What are my chances at the top-engineering schools?

Marx
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:29:11 +0000

I am an upcoming senior, and I want to get into MIT but I feel some of my credentials are not strong enough. I also would like to know what I should do in my senior year to make myself look better.

Schools I’m looking into:
MIT, John-Hopkins, Purdue

GPA: 3.9
Class Rank: Top 20% (of my most recent school)
ACT: 26 (I will be retaking it in the fall, I am disappointed in this score)

Courses:
Freshman Year:
English 1
Natural Science
Algebra 1
World Geography
French 1

Sophomore Year:
Geometry
Honors English
Biology
German 1
World History

Junior Year:
Trigonometry
Algebra 2
German 2
US History
English 3
Chemistry
Intro. to Engineering and Design

Senior Year:
U.S. Government
Economics
Some form of Honors English
AP Calculus
Physics
Bio-technical Engineering

ECs:
Art Club

Awards:
I’ve been to 4 art shows and every time one of my pieces has won an award.

Hobbies (don’t know if this helps or not)
Drawing, painting, welding sculpture.

Additional Info:
I’ve attended two different schools in my HS experience so far, and I will be attending a third for my senior year. This honestly makes my chances at getting recommendations a bit more difficult, I don’t know many of my teachers all that well. But I could try to get to know the teachers this year, if it would help. Art is a big thing to me as you may be able to see, not big enough that I would get a degree for it though. I don’t know if artistic engineers is common, but hopefully it helps in some way.

Looking at my EC’s, I really think I should have more. So I already know I should pick up some more of those to do. Would taking the SAT help at all? Or will the ACT score be enough? I really want to get into MIT, but I think I may not cut it. So what could I do to in my senior year to get me into MIT?