I have mentioned this in other social media, so I will say this:
There’s a ton of information out there what 1) MIT is like and 2) other schools.
For instance, the material in AP Calculus BC, if you more than double the speed, that’s 18.01 (Single-Variable Calculus). MIT freshmen usually carry 4 classes like this and then a 6-unit (Fall) seminar/6- or 9-unit class/seminar in the Spring or some combination that totals 54/57 units for Fall/Spring respectively.
And it’s not just the GPA/grades – that’s only a very small sliver. High GPA+most challenging course load at school would be closer in terms of an academic fit.
Good signs are:
- the applicant loves that kind of challenge, looks forward to that
- the applicant would even try for 18.02/18.03/18.01A+18.02A, 8.012, 5.112 if applicable (in other words, the applicant would really enjoy over-learning / really developing on fundamentals / loves even more challenge)
- the applicant is truly excited for the challenge
- the applicant would not feel adequately challenged in a “good to very good school” (lots of schools teach the material of Single-Variable Calculus over two semesters)
- the applicant has looked at MIT’s programs/majors, including the progressions within the major (and if applicable, specializations of engineering majors) and really believes this is what he or she wants
- the applicant is comfortable / wants to be at a place where he or she will (in most likelihood) not be the top
- the applicant will be able to reach out to others (peers, upperclassmen, profs, advisor(s), TA’s, RA’s, study group, tutorials) for help – including that the applicant can form and maintain friendships
- the applicant has ways to balance life, work, etc. and has positive outlets for stress
Bad signs:
- the applicant doesn’t like challenge
- the applicant is doing this for prestige
- the applicant is being pushed by his/her family
- no study skills, organizational skills (just doing well in school by virtue of natural intelligence)
- no outlets for stress
- the applicant doesn’t think about how he or she is going to engage the MIT community including what he or she might contribute
- low emotional intelligence, self-awareness, resilience/grit, social skills
I have been interviewing applicants for some time and I’ve had two valedictorians rejected by MIT (one is at Yale though). A number of others were very good students in every measure (several with perfect state-wide assessment scores, several straight-A students, one is at Cornell for engineering) and they’ve gone on to be on the Dean’s List at their respective institutions if applicable. Every last applicant had solid extracurriculars. This paragraph is to mention how competitive it is to be admitted.
I think I would have assessed myself somewhere in the middle of the pack at MIT:
- I had AP Calculus AB, where I only made like 5 mistakes all year and had a perfect final (99% overall) – this also meant I did not come in with credit for 18.01. I took 18.011 when it was offered, which is about 11-12% faster than 18.01. It was a good challenge for me. (Hidden grade due to Freshman Pass/Fail: A)
- I had self-studied AP Physics C and took (and passed) Advanced Standing Examination for 8.01
- my province’s senior-year Chemistry curriculum covered a bit of organic and inorganic chemistry, plus I had covered Schrödinger in my self-studying for Physics, so I was only one of two to get credit for 5.11 in my freshman year through the Advanced Standing Examination (yeah, I was an international student at MIT)
I didn’t do anything special over the summer. I went to nerd camp. I worked for my MIT interviewer’s company, evaluating his company’s graphical supercomputer and learning to program using C and graphical routines.