HELP with HYPS and MIT admissions! Which class should i take? Do i have a chance?

Question

So this is going to be my junior year in 48 hours and I'm taking classes that should give me a 4.3 GPA (with honors chemistry and AP environmental science) and a free period since I swim (though not well enough). Would it be better if I dropped my free period for Honors Physics to get me a 4.4 gpa? Do free periods look bad on your college admissions? Let's just say I get a good score on my SAT. Would it give me a better chance in getting into harvard, stanford, princeton, yale, or MIT? My freshman GPA was 3.9 and 4.0, and sophomore GPA was 3.9 and 4.1. Oh and by the way, I go to a high school where about 20 students from each graduating class get accepted into UC berkeley/cal, so that should be better right? It would help if you've been to any of these schools, but nonetheless, thanks!

Answer 1

You don't say what other classes you're taking, but it looks like you're going to have a full schedule of classes even with the free period. You can always take H. Physics senior year. Schools want to see that you've pushed yourself--not overwhelmed yourself. Just use the free period to your advantage--you seem to imply it's for swimming? If so, that's not a waste of time. Even if you're not very good, schools--even the elite schools--like to see athletic participation, as well as participation in extra-curricular activities overall. (And at a school like MIT, you can probably be on the swim team no matter how bad you are. It won't get you in, but it can give you a bit of a leg up) It shows a sense of committment and makes you look more well-rounded.

And yes, you have to pass a swim test at MIT, but you can put it off till Senior year. Assuming you're on the swim team, it's not going to be a big deal for you. This shouldn't be a dealbreaker for getting in one way or another.

Answer 2

How would a college find out about your free period - it isn't on your transcript. More to the point, you seem to have overwhelmed the academics - what have you done to show that you have a life outside of school? Any extracurricular, church, volunteer or social activities? And by the way, MIT used to require passing a swimming test before graduation and no taking other PE until you passed.