@llanaknits @bubblemaster3000 I tried to inspire some of my friends and people I know to start a math or science team in my school but they are not interested. Nobody from my school applying to IMSA for many years, my school math/reading proficiency is 25-30%. I am alone… We have Robotics club but the teacher has a very slight idea how to program robots, so I am learning it on my own. Also teachers at my school do not let me to advance in math, so I will be taking AP statistics and precalculus on my own over the summer… I am pretty sure I will not get invited to IMSA this year at least…I will probably have to get near perfect math SAT score next year in order to be considered for admission to IMSA, I do not have any medals in math/science competitions, since no team… My essays are impressive, but so everybody’s else! Thanks for suggestions guys!
Will I see any of you guys today at the Bradley Colosseum for robotics?
are any of you doing stuff for spring break?
i am soo glad we finally get time off!
currently finishing countless missing assignments for ap human geo
totally didn’t get imsa-itis before i even know if i’m going… heh
@PlanarStuff actually same except bio
we’re not on spring break till Wednesday :-/ but during I have another competition in Chicago
17 at Mathcounts, missed countdown by one position. Tough problems :-S
Anyone going to Geographic Bee state on April Fool’s day? :@)
We don’t have that at my school and I only memorized a lot of countries capitals that’s about it.
That is my birthday, though!
I was just wondering… what is the point of going to IMSA if you are applying for a district 204 school. Like, what benefits do you receive that you would not receive from a district 204 school?
I’m a sophomore at IMSA currently (originally from Naperville Central), so I might be able to help you with that question.
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Smaller class sizes. I’m not sure that they’re a problem in either place, really, but it does help that IMSA is much smaller(~650 students, vs. ~4000 for Neuqua).
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More involved clubs. Since IMSA students actually live at school, there’s more opportunity for practices/etc. that other schools might not have time for. Clubs meet more often.
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Social dynamic. This is subjective, but given that everyone lives together, I think there’s more room for developing friendships. I’ve gained better friends here in the span of less than a year than I did in Naperville.
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More specific courses. I’ve never heard of anything like Organic Chemistry, Modern Physics, Microbes and Disease, Theory of Analysis, Graphic Novels, etc. being offered at regular public schools.
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Research opportunities. While you can’t do an SIR (Student Inquiry and Research) sophomore year, this is something I’ve been told all IMSA students should definitely utilize. If you’re not familiar, kids go to universities/labs around the area (or stay at school) to study a field of research with experts; that could mean effects of certain drugs on the immune system, history of Chinese/Indian relations, or another topic of the sort.
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College applications (?). This one I’m not entirely sure about, but given IMSA’s reputation as a STEM school with a very intimate environment I imagine it’s somewhat easier to get into some colleges. For example, according to Naviance, 95% of IMSA students who apply to U of I get accepted. Urbana is considered a “backup” school for a lot of IMSA kids, rather than a “reach” (e.g. Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc.)
@dimsumnoodles I agree, the friends I’ve made at IMSA seem to know me better than the friend group I stuck with for the past eight years at my old district.
@dimsumnoodles Thank you for the info.
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What is the class size at IMSA? 16-20? I know my local high school is around 25. A bit confusing when you substitute class size with school size.
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& 3) Excellent points!
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May I ask how many elective courses can you choose per semester?
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Totally agree! This is why I am applying IMSA.
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I think those 95% IMSA students accepted UIUC would still considered it a “backup” school if they continued at their local high schools.
@dimsumnoodles If you do not mind me by asking, but I was wondering what were your stats like? Since you are coming from Naperville, I would like to compare your stats with mine. Like SAT, GPA, Awards, ECs, Teacher Recs, and essays. For me, in 7th grade I didn’t try and I got like a 3.45 GPA. But in 8th and 9th I got a 4.0. So, my total GPA was like 3.8 (so bad for people applying for D204). I just like collecting data from students identical to my demographics, and if you do not want to share that is fine 
Sure!
SAT- 710 Math, 770 Reading, 790 Writing. I spent the majority of my time studying for reading, but sort of overlooked math.
GPA- 4.0 Unweighted. Freshman year I took 4 honors classes, so weighted GPA was a 4.57.
Awards- Not much here. I did the state geography bee in TN and CA from 5th-8th grade, and won some small award for doing well on the AMC 8 (and when I say small, I mean “got a certificate from a teacher” small, although that’s not how I made it sound LOL.)
Extracurriculars- Math Team, Chinese Club, Tennis, Band (eh, just gonna leave this here because it makes my list look bigger)
Teacher Recs- I moved from California the summer before freshman year, and since I didn’t know my teachers in Naperville very well, I had most of my recommendation letters from middle school in California. We had a class called CORE which was Accelerated History/Language Arts, and that teacher was very fond of me, which showed well.
