Do we or do we not get into MIT? (Aero/Astro)

Applying to College
23

I agree with blossom…get comfortable with some of the relatively higher acceptance rate schools on your list (limiting those that are affordable), as it’s most likely you will be attending one of those.

From one of your other threads:

As an international high school student, I don’t think you meet the criteria to get DARPA funds as a principal investigator (one has to be employed at a US institution IIRC.) Also, as an international, you can’t be the one completing the application for DARPA funds. What is your situation? Are you part of a team seeking DARPA funding? I only know what you wrote on your threads…but if that’s what you write on your apps, I would not believe it. You don’t have to give us details here, but make sure to get it right on your apps.

As for Putnam, you never said whether you are taking college level classes right now, which you must be to compete in December. No one has any idea how you will do in that competition. If you do make the top 100, I would contact the schools where you applied early action or rolling ASAP.

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24

From Cal Tech - often need aware schools are not giving full rides because they want their $$ to go farther:

“We are need-aware for international students because the total amount of financial aid funds for international students is limited.”

So an already difficult position - becomes more so. And if you are male, you’re already, at least from an acceptance rate, already in a more difficult position than female.

Your time would be more productively spent doing something toward your admissions or mental well being vs. languishing here (like some of us do, which isn’t good for - most anything productive).

Go outside, fly a kite, read a book, work on a math problem.

Get your apps in.

So I take it - if you don’t get into MIT or Cal Tech, you’ll be serving coffee and donuts at Tim Hortons, because any other school is beneath you?

Did you ever look at the backgrounds of enginners at NASA?

Michigan (Bachelor/Masters)

Florida Tech (which has loads in the space industry) with a Masters at Cleveland State

Purdue

U Alabama

Morgan State U

U Texas

Ga Tech (Bachelor and Masters)

West Virginia with UCF Masters

Oklahoma State (Bachelor and Masters)

Those are just the first people picked off linkedin, some of which term themselves rocket scientist.

You certainly don’t need to go to MIT and Cal Tech to make a large contribution in the Aero industry.

Apply and stop obsessing - but going to MIT doesn’t guarantee you sucess. Going to a lesser known doesn’t presume failure.

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Yes. The PI is a NASA JPL scientist. He filled it out and sent my research.

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You have multiple similar posts. Nobody here can answer “will I get into MIT?” Only MIT admissions can answer that. With an acceptance rate under 5% (likely lower for international students) and many exceptional applicants, the odds are certainly against you. Much will depend on things that cannot or should not be shared on a public site such as LORs, essays, etc. All ANYONE here can say is that you should apply, give it your all, and see what happens.

As some unsolicited advice, your preoccupation with MIT is not healthy. The students I see get most hurt in the college admission process are the ones who fixate on one hyper-competitive college and are devastated if they don’t get in. You may get in to MIT, you may not. The fact is that there are many outstanding colleges where you can get a wonderful education and have a great four year experience. Instead of this singular focus, I recommend you spend the time and energy to develop an application list with reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be happy to attend.

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I have done so.

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I wouldn’t be happy to attend any uni other than MIT.

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I do so everyday. This is one of my favourites.

30

Can we stop humoring people who have no interest in anything anyone has to say and only want a foil for an argument?

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31

That may be a problem. It is an immature attitude. Readjust your mindset.

Take a minute and consider how many people all over the world would be thrilled to attend a 4 year college. You will certainly have that chance be it at MIT or elsewhere. If it is elsewhere, I hope you will be able to take a deep breath, count your blessings, and take full advantage of the opportunity.

I will have nothing further to add to this thread.

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32

That would be a failure.

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There’s a damn lot of failures in this world then - like 99.99999% of people yet somehow we have plenty of billionaires, rocket scientists and more.

You really need a re-set.

34

I mean a personal failure.

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“Denied by MIT, now a PhD student at CSAIL” (MIT Admissions blog, 4/16/2021)

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Imma not say anything on my views on any of the individuals mentioned.

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That list was started years ago as a party game by high schoolers for high schoolers. It’s not a real list that has been validated by admissions.

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38

Good luck to you.

But a mind experiment- what happens the first time you get a C on an exam at MIT? What happens when your first choice research lab tells you “we don’t have room for you this semester, try again next year”? What happens when you can’t get a security clearance for the summer job you want?

Every competent aero engineer (some graduated from universities you’ve never heard of) has developed a Plan B, backup plan, multiple fail-safes, etc. The obituary this week about Margaret Hamilton (incredible woman and an incredible life) had the details about a fail- safe she wanted to create and was told “we don’t need that” (her young daughter accompanied her to work and one day pushed the wrong button on the simulator). She did it anyway… and because of her Plan B, Apollo 11 was able to land on the moon as planned.

Everyone needs Plan B. And a college you don’t want to attend is not a Plan B.

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39

God Forbid.

40

Is it accurate?

41

About to hit 40 posts in one hour on this thread. Lots of thoughts come to mind about that. OP, being inflexible is not going to get you as far as you want. Please keep that in mind.

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God has nothing to do with it.

Think of what the curve looks like when you are surrounded by people just like you…

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