Hope for an abused kid for Caltech/MIT? How to get a lab internship?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>My life has been worse than most. But I’m terrified of not being able to make it because of this disadvantage</p>

<p>I’m going to give very few details to protect my identity.</p>

<p>I’ve barely been allowed to go to school yet I seem to be very successful at academics subjects my whole life by self teaching. My mother is clinically insane (the disorders go on forever) and has a alcohol/drug habit. The rest of the family is the same, except more evil. Everyone I’ve known has been the same in my life. I’ve been beaten and emotionally abused throughout my existence. It was hell, to say the least, and I’m leaving out some important details.</p>

<p>I live alone as I am completing ninth grade. Everything I’ve done I’ve done by myself. I’m sorry, but I don’t have the opportunities that others do. </p>

<p>My test scores are phenomenal. My will to succeed is even more shocking. Whatever I’ve done, I’ve always been the best.</p>

<p>It is my dream to go to MIT or Caltech, since the first time I heard an engineering teacher talk about it during a summer program I biked to when I was a kid.</p>

<p>However, I see the other candidates on here, and I know that I have no chance. </p>

<p>I have pretty good EC’s, such as founding an organization, competing and placing at national competition, awards, etc. But nothing on the level of the kids here. </p>

<p>Will the colleges understand where I’m coming from? How do I explain this to them? If I was born to a different situation, I would of gone far but that didn’t happen. </p>

<p>Also, how do I go about procuring an internship in a lab? Could someone explain this to me in more detail?</p>

2

<p>u need to tell us your gpa, test scores, ec’s in order for us to tell</p>

3

<p>you’ll “make it” regardless. perhaps you won’t “make it” at an ivy or a top university, but if you’re are intelligent and driven as you claim to be and pursue a major with financially sound job prospects, you’ll be fine.</p>

<p>as the poster above stated, you’d need to share your test scores, GPA, and be more specific about your extracurriculars to gauge where you have a shot of getting in. </p>

<p>on another note, if you’re living alone as a 9th grader, consider calling CPS.</p>

<p>…or the cops. they can probably help you sort your life out a lot more than college confidential can.</p>

4

<p>If you are in an unsafe situation, call your state’s child abuse hotline. Unsafe, abused, lack of basic care - food, shelter, high school education - make a hotline call. If you are in a situation where you are denied access to education (meaning you are told you can not attend high school) - you can make a hotline call. You can also confide in a teacher at school. Teachers are mandated reporters - they must make a hotline call on your behalf.</p>

<p>Lack of education does not mean being denied participation in ECs, computers, summer REUs, etc. It’s unfortunate if your family does not support those extras but those are not contained in the expected “minimum standard of care”. </p>

<p>Again, if you are in an unsafe situation, make a call. </p>

<p>If your mother has mental illness and is incapacitated, is there a father or legal guardian in the picture?</p>