<p>You don’t need to have a perfect GPA to get into MIT. The majority of applicants haven’t done scientific research, and very few are published when they apply. It’s a great thing to have good scientific research in your background as an applicant to MIT, but it’s not required.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about getting published as a high schooler – if it happens, it happens, but the quality of your research isn’t necessarily as important as what you get out of it.</p>