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I'm Mexican-American, my parents have no education, annual income about 35,000


I attend a competitive Math/Science/Engineering Magnet(public) in Southern California


SATI: 1310 (680M/630V)
SATII: Spanish 800, Writing 690, Biology 640, IIC 690

GPA: 4.0 unweighted 4.5 weighted
Rank: 1/650

I've been concurrently enrolled in the local community college where I've completed 37 units and I'm working on 9 now. I received all A's as I did in the regular high school.

AP Scores

Spanish Language 5
Spanish Literature 4
Biology 3
Physics C 3
Comparative Govt 3
Euro His 3

Courses this semester: AP Chemistry A, AP Calculus B at my high school and Anthropology, Political Science, and the highest English offered at the communiy college

Awards/ECs

National Hispanic Scholar Award
AP Scholar with Distinction
Valedictorian
Torchbearer (CSF)
Student of the Year-Highest Academic Achievement (Grades 9-11)
Community College Dean's Honor Roll
High School Leadership Award
Science Bowl Team Captain
MESA (Mathematics, Science, Engineering Association)
JETS Team - MSE Competition Team
Medical Explorers Club
California Scholarship Federation President
National Honor Society
Volunteer Work at local recreation center (80hrs/yr)
Black belt in Tae Kwon Do

Work:
Since I was 15 yrs old and currently work 24hrs/wk as a data collector


Travel:I traveled to France, Spain, and Netherlands with a professor in the winter


Well there it is, I'm applying EA to MIT,I'm also applying to Stanford, Caltech, Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley. What do you think???

By hm on Friday, November 15, 2002 - 01:33 am: Edit

whoh your SAT score is relatively low man Stanford I know has a MINIMUM of 650/650 to get in so you're only 10 points above the minimum...your EC's look good tho. I'd consider retaking the SAT I.

By Junior (Junior) on Friday, November 15, 2002 - 06:16 pm: Edit

Alright, so I'll try to raise my SAT I score, anything else???

By tok on Saturday, November 16, 2002 - 02:44 pm: Edit

Mexican-American, parents w/no education, ranked 1/650 at a magnet school. Dude, you stand a damn good chance at Harvard and Stanford. I don't know anything about these minimum SAT scores for Stanford, though.

By Junior (Junior) on Saturday, November 16, 2002 - 10:38 pm: Edit

I cheked what "hm"said about the minimum scores at Stanford..It says that the MAJORITY of their strongest applicants have minimum scores of 650 each. Well, anyways, I'm keeping my fingers crossed but my real dream college is MIT, I don't know what my chnaces there are??

By Mike B on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 06:26 pm: Edit

You shouldn't even waste your time applying, there are hundreds of more qualified students that apply each year and get rejected. Just because you are Mexican does not mean you can get in to these top schools

By 94grad on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 06:36 pm: Edit

Junior, ignore Mike B's comment. Absolutely apply! I think you have a great chance of getting into at least one of the schools on your list. We certainly need more Chicano intellectuals out there (I happen to be half-Chicana). Getting your SAT score up is good advice, though.

Also consider some of the smaller schools like Swarthmore or Wesleyan (my alma mater). Wesleyan is really strong on cultural diversity issues and in supporting minority students. I don't know if you're considering engineering, but Wesleyan has a 3-2 combined BA/BSEng program with Caltech and Columbia.

By junior on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 12:42 am: Edit

Well thanks for the encouragement and advice 94grad. I'll definitely look into Wesleyan ( the 3-2 program is highly appealing to me). The problem is that I can't take the SAT I in December anymore because the deadline passed and for most of those colleges that is the final month you're allowed to take it. By the way, what were your stats,where did you apply, and where were you accepted?

By 94grad on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 10:55 am: Edit

Junior, for my stats and college-application experience, see this message: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/757/2066.html

By Mike B on Thursday, November 21, 2002 - 08:34 pm: Edit

Go ahead and ignore my comment- apply to all those schools. I guarantee you won't get in.

By Junior on Saturday, November 23, 2002 - 09:31 pm: Edit

I got my SAT II scores back and I got an 800 in Writing, if that helps

By Liz (Liz) on Saturday, November 23, 2002 - 10:06 pm: Edit

Dude, Mike, she's val of a huge class, at a MAGNET school. Her SAT is decent, thought not spectacular, she has a 760ish SAT 2 avg. and she's a disadvantaged minority. She works hard and has a strong interest in math or science. Duh, she'll get into most engineering-type schools that, in addition to minorities, also usually seek to increase the female population.

