Actually scratch that, I don’t need it
I don’t have my essays, sorry guys. PM me and I can perhaps help with deciding topics.
Hey guys, I asked people on our class pages if they would come back to IMSA if they could do it all again. The answers were, interesting.
Here’s some of the responses:
“Like some people at IMSA really enjoy this place and to give other incoming students skewed results could really hurt the school. Plus it would also be somewhat a lie. The only way to know if you regret coming to IMSA is to give it a shot. This school is what you make out of it, so if you regret it all I’m saying is you can’t blame it on anyone else.” -Sophomore
“IMSA is only really worth it if you use the opportunities it offers you (SIR or internship or whatever) or if your a super genius so if you really are thinking about coming to IMSA you need to think about if your actually going to pursue one of these or just going to IMSA because of the fact that it’s IMSA”-Senior
“IMSA is the best decision I’ve ever made and I wouldn’t take back a second of it.” -Senior
“IMSA has been hard. Everyone tells you that before you come here, and on some level I didn’t really believe them, but it’s absolutely true. It’s hard if you have straight As, it’s hard if you don’t. There have definitely been times where all I wanted was to go home and be like a normal person who didn’t need to stay up until 2:00 in the morning working on homework. However, at these times, I think about the people that I’ve met here, and how much they mean to me. I’m closer to people here than I ever was at my old school, where I was extremely shy and didn’t really talk to people if they lived outside of a book. I like the person I see myself becoming through my experience here, one who loves to laugh and actually tries to reach out to people. If I had stayed at my old school, I don’t know if I would have seen that change. Maybe I would still be the person who was too scared to talk to anyone, who was extremely awkward in all social contexts. If I had stayed there, I would have had no reason or opportunity to change, and in that way IMSA has been absolutely worth it.”-Senior
“Shits tough as hell but made some good friends”-Sophomore
“IMSA has changed”-Senior
"too much work not enough understanding “-Sophomore
“IMSA made me realize I liked things other than academics… but also made me realize I am good at academics”-Junior
" I would not trade my experiences here, which have made me who I am, for anything. Yes my GPA is destroyed and my credibility is shot, but that has only strengthened the essence of the student that I already was and my instructors and friends see that. I have proven myself unbreakable against obstacles that have driven others to kill themselves, and because of my time here at IMSA I am stronger, wiser, more driven and better prepared to enter the wider world than I could ever have hoped to be had I gone elsewhere or my experiences been any different. So as odd as it sounds for me to say… Thank you to IMSA, and to all of the people who have made my life a burning hell these past two and a half years.” -Senior
"I think that IMSA is an amazing school which provides resources to students unlike any other school. I personally come from a very good school. A District 204 school in Naperville. However, after coming to IMSA, I can see the astounding difference between this school and my old school. It builds a community unlike any other, and no matter its difficulties, I am grateful for all the struggles and the work demand that my classes require. I honestly don’t understand why people complain so much the work load because the reason that IMSA exists is to provide demanding classes and extracurriculars. It’s to push their students to the next level. It’s not called the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy for nothing. It doesn’t hold this type of reputation because its like any other school. IMSA provides the resources and I think it is up to the student to make what they make of it. If they choose to have a positive outlook and put their best attitude forward, I promise that they will have a great experience at IMSA. If the student chooses to bash anything and everything they do not like and does not put any effort in at all, expect a horrible situation. It is really all about what you put forth. " -Sophomore
“teachers are mean and some are shitty so they require extra work, something to keep in mind if considering coming” -Junior
“IMSA is the most unique way to acquire mild depression” -Sophomore
“I just want to say that there’s something special here. I came from a really good school in a really good neighborhood with some really good people, and I thought that the only thing that would be different about IMSA would be that the academics are harder, or that the sports are worse, or that the music kind of sucks. But it’s not about that. The people are special here. They’ll smile at you in the hallway, regardless of whether they even know you or not. They’ll help you with that last question on your problem set, even if they have a paper due that night that they haven’t started yet. They’ll agree to split that pizza with you, and then pay for the whole thing and still give you half. They’ll come to your club presentation, even if they have to skip one of their own to come to yours. They’ll do things like that. Things they won’t do anywhere else. And even when you’re going through hell here, even when you feel like you would rather be at home, even when you feel like nobody here cares how you’re doing, they’ll do those things for you. And you’ll sit there, and you’ll think about it, and you’ll realize you’ve made the right choice by coming to this school. Because no matter how hard it gets, and no matter how frustrating it is, they’ll always be there to do these things.” -Sophomore
"IMSA SUCKS 99.9% of the time but I believe the .1% makes it worth it some of the time! I will miss the people " -Senior
As you can see, IMSA is different for everyone. Don’t take what anyone says at face value, every student here has a story and an opinion.
So make your own choices with IMSA, but be educated.
