what are my chances?

aihara
Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:12:03 +0000

About the weakest part of my application is my GPA of 3.5
I got 2 Cs in my freshman year due to immaturity. (none are in math and science courses) Then sophomore year I started getting mostly As and a few Bs. Junior year I improved to all As.

My SAT is 1550.

I can get very good teach recommendations.

The strongest part of my application would be that fact I made it to the USAMO junior year. Plus I’m the captain of the math team. I also got the “physics student of the year” award at my school.

During one summer I worked at an engineering company and helped discover an important mathematical error in one of the formulas the company used, which saved a lot of headache for the company.

So do I have a decent chance at MIT? I hear the admission officers look at each case individually and in “context”, but I can’t help but worry about my freshman year grades. Is there an unwritten rule that says “anyone with C on their record is denied no matter what”?