Question Hi, I'm in ninth grade and my GPA is a 3.7 and I am planning on taking AP classes to boost my GPA up. Also this summer I am also taking a SAT prep class. I am willing to work my butt off for the remainder years of high school. I was just wondering if you have any advice about what classes to focus in on and what I really have to do to get into MIT. Thanks
Answer Getting into MIT takes more than just hard work. It takes a lot of luck, and it helps to have something different or unusual. MIT turns down zillions of applicants with perfect grades and scores, taking students with lower grades and scores because they think they are interesting, different, will make a positive contribution, etc.
Don't take classes just to boost your GPA. Take classes that you find interesting. And think about a job - nothing impresses a college more than a student with a job whose boss thinks they are great and writes a recommendation letter for the student. You can butter up teachers, but bosses are usually much less easily influenced. This applies to either paying jobs or volunteer work.
You will need two recommendation letters - one from an English or social studies teacher and the other from a math or science teacher. Make sure you get to know a few teachers - not just as a number or as a grade, but as a person.
