Anonymous
02/15/2026 15:19
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Sure, tons of recruited athletes with that profile at MIT.
That's not true I was on one of the championship teams and my coach frequently and openly said he had very little influence on the admissions process.
The 25th percentile at MIT is a 1510. When I say athletes can get in with a 1520, I’m saying that a 1520 is plainly good enough, it’s in profile, but standing out with a 1520 is hard without a hook. Being recruited by a coach is a hook. No, MIT is not like other schools where athletes get in with 1300s and are then steered into the softest possible majors. If 1/2 recruited athletes get in at MIT, I can certainly see why a coach would grouse that he had very little impact on admissions. But at the same time that’s a huge boost over the general public where the admissions rate is 1/25. And if you went to MIT, I know you can do the math on that, even if your ego doesn’t want to.
I agree that being recruited gives kids an advantage. But I think it's also important to note that MIT coaches are very careful to only offer their support to athletes that they think they can get by admissions. The coaches have already looked at test scores, and GPA's before they talk to students and coaches and families. In those initial conversations they ask questions about rigor, and EC's. Many kids don't make it past those hurdles, including many excellent athletes. So, while they almost certainly do get in at a higher rate than their matched peers, it's not fair to compare their admissions rates to the population at a whole. The bump that they receive is significant, but it's not the 2% to 50% increase that people imply.
I'll also say that MIT seems to value passion, and grit, and determination in their process. They will accept a kid who gets a 1520 and a 3.9 UW while learning English, dealing with a Title 1 school that doesn't offer extras, and working 20 hours a week to support their family, over a kid who gets a 1520 and a 3.9 UW from a well resourced school, while living an upper middle class life. Because they realize that one of those things is objectively harder, and shows the characteristics they value. Similarly if they have 2 kids with similar socio-economic status, similar transcripts, similar test scores, similar role on the robotics team, and one kid did all of that while also spending 25 hours a week on sports and achieving at a high level, they might choose to take the latter kid, even if that kid doesn't plan to continue to compete at MIT.
At least from my coach's perspective he gave support to any athletes that were outstanding regardless of their academic record. So he wouldn't give support to a mediocre athlete with a good academic record. He's been at MIT since the 90s and is a highly respected professor / athlete so if anyone understands the game he does. There really isn't a "game" with MIT. What I mean by that is its a total, utter lottery.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 15:15
Subject: MIT
This profile is generally impossible except for athletes or FGLI.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 15:14
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Yes. But chose to attend the school across town instead
Got into Harvard with OP stats?
Anonymous
02/15/2026 15:04
Subject: MIT
Yes. But chose to attend the school across town instead
Anonymous
02/15/2026 15:01
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Sure, tons of recruited athletes with that profile at MIT.
That's not true I was on one of the championship teams and my coach frequently and openly said he had very little influence on the admissions process.
The 25th percentile at MIT is a 1510. When I say athletes can get in with a 1520, I’m saying that a 1520 is plainly good enough, it’s in profile, but standing out with a 1520 is hard without a hook. Being recruited by a coach is a hook. No, MIT is not like other schools where athletes get in with 1300s and are then steered into the softest possible majors. If 1/2 recruited athletes get in at MIT, I can certainly see why a coach would grouse that he had very little impact on admissions. But at the same time that’s a huge boost over the general public where the admissions rate is 1/25. And if you went to MIT, I know you can do the math on that, even if your ego doesn’t want to.
I agree that being recruited gives kids an advantage. But I think it's also important to note that MIT coaches are very careful to only offer their support to athletes that they think they can get by admissions. The coaches have already looked at test scores, and GPA's before they talk to students and coaches and families. In those initial conversations they ask questions about rigor, and EC's. Many kids don't make it past those hurdles, including many excellent athletes. So, while they almost certainly do get in at a higher rate than their matched peers, it's not fair to compare their admissions rates to the population at a whole. The bump that they receive is significant, but it's not the 2% to 50% increase that people imply.
I'll also say that MIT seems to value passion, and grit, and determination in their process. They will accept a kid who gets a 1520 and a 3.9 UW while learning English, dealing with a Title 1 school that doesn't offer extras, and working 20 hours a week to support their family, over a kid who gets a 1520 and a 3.9 UW from a well resourced school, while living an upper middle class life. Because they realize that one of those things is objectively harder, and shows the characteristics they value. Similarly if they have 2 kids with similar socio-economic status, similar transcripts, similar test scores, similar role on the robotics team, and one kid did all of that while also spending 25 hours a week on sports and achieving at a high level, they might choose to take the latter kid, even if that kid doesn't plan to continue to compete at MIT.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 14:50
Subject: Re:MIT
Anonymous wrote:What percentage of mit students are athletes?
About 19% of undergraduates, maybe slightly less as some athletes might be graduate students. But MIT has 847 athletes and 4,535 undergrads.
Not all of those athletes are recruited or received help in the admissions process, but I don't know the numbers for that.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 13:18
Subject: Re:MIT
What percentage of mit students are athletes?
Anonymous
02/15/2026 13:16
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Sure, tons of recruited athletes with that profile at MIT.