Essays- They were pretty awkward. I did write a bit about the diversity where I was from in the Bay Area, but it might have made me come off as overly homesick. Then there was an essay where I wrote that I would love to go to IMSA because, as someone who’s very passionately interested in architecture/planning, there are good opportunities in Chicago. I didn’t mention the SIR program or anything, although that would have helped. At least, that’s what I was trying to communicate. But I think I just wrote “IMSA is close to Chicago and Chicago has good architecture” or something along those lines, which really doesn’t set it apart from a Naperville school.
In the end, I was waitlisted and accepted on moving day. I had stellar grades and decent recommendations, but lagged behind in ECs and accomplishments. My essays were OK, but I don’t feel they fully hashed out how I would take advantage of the opportunities at IMSA. As for you, you shouldn’t focus too much on good grades/scores, since they didn’t end up helping me as much as I had anticipated. Definitely work on getting awards and doing extracurriculars that reflect your individual interests.
I have very few STEM related activities so heheh ^^;
@dimsumnoodles Ah you scare me a lot man. Like, ok my SAT is on par to your SAT. For Essays I had my tutor (known for sending many students to IMSA), edit it to the ma, so tbh my best part is my essays so thats a big plus. But, of course my big minus is my horrible GPA. I guess I am ok for Awards cause I made state in robotics and state gold in IJAS science fair (if you know what this is). Ughhh, but my parents are disappointed at me due to my GPA :(. What do you think? Like, do you think my stats have what it takes to get into IMSA!
I’m actually not sure about the actual statistics, but my classes are significantly smaller than they were at Naperville Central. The largest class I’ve been in is ~21 students, but most of them are under 20.
As for electives, I think the number you will be able to take depends on your placement.
The required amount of credits you need by the end of senior year is 17.
4.0 in Science
3.0 in Mathematics
3.0 in English
2.5 in History
2.0 in Foreign Languages
1.0 in Wellness
1.0 in Math/Science
0.5 in Fine Arts
For example, in math, students typically place into MI2. The core mathematics classes range from the MI series (4 classes, 1/2, 2, 3, and 4) through calculus (the AB track is 2 semesters whereas BC is typically 3). So a student who starts first semester sophomore year might not even reach the highest math electives, unless they 1) Take 2 semesters of BC Fast, 2) Take 2 semesters of AB Calculus, or 3) double up on MI4 and BC 1. On the other hand, some students have tested out of AB/BC completely and gone on to Multivariable or higher.
All sophomores are required to take SI Physics and SI Chem (first or second semester) and MSI and Bio (the other semester). Chemistry you can test out of, if you’ve already taken it as a course at your old school. On the first day there is a test to see if it’s still necessary for you to take the course. If you get an 80% or higher, you’re placed into Organic Chemistry 1. However, you can’t test out of biology, and I don’t know if you can test out of physics or not. I recall a beginning of the year test, but I don’t know anyone who actually did test out. The only real specialization there is sophomore year among students is what math class and what foreign language they are taking.
Here’s a list of learning opportunities for the 2016-2017 school year. I don’t think I answered your question fully, but there’s more information here on the courses that are offered.
https://www.imsa.edu/sites/default/files/upload/learning_opportunities_2016-2017.pdf
So, does it look good on an IMSA application that you took two honors math classes in middle and changing the math curriculum of your district because I take Honors Algebra I and Honors Geometry together. Also, is there a good chance for me to get in if I’m the only one applying from a school.
My Stats: GPA: 3.79(Low due to getting really low grades in Geometry)
SAT: 700 Math 700 Reading
EC’s: Band, Jazz Band, STEM Club, Science Fair Club, BETA Club(Club for academically gifted students)
Awards: TSA Tech Day First Place, State Science Fair Silver(7th Grader), District Recognition for State, Paper Session State Gold, State Science Fair Gold, Robotics Team Regionals, Band went to State
Essays: Really Good
Teacher Recs: Really good all rated me as top 1% really good reviews from my principal as well
I take all honors classes
my math class next year will be Honors Algebra II and Honors Pre-Calculus
I am a 8th grader will apply in 9th grade, my gpa is based of 9th grade GPA as well(I’m expecting a 4.0)
Please Judge My Chances
@rattybatty How are you taking both Algebra 2 and pre calc next year ?
As for me I am stuck with the Honor Integrated Math III for next year… (If I do not get into IMSA). I will be taking AP statistics and pre-calculus online. My school would not let me to take pre-calculus simultaneously with the honors integrated math III, so I had to find online course… Anybody else here is stuck with Common Core or only me?