(apologies for this long af comment)
@rattybatty I had a horrible GPA of like 3.5 something applying here and I got in, even from New Trier. There are certain requirements IMSA has to meet as a school of its kind. Also, please keep in mind we as students can’t say anything definitively, this is what I’ve heard.
Coming to IMSA will make you part of a research group, where you are voluntary lab rats. IMSA has a “special ITS division” which is supposedly testing different teaching methods on students and also analyzing their grades based on stuff. Shit is weird here
Wow. Thanks guys for this information. My worries now are to get in, then I will make the decision as to whether or not the school meets my needs as a student.
Ahah these comments make me eager to actually get in. Like, now I am determined to put in 100% effort to get into IMSA! But, the downside is if by some chance I do not get into IMSA… Like people say “The bigger they are the harder they fall!” I guess this quote can also work on people’s determination lol!
IMSA applications open at 4 PM tomorrow! Super excited 
Woohoo! They open today! Who’s ready?
@red42413 Can’t wait. I hope they don’t postpone them again.
They can’t, it would be very bad if they did. @Qpint22
Oh god, I can’t even imagine what would happen then @Qpint22
I’ve gotten so anxious today that I started re-reading the student handbook >.> Whoops
It’s open. Good luck everybody!!
For the people that applied last year, the new interface for the application looks a million times better. I’m surprised no one else is talking
@YoloSwagMaster How do? I didn’t apply last year but I would love to hear how the application interface has changed 
So*
Hey, guys. I’m currently a sophomore at IMSA (so I don’t know as much as any juniors or seniors who have posted). I’ve been keeping up with this thread for the most part and although most of the misconceptions have already been addressed, I just want to give a little bit of my input based on what’s been said.
First of all, you don’t need to worry about your SAT scores as much as you think you need to. They do look at your SAT scores (including writing) but they aren’t the ultimate determinate as to whether you get in or not. I didn’t do too great on the SAT. I didn’t discover IMSA until about a week before the applications were due, and I’ve never been the best at standardized tests, especially reading. I ended up with about 600 in math, 400 in reading, and 600 in writing. I also know for a fact there’s been a student who got accepted with a composite of less than 1000.
Another thing, don’t stress about B’s too much. I applied as a freshman, so I had to submit my seventh, eighth, and ninth grade transcripts. In seventh grade, I got more A’s than B’s and a C in social studies second sem. In eighth grade, I got about as many A’s as B’s, and I got a B both semesters in Algebra I. First semester freshman year, I had all A’s with a 4.33 GPA but second semester I got something like a 3.0, including a C in English second semester. I didn’t get the best grades overall and I didn’t have the best test score and I got accepted.
One of the primary things that they use to decide who should be able to come here, based on what I’ve picked up from things I’ve heard from both upperclassmen and administrators/RCs/teacher, is how much you took advantage of the opportunities you had at your old school, as well as essays. In seventh and eighth grade, I was in scholastic bowl, math team, and band. Last year, I participated in the SWSC science competition, and I was still in band. I also took two honors classes, which is all my school offered for for freshmen. And as far as essays, my friend and I put in WORK to make our essays perfect. We spent an hour on it every morning to make our essays amazing.
Worst comes to worst, if you have lower test scores and a lower GPA but an overall stronger application, you’ll go to Excel, which is a two week program during the summer. It’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. You take chem, bio, English, and two math classes for a few hours a day in July. I went to Excel and it was incredibly fun and it really helped me for the school year. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go to Excel. Like, if you have a low SAT score but everything else is high, I don’t think you’d have to go. If you get waitlisted, don’t assume you won’t be called back, even if it’s right before move in and you still haven’t been notified. I think it’s something like half of the students who are waitlisted are pulled off of the waitlist, and they call back a lot of people the day of move in.
When these applications are looked at, you aren’t just a couple numbers to the admission team. They look at everyone as an individual and look at their potential. If they see you succeeding at IMSA and if they believe you want to do well, you’re likely to get accepted. If you have a B or only a 600 on your math SAT test, they won’t care. They’ll look at every part of your application, so just make sure everything is as good as it can be and don’t stress about the little details about parts of your transcript that can’t really be helped. It’s okay to make sure every part of the application you’re submitting (i.e. the essays mostly), focus on the details but don’t beat yourself up because of a grade or score you don’t quite like.
Don’t assume you will or won’t be accepted by one detail. Just make sure what you have is as good as it can be. One of the teachers here, Dr. Porzio, said, “You WILL do well.” Just my input, good luck with applications!!!
TL;DR - don’t stress about tiny details of your GPA and test scores, admissions are based on how much you will succeed at IMSA
Thanks for easing my mind! I was stressing a lot about my SAT scores. 1 thing, where did you live before (just the general area, if your not comfortable sharing that I completely understand)
what yoloswag said ^