That's not true I was on one of the championship teams and my coach frequently and openly said he had very little influence on the admissions process.
The 25th percentile at MIT is a 1510. When I say athletes can get in with a 1520, I’m saying that a 1520 is plainly good enough, it’s in profile, but standing out with a 1520 is hard without a hook. Being recruited by a coach is a hook. No, MIT is not like other schools where athletes get in with 1300s and are then steered into the softest possible majors. If 1/2 recruited athletes get in at MIT, I can certainly see why a coach would grouse that he had very little impact on admissions. But at the same time that’s a huge boost over the general public where the admissions rate is 1/25. And if you went to MIT, I know you can do the math on that, even if your ego doesn’t want to.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 13:06
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anyone get in that isn’t FGLI with just high stats some research, leadership but no awards or Olympiad?
OP here , to clarify not athlete. 1550plus sat. All 5s 4.0 UW, public, major leaderships in basically all stem in school, hardest classes and an extra one as per counselor, published research but no awards nor Olympiad, because I know you will ask WF
Yes, this kid has a shot. It's worth applying. But it's important to understand that the majority of kids with this same profile don't get in, as do the most kids who do have awards, or who are FGLI. MIT's admissions rates are very low, and it's hard to predict which kids will get in.
MIT acknowledges that it's hard to pin down what exactly MIT looks for, and that that's by design.
https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways/
Anonymous
02/15/2026 12:57
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anyone get in that isn’t FGLI with just high stats some research, leadership but no awards or Olympiad?
OP here , to clarify not athlete. 1550plus sat. All 5s 4.0 UW, public, major leaderships in basically all stem in school, hardest classes and an extra one as per counselor, published research but no awards nor Olympiad, because I know you will ask WF
Anonymous
02/15/2026 12:34
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So let’s tee this up: how does a white boy from NW DC at Jackson-Reed, MacArthur-Thompson, SWW, or Banneker with a 1520 SAT and varsity sports experience (not good enough for DI), some volunteering experience and STEM-centric club membership (not leadership) at school and a 3.9 unweighted get into MIT?
(I ask like this because I don’t think it’s possible.)
Honestly, this profile does not get into MIT.
+1
Plenty of time to raise the SAT, but even if not, recruited athletes with 1520's get into MIT, especially for football or basketball.
Depends on lots of facts that we weren't told like academic rigor including highest math class, what class the B was in, SAT math score, awards in sport/which sport, etc.
To get a 3.9 UW, a student would have 3 B's. Not one. Which isn't by itself an automatic bar to MIT, but it does need to be balanced by something in the app.
3 B's is too many. In most school districts 1 B is a 3.9 UW.
Assuming only A's and B's on the transcript, a 3.9 UW is exactly 90% A's and 10% B's. That means that the student took some number of classes that are divisible by 10. Since the DC graduation requirement is 24 carnegie units, it can't be 10 or 20. So, I assumed 30. 10% of 30 is 3.
Now, I realized after I wrote this, that DC may be like most public school districts who calculate grades based on semesters and not year long courses. If that's true than the lowest number of grades divisible by 10 would be 50, which would mean 5 B's. But a student who took the bare minimum number of credits is also going to get dinged for lack of rigor. Honestly, graduating from DCPS with only 25 credits would be a bigger problem for MIT, without a really good reason.
Of course, it could also be 3 B's and 1 C, or some other combination.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 12:29
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Sure, tons of recruited athletes with that profile at MIT.
That's not true I was on one of the championship teams and my coach frequently and openly said he had very little influence on the admissions process.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 12:28
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:So let’s tee this up: how does a white boy from NW DC at Jackson-Reed, MacArthur-Thompson, SWW, or Banneker with a 1520 SAT and varsity sports experience (not good enough for DI), some volunteering experience and STEM-centric club membership (not leadership) at school and a 3.9 unweighted get into MIT?
(I ask like this because I don’t think it’s possible.)
Doesn’t matter is this kid is white, black, Latino, Asian or a combo of all of them. Those ho-hum extracurriculars and lack of leadership are not getting them into any top 15.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 12:22
Subject: MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So let’s tee this up: how does a white boy from NW DC at Jackson-Reed, MacArthur-Thompson, SWW, or Banneker with a 1520 SAT and varsity sports experience (not good enough for DI), some volunteering experience and STEM-centric club membership (not leadership) at school and a 3.9 unweighted get into MIT?
(I ask like this because I don’t think it’s possible.)
Honestly, this profile does not get into MIT.
+1
Plenty of time to raise the SAT, but even if not, recruited athletes with 1520's get into MIT, especially for football or basketball.
Depends on lots of facts that we weren't told like academic rigor including highest math class, what class the B was in, SAT math score, awards in sport/which sport, etc.
To get a 3.9 UW, a student would have 3 B's. Not one. Which isn't by itself an automatic bar to MIT, but it does need to be balanced by something in the app.
3 B's is too many. In most school districts 1 B is a 3.9 UW.
Anonymous
02/15/2026 11:32
Subject: MIT
Yes, as long as you’re not Asian.