<p>My qualifications:
2400 SAT; Subject tests: 800 Math II, 800 Physics and 780 US history
GPA 4:00
AP track
Extracurricular: TSA, Decathlon, Band, Math team, Academic Team and Honors Programs, etc. Leaders of TSA, Decathlon, Band, Math Team.
Achievements: First Place of 4 state events for TSA; second place of 2 Decathlon for the State events and 2nd place of a national event. Volunteers about 100 hours per year for community.
Any suggestions?</p>
<p>How about retake your SAT?</p>
<p>Just kidding. Nothing more to do besides wait and get in your other apps. Certainly you’ll have a bevy of accepts in April. Maybe MIT will be one, maybe not. </p>
<p>Certainly your statistics and extracurricular activities are very admirable (obviously, they don’t get much better than that). However, keep in mind that more goes into MIT’s decisions than just these statistics. There be hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants just like you, so there needs to be something to set you apart. This always comes down to essays, recommendations, and any other materials that you decide to submit.</p>
<p>To show you the importance of this, my ACT equivalency is much lower than you (I got a 33 composite), and my SAT II’s were pretty similar, as well as extracurricular activities (except mine are much heavier on music activities). First, it may be in the presentation of all of this. If you simply stated 100 hours per year of volunteer service, that won’t get you far with admission. But if you state the significance of these events to them, this will be more impressive.</p>
<p>Additionally, I put an extensive amount of work into submitting two music portfolios (one for voice and one for piano) to MIT, as well as emailing their music department explaining my interest. Little things like this will certainly be noticed by MIT admission.</p>
<p>With all of this stated, I got my acceptance to MIT during EA with no research experience. It all comes to down to how you present yourself and your activities, your demonstrated interest, and most importantly, if all of this shows that you would be a good fit for MIT.</p>
<p>Suggestion for what? Other colleges? Continued interest letter?</p>
<p>Thank You!!! I am doing well in design and music. Do you think I should re-present this to MIT, too?</p>
<p>It’s all a lottery for the top 11 schools. You have no control of what happens. Don’t stress.</p>
<p>suggestions for other university and continued interest. </p>
<p>Top schools like MIT often look for extracurriculars that suggest high experience or interest in an applicant’s intended major. Participation in school clubs and high standings in competitions related to your major could provide the needed boost.</p>
On behalf of my child.
The result came. Rejected from MIT.
SAT: 2400
SATII: 800 Math; Physics:800
Extracurricular: Math Club: Captain; TSA Competition Coordinator; Decathlon: Captain; Band: section leader. Volunteer: more than 100 hrs
Awards: State-level: 1st TSA design;gold in Decathlon math, science;
2nd: Architectural design
Numerous 3, 4, 5 of the state level
National: 2nd in writing Decathlon; Highest points Decathlon
Strengths: hardworking, community loving, witty
Weakness: Maybe Asian(???)
Additional strength: mother who loves and supports her son no matter what! 
Don’t blame the admissions decision on your race - there’s nothing you could have done about that anyway. The majority of applicants to MIT are highly qualified . . . and the overwhelming majority get denied. It’s a disappointment, certainly, but a student as qualified as your son will succeed no matter where he attends college.
Hope you were joking, schools love minorities. If anything being white is a disadvantage (no affirmative action).
MIT applicants all excel academically…tough break.
@judasGOAT asians don’t get affirmative action in college admissions, they are actually overrepresented in US colleges…they actually are more disadvantaged than whites because of left-skew… admission minorities are blacks/hispanics/native americans
Anyway. You should definitely be proud of your kid, but at the very top everything is a tossup. I think the problem is that people think adcoms admit the best posible students out of their applicants, when they simply admit a number of highly qualified applicants. When youre at the top, very few things separate students from one another. Good luck!
Everything doesn’t just boil down to race. They were looking for something he didn’t have. It’s that simple.
I got deferred, rejected by MIT but likelied by Duke.
Every school looks for something different in applicants. Forget race, when you can’t change it – unless you go Michael Jackson on them.
I really believe they go Einey Miney Moe
Look up the results threads; the majority of the asian males who get in have reached an international level in some math or science Olympiads or at least the national summer training camps …
For still very high-achieving but not international level asian M applicants like your son, there are a whole lot of them, and only a tiny few can get in.
White male isn’t it much easier.
The implication that race was a factor is what bugged me with the post. Please stop doing that. Asians dominate most engineering colleges- why? Because most are hardworking, intelligent and driven. They are usually the most qualified applicants, not due to their race but their strong-work ethic. I’d say most, if not all, students pursuing the difficult engineering/science majors all share this same work ethic. I understand her son busted his A%$ to achieve those high academics (good on him), but to even hint at the reason he didn’t get in might be his race is a travesty. Life is not fair for EVERYONE; white, black, Indian, Asian etc. Lets stop blaming others for life’s perceived wrongs.
The “affirmative-action” comment, was a response to absurdness of the initial race post. I’m tired of everyone attempting to play the victim. I’m not going to debate “who’s more disadvantaged”, as we (as individuals) all face adversity in life.
OP’s son will be fine. The school doesn’t make the student.