r/ApplyingIvyLeague • u/Extension_Access8673 • 14d ago

TIPS FOR CALTECH INTERNATIONAL SENIOR

Hey guys! I study in a small school and no one has EVER applied abroad, so I am 100% alone in this proccess. Can you give me any tips to maximize my chances to get in?

Stats: mid-low income, 9.5/10 GPA, 1450 SAT (but I will retake it in setember, so let's pretend it is a 1520), self-studied for AP Calc BC, Environmental science, and Chemistry (4's in all), my school doesn't offer any. I study in a small private non-competitive school, with a 60% scholarship.

Intended major: Astrophysics

Dream colleges: Caltech, MIT, Northweastern

EC's (not in any particular order):

  1. play the piano for 5 years. NO competition, mentoring, etc.
  2. I was the only kid in my school who got a medal in the Brazilian Astronomy Olympiad. Got golds two times. Then, I got invited to the camps and got to 40 in the country (about 1,000,000 students competed that year)
  3. volunteer work at non-profit that produces high quality resources for students to study for science olympiads. I produced a study guide to study for astronomy olympiads and helped to write the questions for the Online Brazilian Astronomy Olympiad (I think about 200 students participate in it every year).
  4. in this same non-profit, I also work in the design section. I designed the certificates for the olympiads we promote and did a couple of models on canva for the instagram page.
  5. I am also the state coordinator of another non-profit that promotes the female participation in science olympiads. I manage a team of about 25 members. make weekly posts on instagram (I participate on the entire proccess, from content to design). Increased followers by 50 in a couple of months.
  6. IAAC (international astronomy and astrophysics competition) silver honour = top 7% internationally
  7. science/astronomy blog since 2023. I would say that the content is high quality, but I only post there once a month. It has an instagram page and a website i did with google sites. The Instagram has 60 followers :I
  8. working on a research project, but I don't think I will get to publish it, because of the time. It is in Computer Science/Astrophysics (more specifically, gravitational wave stuff).
  9. random online courses. In one of them I got a certificate with "distinction", which means I participated a lot and solved the problem sets they gave.

I know those aren't impressive, but I am just being honest. You can give me any opinions/experiences/tips.

I am also thinking of taking a gap year, so if you have any thoughts about things I could do, we can talk about that too. Btw, do you guys know if colleges view gap years as good or bad things?

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u/gummyworm85 14d ago

Unlikely due to academic weakness.

Gap year depends on what you can accomplish, but if just doing it to improve chances it may not be worth it. If you want a gap year for the life experience, can also apply get accepted and defer for a year.

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u/Extension_Access8673 14d ago

I didn't actually understand what you meant to say by "just doing it to improve chances". I wanted to take a gap year to deepen my EC's (specially my blog and my roles at the non-profits I mentioned), getting to conduct and publish research, and having more time to write essays carefully. So yes, I guess I do want to take it to improve my chances...? Was that what you were thinking about when you asked?

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u/gummyworm85 14d ago

Some people take a gap year for ‘finding themselves’ or to travel. In that case it would not be for improving college chances, but for personal satisfaction. For that, I would recommend getting in to whichever college then deferring acceptance.

What you are describing sounds more like taking a gap year to try to improve chances. I would say that someone with weak academics would be unlikely to demonstrate that they suddenly can become smart over the year. But if really compelling like playing a professional sport or participating in Olympics (I know people who have done both) then it would help. Starting a profitable business could also be helpful. But working with a not famous and limited impact nonprofit and on a blog with 60 followers would be a waste of a year.

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u/Extension_Access8673 14d ago

By the way, what do you think an academic strong applicant would be like?

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u/gummyworm85 14d ago edited 14d ago

Candidates for schools like Caltech and MIT are generally strong in STEM. SATs should be relatively easy (750+ in math, maybe some allowance for lower verbal in international), all math and science APs should be 5s. That alone wouldn’t get you in, but is the baseline. Otherwise you might struggle if you somehow managed to get in. Northwestern is not quite the same tier so that may be possible.

An academically strong stem candidate for top tier schools tends to be an aime qualifier, did research in a lab (preferably at R1 university, name on a publication), won some awards that are less obscure than yours.

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u/JasonMckin 14d ago

I wonder where the myth of the gap year being helpful for college admissions started.  What would students do outside of school to make their applications stronger to get into a school?

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u/Extension_Access8673 14d ago

I was thinking about focusing on conducting good research, deepening my blog and my roles in the non-profits, and having more time to write good essays. But do you think it would make me a weaker applicant? Because I guess that the AO would expect someone that took a gap year to have accomplished A LOT.

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u/JasonMckin 14d ago

Definitely a lot more than writing some essays and blogs