MIT/Harvard graduate school

Ummmmm
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:30:18 +0000

Hello, at the moment I’m completing a BSc majoring in physics and chemistry at the University of Auckland, which is reasonably high internationally, but is not particularly noted for the sciences, and I’m going on to study physics at the graduate level. Aside from the obvious GPA factor, would somebody happen to know what it is that really drives an application home for MIT or Harvard or Caltech, etc.? At the moment I can say things like, speak 3 languages (including English), part time author if things go well with publishers and agents and what not, and am looking to get involved with research (but that’s uncommon and often difficult here). But I’m still getting the feeling that I need to add more to be noted by these schools. Any advice on applications would be appreciated.

(Also, I have time before I’ll be applying, so this isn’t like any last-minute additions to an application.)