MIT and Caltech =)?

Question

Alright here. I'm an ambitious nerd growing up in Austin, TX, currently in senior year of high school, and working my way through my undergrad applications!

With my current stats, am I more likely to get in MIT or Caltech? I realize there is hardly any chance I'll get into either, but hey, there's no harm in giving it a shot! =)

Rank: 4/530
GPA (weighted): 5.4
GPA (unweighted): 4.0
Target major: Computer Science/Engineering
Ethnicity: Asian American

Total (all 4 years):
Honors classes: 10
AP classes: 12 (World History, French IV, French V, English III, English IV, Studio Art, Computer Science II, Physics C, Calculus AB, Macroeconomics, US Government, Biology)
Dual credit: 2

SAT: 720 Math, 680 CritRead, 720 Writing (will be retaking soon)
ACT: none yet
SAT II: none yet (plan take Physics, French, Biology, Math)

Extras:
- Theatre, piano, violin, dance, various clubs, singing organization (owned/operated by me), science fair (placed at state twice)

Answer 1

Asking which is more likely to take you is like asking if heads or tails is more likely to come up if you flip a coin.

These are two of the most selective universities in the US. You need to ask how likely it is that you can get into any top school. Your grades are perfect -- so there is no problem there. Your SAT scores are good enough to get you into any school in the US. Your Math scores put you near the top of the applicants at most schools -- but at only the 75th percentile of those accepted at MIT and Cal Tech.

Your grades and SAT scores say you are qualified to get in. That doesn't mean that you will get in -- as the top schools reject lots of qualified students.

What will get you in? Your extracurriculars are good . The fact that you are of Asian background will not be a plus -- since Asian Americans are over-represented at both schools. But I doubt that it will hurt you, either. Being from Texas may be a plus -- since they like a diverse group of students.

The determining factor may be your admissions essay. Make sure it is good.

You will certainly get into a good university. Engineering is the one field where the better state universities are as good or better than many of the better private universities. You should consider applying to some of the Ivy League schools and some of the "Ivy Equivalents" like Duke, Stanford and Rice.

But you should also apply to some of the public universities with great engineering programs. These include state schools like University of California at Berkeley, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech and -- yes -- even UT.

In these fields, Berkeley is probably a better choice than any of the private universities -- except for MIT and Cal Tech.

Good luck

Answer 2

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Excellent that you are planning out your career so early! Looks like you've done your research. Except, I would have to say, maybe I'm a little biased, but UCB's astronomy research is superb. Most of the exoplanets? Found at UCB. New groundbreaking research usually comes out of UCB. MIT is one of the world's best engineering schools, but UCB is not far behind. In fact, MIT and UCB are top 5 in engineering schools in the US. Caltech's astronomy program is indeed great, but to be honest, whatever new discoveries that would be made in the field of astronomy, would probably come out of UCB. (And whatever movements, like free speech or civil rights, also! It's great to be a part of history. Berkeley is the place to be, seriously) I'm a little biased, but, I'm glad you asked this question because I am a student AT UC Berkeley AND I am an intended astrophysics major =)) FYI Astrophysics isn't all fun and games, isn't all about black holes and quasars and all that fun stuff. Astrophysics 7A at Berkeley is basically a super advanced physics course (with some astronomy stuff thrown in there). Make sure your math and physics foundations are calibrated to perfection. GeoffG is right. You will get a better overall education at UCB. Although MIT and CalTech ARE superb, they are primarily engineering schools. AND yes you do study astrophysics as a grad student, so make sure you spiff up your math and physics skills early on! :) P.S. I have a friend at MIT and he says it's absolutely brutal. I will have to say, your time and experience at UCB will be far greater than if you went to any other school because UCB is a place where you grow, where you have to do everything yourself and learn. You are basically in real society when you reach UCB. other schools I've heard already does everything for you. You will learn to basically live on your own as an adult. I say, UCB is the best choice.

Answer 3

You're totally qualified for either MIT or Caltech

Good Luck