterinary Internship (idk if this counts cause it was for the Internship class I took in school)
  • HOSA
  • Math Team (co-captain in 11th grade)
  • Research Internship at Georgia State University (chemistry/physics - related)
  • Job at Grocery Store (summer of 10th grade)
  • Volunteer tutoring for a nonprofit (I didn’t start it, it has been here for a long time)

Essays/LORs/Other

  • Essays aren’t stellar but aren’t terrible either - they’re average
  • I got LOR’s from my bio and lit teachers (they know me very well and I did great in their classes) as well as the sponsor for our InvenTeam project (also knows me well and has seen me in leadership roles)

Schools

  • Aiming for GT, but want to see what yall think my chances for MIT and Caltech might be (also what major should I choose for Caltech?)
  • If there are other top schools that yall think I might have a shot at, I’d love to know that too!

Thanks for reading!

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What’s your budget? IOW, how much can your family pay per year. This might help us give you better other suggestions.

Caltech is a very unique college. I’ll let @aunt_bea explain.

MIT is also, but very different than CalTech.

You are a very strong applicant, but so are the vast majority of other applicants for MIT and CalTech!

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I’m not an expert in Georgia Tech, but what little I know suggests you should be a strong candidate for them in-state.

You also strike me as a competitive candidate for MIT, which is about all you can ask.

I’d be curious why you focused on Caltech. Course 9 at MIT (Brain and Cognitive Sciences) is a sort of inherently multidisciplinary course which involves some exploration before you focus on a specialization:

https://catalog.mit.edu/degree-charts/brain-cognitive-sciences-course-9/

I may be wrong, but I am not sure Caltech has an undergrad program quite like that. You might consider Computation and Neural Systems:

You could also consider a minor in Neurobiology, but you cannot combine that with CNS:

But if you more liked the MIT approach, one possible option would be Hopkins:

Penn also offers a major with multiple concentration options:

https://web.sas.upenn.edu/cogsci/major/

WashU has a very cool interdisciplinary program:

https://pnp.wustl.edu/

Yale’s Cognitive Science program features what it calls “themes” (but note you actually have to do a secondary application for this major):

https://cogsci.yale.edu/undergraduate/course-plans

https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/subjects-of-instruction/cognitive-science/

CMU does this in a typically CMU sort of way–you can approach these areas either from Cognitive Science or Neuroscience:

I don’t know if you have considered independent Liberal Arts and Sciences colleges, but my basic pitch is they are small like Caltech, but maybe have more of the multidisciplinary breadth that would be conducive to a curriculum like this.

Vassar is a legit pioneer in this area, with a couple options, Cognitive Science (which is a department) and their Neuroscience and Behavior Program (which is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental program, but you can major in it):

https://www.vassar.edu/cognitive-science

https://www.vassar.edu/neuroscience-and-behavior

Carleton is a verrrrry academicky college that has a very popular Cognitive Science program:

Same basic deal with Pomona:

And Swarthmore:

This is just a few ideas, and I again am assuming you chose that course at MIT as your sort of model of what sort of program you might be looking for.

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Wow thank you so much for this feedback!! I chose CalTech because it’s very STEM-y and I like the vibe it gives off. Also I kinda wanted to explore my other interests like Chemistry and Math and thought CalTech would be a good place to do so. I haven’t looked to deep into the other neuroscience programs in the country but I am planning on applying to Johns Hopkins so I will definitely look into that! Thank you once again!

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In terms of budget, I haven’t really had that talk with my parents yet but I think $40k would be a starting estimate. I know this is very unrealistic for top schools though but I think my family might be willing to pay a bit more if I do get into a good university.

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Tuition at Caltech is $63k+. Room/Board/fees amount to about $27k. “Total cost of attendance for on-campus students is estimated to be $90,822.”

Caltech is a research institution. It’s not a typical college experience. Let me repeat: it is a research institution.

The professors lecture students, and their graduate students create the exams and grade them. The grad students may have very limited experience in teaching. The professors are also working on their own research to publish. You have to be extremely independent and be OK doing things on your own.

As for financial aid, most students are full pay. When our son attended, very few students received merit aid. Our son explained that every single student at that school would be eligible for merit aid. We were full pay but it was less than USC with their NM scholarship. Some students do receive need-based aid but it is according to what Caltech sees as need.

7

You are a strong candidate for Ga Tech, and sounds like you will qualify for Zell Miller and Hope scholarships…is that your understanding as well?

https://www.gafutures.org/

Both MIT and CalTech provide need based aid only…neither provide any merit aid.