By Junior on Saturday, November 23, 2002 - 10:25 pm: Edit

Hey man im not a SHE, I'm a HE. Either way, thanks for the comment

By Hans on Monday, November 25, 2002 - 12:35 am: Edit

Hi...Could you tell us of your application results (best if by email)? I was rejected at MIT, although my stats were good (not as good as you though), and I am interested in compiling stats from admitted students to determine a possible pattern or trend. I would love to know where you got in ...
best wishes, and congratulations of those excellent results! Keep the good work up, and remember, apply apply apply.

HAns

By Junior on Monday, November 25, 2002 - 05:56 pm: Edit

Hans, I'll let you know where I get in, although it will probably be a while (the only ones I applied EA to are MIT and Caltech). However, my optimism has gone down after reading all these posts. I realize I'm up against stiff competition, I'm hoping my URM status will give me a boost.Nevertheless, what were your stats and when did you apply to MIT??

By kazaam on Monday, November 25, 2002 - 06:16 pm: Edit

yes Hans, please tell us it would be greatly appreciated. I'm also applying MIT EA, but I'm asian and competitions is fierce so I don't stand a chance (SAT I 1500). I'm scared.

By Junior on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 - 03:18 pm: Edit

Hans, where are you---respond.

By A. Guy on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 - 09:09 pm: Edit

Junior --

Mike B is full of c&*p. My guess is that he knows that if you are admitted that it's one less spot at which he has a chance.

With a 75% of the class having better than a 740 math score at MIT, improving your SAT score would definitely be in your best interests.

But let's be clear, to quote the MIT web page, "a score of 650 and above places applicants in the competitive range."

If MIT says that your in the range for consideration, why would you listen to anything that anybody else says? You aren't anybody else, you're somebody who is ranked #1 at decent size school, have worked through school, and are first generation college attending. And you're a targetted minority.

Let's put that latter point in perspective. I'm a software person in Silicon Valley. In 17 years of working at some of the top companies in the country, I've worked with a number of black engineers, but only 1 hispanic engineer. You will be targeted. If you want some reassurance, call MIT's office of minority admissions and give them your profile. I'll bet they'll be willing to give you some guidance (but no promises of course).

Best of luck, you deserve it have earned it.

By Junior on Thursday, November 28, 2002 - 03:28 pm: Edit

A. Guy,
Thanks. I know Mike B is just an idiot trying to put me down, and I figured his motives for doing so, that's why I've disregarded his comments.
It's interesting to hear that you've dealt with more black engineers than Hispanic engineers. i would think there would be about the same amount in the field.
I know I need to get my math score up, that's the only thing I'm really worried about. I think the rest of my profile is decent. However, last year my school sent 2 Hispanics to MIT, the one with the lower SAT score had a 1290. We also had 3 get accepted to Caltech, and the third one had in the low 1200's. But even so, I know that there is a lot of competition, and this is not really indicative of my chances. I had a great interview with the MIT EC, so I'm hoping that will help out.
We'll see.

By Dave Berry on Thursday, November 28, 2002 - 10:51 pm: Edit

good

By Junior on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 06:55 pm: Edit

what do you mean "good"?

By Liz (Liz) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 07:54 pm: Edit

Weird - for some reason I thought you were a girl, Junior. I'll shut up now. Many apologies.

By bump on Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 11:03 pm: Edit

bump

By t19 on Monday, December 02, 2002 - 11:48 am: Edit

Yes, you have an excellent chance at pretty much any school you want to attend. Good luck, and you deserve it considering where you come from.

By GoBacktoMex on Sunday, December 08, 2002 - 01:04 am: Edit

Another damn Mexican

By Junior on Wednesday, December 11, 2002 - 11:28 pm: Edit

Bump

By A Believer on Thursday, January 09, 2003 - 01:45 pm: Edit

On your journeys there will be people who will try to put you down; they will try to oppress you because of your ethnicity. They are jealous and or fearful. They will tell you that you are not good enough no matter what you do. Don't Listen!!
Franklin R. Chang-Díaz is an example of what you can achieve.
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chang.html

By Thepiskickass (Thepiskickass) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 10:43 pm: Edit

The URMs I met at MIT were ••••••• dumb and they didn't want to be at MIT and they made me cry because my friends(who had better stats and a desire to be at MIT) got rejected and I probably will be too(even though most of my stats are higher than Junior's).... •••• this. I shouldn't even apply to these schools. I'll just add to the 40% Asian pop. at UC Berkeley. And I hate this bogus disadvantaged ••••••••. My family, though educated, came to the US with nothing. They worked hard labor for yeeeeears and like the whole extended family lived in one ••••••• house. Even now we hardly have any luxury(we save, as in in a bank account, not under the matress and then spent on drugs).. But because my parents work hard I'll be punished. •••• life.