<p>I’m a freshman and was wondering, for imsa application, my recommendations should be from high school teachers or they can be from middle school teachers?</p>
<p>Hello Everyone, I am applying to the IMSA class of 2018 as well. I have taken the December SAT and have received a sub 600 in critical reading and my math scores only hit the the average. Are my chances ruined because of this? I am not taking the test again in January.</p>
<p>@jbhawtan both, im getting my math,science and opptional from middle school, and my english recc from 9th grade teachers</p>
<p>@theedog wait, what was your math and reading score? And if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell me what race you are too? Because IMSA apps are also based on that. </p>
<p>@priyaluvsbooks I got a 680 in math and a 550 in cr. I did not do very well at all in the reading portion.</p>
<p>Last year, I did only around 640 for my Math and CR on the SAT, got 50 assignments late, and 1 probably horrible math teacher recommendation, and I still got the interview for 8th graders.
So, don’t worry too much about your SAT. They did tell me mine was a bit low, and to try and fix that, but if you look at the averages for the class of 2017, it’s 668 for math, and 602 for reading. Though I do remember her saying something in 700s, but whatever. I would focus MUCH more on the essay application than on the SAT. </p>
<p>@ChemSniper I see what your saying. It just kind of freaked me out seeing such a low CR score compared to the averages. Luckily that wasn’t math.</p>
<p>well, you guuys need to understand that IMSA unfortunately also takes race into account along with your applications. </p>
<p>. . . and geography.</p>
<p>And is it really unfortunate? From your perspective, it might be, but remember that IMSA is a public institution dependent on IL state support for its survival, so it has to serve all communities in IL.</p>
<p>BTW, I don’t know what it is like now, but a long time ago, half the class was filled purely by scores and the rest were filled by “holistic” factors (in other words, taking geography and race in to account).</p>
<p>@PurpleTitan Even if they do have to serve all areas of IL, does that mean that certain races (Asians) are given harder requirements to get in due to the volume of applicants?</p>
<p>@theeedog, considering how Asian the IMSA student body is these days (41%, which is more than the white percentage of the student body, at 35%), it certainly doesn’t not look like IMSA discriminates against Asians at least vis-a-vis whites (compare to the Ivies where the percentage of Asians is consistently around 20% or CalTech and UC-Berkeley, which explicitly do not take race in to account during admissions, where Asians make up >40% of the student body).</p>
<p>Granted, you would not get an admissions boost unless you are from downstate or Chicago city (where you would even if you are Asian) or are URM.</p>
<p>Like I said, if they still use the same methodology as they did back in the day, get in the top 120 or so and you don’t have to worry; you’re in regardless.</p>
<p>@PurpleTitan Ok, thanks for the explanation.</p>
<p>How much do you think SAT scores make up for a medium to low-ish GPA, if at all?</p>
<p>well it depends. If your SAT score’s are in the 1400 range then i think you’re good. but if your SAT’s are like 1350 then tbh it won’t really matter. </p>
<p>Hey guys! I am a current IMSA student (class of 2017) and I can tell you this much: “Are my SAT scores good enough?” That depends on what kind of school you have come from. IMSA looks at how well you took advantage of the opportunities to do well in the environment you were in. With that said…“is this long list of my extracurricular activities going to impress IMSA?” Yes and No. 90% of the applicants for class of 2018 will have perfect GPAs, and math and reading scores near the 700s. I know a kid who had a perfect GPA, got an 800 on the math section, had a long list of extracurriculars and did NOT get in. It all comes down to ONE thing; the essays and the recommendations. Your long list of math/science related activities will mean nothing if you can’t let your passion shine through in your essays or if your teachers cannot right a strong recommendation on your behalf. </p>
<p>So with that said, best of luck to our class of 2018- I hope to see many of you in the fall! If you have any questions, post them below and I will be happy to answer them. I am also available to answer questions any of your parents might have (I work closely with our admissions team to help spread knowledge about the academy).</p>
<p>Good luck!:)</p>
<p>Hi Daisy</p>
<p>I got 740 in Math and 640 in Critical reading. I am in math and science club. I am also in student council and was in NJHS for 2 years in middle school. My GPA is 4.5 right now. I am looking to start volunteer in Hospital and its in process. How are my chances for IMSA? As you mentioned Teacher recommendations and essay. Can you able to highlight what IMSA expect in essay? Thanks in Advance for reply.</p>
<p>Hi Priya</p>
<p>I got 740 Math and 660 reading. Total is 1400 same as you. How do you see our chance to get admission in IMSA?</p>
<p>@sbhattUS Your SAT scores as well as your GPA are pretty competitive. In my personal opinion, those scores should give you a good shot at admission. Your volunteer work at the hospital will also bring some uniqueness to your application as well as show that you care about “advancing the human condition” (IMSA’s motto)- nice choice!</p>
<p>As far as the essays- these essays give the admissions team the opportunity to get to the know the real you, not just the human calculator that can do well on tests.Talk about your passion for math and science. Be honest; why do you want to attend the academy? Talk about your work ethic. What do you hope to bring to the table at such a prestigious academy? IMSA wants students from different backgrounds so they can teach each other new things. What are you going to contribute? Most importantly, BE YOURSELF. I know it sounds cheesy, but its true. Let your “nerdiness” shine through and don’t be afraid to talk about the things that really interest you. There is no interview process to get into the academy, so this is the only way that the admissions team will get to know you for you!</p>
<p>I hope this helped a bit- I remember how stressed out I was last year. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks Daisy!</p>
<p>@Daisybug Hi Daisy, I don’t have as good SAT scores as SbhattUS, but I have a higher GPA and many ec and a few awards. My teacher recs and and essays are in my control so that won’t be a problem, but does my SAT score put me at an extreme disadvantage?</p>