Run their NPCs to see if you will receive any need based aid from them (do that for all he schools on your list.)

https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/cit

https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/mit

For 2023-24, about 49% of students at CalTech received need based aid, and about 56% of MIT students received need based aid.

Good luck to you.

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As information pertaining to your academic interests that you may benefit from considering in your college search, Amherst College established the nation’s firat undergraduate major in neuroscience and Vassar established the nation’s first undergraduate major in cognitive science. Amherst’s notably flexible curriculum, in particular, would allow you to explore your interests in chemistry and mathematics as well.

Based on your current choices, you also might like Rice.

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@BlahBlahBlah25, you will know your GaTech in-state results tomorrow, I think you will get in and you have strong chance to get into honors or some other special programs at GaTech.

I am assuming you are not an URM or female applicant, pardon that assumption, this will make your chances of being accepted to Caltech and MIT a bit lower. Especially to Caltech. I think you should have applied to some of the merit based programs at schools like Vanderbilt and Emory. I know they have early deadlines for those.

Good luck tomorrow and think about expanding your list of schools, there are some great ones suggested here and beyond for your choice of major - which could change.

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Georgia Tech is a very, very good university, particularly for someone who is a very strong student and who is interested in STEM. Unless you qualify for a LOT of need based financial aid, or your parents are very wealthy, GT is going to be a lot more affordable compared to MIT and Caltech. I think that I would find it difficult to justify the difference in price.

You are of course competitive for MIT and Caltech, but so are the large majority of other applicants. It is very difficult to guess your chances.

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Thank you so much for this feedback! It’s interesting to see an insider perspective on CalTech cause all I’ve been hearing makes it sound like we’ll be in close-knit settings with a few other students and a teacher that will teach us how to think, not just what to think. And as for the financial cost - I’ve accepted that most unis OOS will be too expensive but I still kind of want to apply and see if I can get in and how much we’ll actually have to pay and decide then.

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Yes - I’m gonna get Hope and Zell Miller and combined with the fact that I’m in-state, tuition at GT should be affordable for me. Coming to CalTech and MIT though, it will most likely be too expensive unless they decide to give me generous aid, which is unlikely. Thank you for your help though - I will definitely check out those net price calculators!

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Hmm… interesting! I was considering Rice a while back but decided to drop cause I didn’t want to overload myself with applications. But I might look into these programs more! Thank you for the info!

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Thank you for your well wishes! Actually I’m an Asian female which might help me a little bit for CalTech but idk how much it’s gonna matter. As for GT - I’m awaiting the decision tomorrow, a lot of really qualified people last year got deferred at our school and I’m hoping that doesn’t happen again this year. I didn’t apply to Emory or Vanderbilt but I did apply (and am planning on applying) to more universities that should be a bit easier for me to get into but also have good programs

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I agree with you! GT’s a good school and lowkey I might just go there (assuming I get in tomorrow) if everywhere else is too expensive.

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I am confident tomorrow is a good day! :crossed_fingers:t2::crossed_fingers:t2::crossed_fingers:t2:I also think you have a good chance at MIT!

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Caltech is not suitable for everyone (and maybe hell for those it is not suitable for) but for the students who have a fit, there is no other place like that in the world. My son went there this fall and we were very afraid that it will be too tough, and too isolating with no social life. However, he has thrived there and has had opportunities which he would not have gotten elsewhere e.g. take a quantum computing course with John Preskill in his first term itself; getting opportunities to start doing research with Profs, which he is going to start next term etc. Some of the topics they covered in their physics course is not covered till end of at least sophomore year in our local university. While the workload is higher than most other Univ., it is not impossible. Access to Profs. has been quite easy and they really take care to interact with their undergraduates if the student shows even a little bit of curiosity and enterprise. There are a few profs who already know him on a first name basis, even those who haven’t taught him yet. So only consider Caltech if you have an insatiable desire to learn.

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My son is in Preskill’s course, too. I’m not on CC much anymore, but I checked it today since Caltech REA decisions dropped, and I was curious if there was any news. I remember we chatted last spring briefly. I think our sons may be friends. :blush:

I second this opinion. My son is having a fantastic experience so far. It really feels as if he’s found his people.

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My daughter is a freshman as well. She LOvEs the HoVse system. Lives her major. Says the students are amazingly friendly. She was sad to come home over thanksgiving bc she missed her friends. She already setting up a summer SURF and been offered to start research next quarter. She said it’s hard but she is “ finally “ able to be herself ( she never really related to HS students). It’s expensive but if th ere is financial need they do help.

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Sorry for being so late :sob:
But yes it was a good day - I ended up getting into GT Neuro :partying_face:
Thank you for your well-wishes!

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