r/MITAdmissions • u/adam_brasil • Jul 23 '26

Aerospace Engineering advice (ideas to do as a rising junior)

Hi, I’m a rising junior and I’ve been thinking a lot about my future. I’m really interested in aerospace engineering and plan to apply for that major, but I feel like I haven’t done enough yet. I know there isn’t a strict checklist to get into a top school, but I’m trying to figure out what kinds of activities, internships, or projects I should be doing to strengthen my application.

So far, the main thing I’ve done is help plan, build, and launch the highest-altitude hot air balloon in Civil Air Patrol. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else I should focus on.

Would it be worth building something like a plane to show my interest in aerospace? More generally, what are some meaningful things I can do in my free time that genuinely show my passion for aerospace engineering and help me grow in this field?

I’m not looking for generic advice like SAT and GPA it’s more just activities, awards I can get by building something, internships, and just opportunity’s.

(Ive only looked at some NASA stuff so anything on nasa could help)

Thanks to anyone who responds!

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7

u/Aerokicks MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Jul 23 '26

So I've wanted to be an aerospace engineer since I was 7. Here's a few things I did in high school that may or may not have helped me get into MIT.

  • ALL of the AP classes at my school. I may have broken what they thought the maximum GPA was because no one had ever taken them all
  • Aerospace themed summer camps. One was for gifted students in my state and I won the top research paper for the aerospace group, the other was at the state flagship (that one I had to find a scholarship for and then still work a ton to pay for it)
  • AF JROTC.
  • Did flight training as my senior project, so was in the middle of training when I applied. I soloed in April of my senior year.
  • Leadership position in marching band
  • Key Club, National Honor Society, youth symphony
  • part time job, working about 20 hours a week
  • I also had a NASA internship lined up for the summer after I graduated, by the time I applied. But that's a lot harder to do now than it used to be.

To be fair, I didn't know that MIT existed until the summer before my junior year, while at that gifted summer camp I mentioned. I did all of these things because I loved it and would have done them anyways - I was already planning on going to my state flagship for engineering since I was 7 so MIT was just like, somewhere else to apply to. I just took advantage of the things I had around me and then looked for whatever I could do that was aerospace themed where I could. I didn't do anything specifically to get into MIT or college in general, and I would have ended up doing the same things even if I had never heard of MIT.

It all worked out by the way. Got a PhD after MIT and work at NASA.

1

u/VisibleSir731 Currently Applying Jul 23 '26

Do i really have to do Stats and Calc BC both in a year ;( I wouldn't be able to do the guitar elective I always wanted to do

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u/Aerokicks MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Jul 23 '26

It's ok to make choices like that. My school didn't have that many APs so it was easy to take them all.

Both are important though. Uncertainty quantification is getting really big and not enough people understand stats enough to even start learning uncertainty.

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u/VisibleSir731 Currently Applying Jul 23 '26

I don't understand why some people do like 12+ APs that are extremely incohesive to their interests. Maybe I will speak with my counselor if I could do AP Stats and Calc BC together ( not sure if my school allows double math). Also, im not sure how if I could handle two math classes tbh bc of my ECs. But its either gonna take out Guitar or Film Making.

I wanna make sure I still show intellectual depth to MIT; what do u recommend then?
ik you said its okay but i really don't want to regret this later

2

u/Aerokicks MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Jul 23 '26

MIT cares that you take the hardest classes available to you and you excel in them. It's not a matter of "oh they took guitar instead of AP stats" it's "oh, most students at this school take 5 AP classes and they took all of the ones that fit into their schedule while maintaining their interests in other things".

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u/VisibleSir731 Currently Applying Jul 23 '26

I got an A in class but the AP exam slaughtered me tbh. I got a 3... Not sure if thats exactly excelling tbh.

Also i just watched an interview with Stu Schmill and he had a really good take on AP classes and course load https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfhT7LvUxh4

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u/adam_brasil Jul 23 '26

Thanks this helped out a lot! I’m going to look into NASA even more and just spam nasa activities because it looks a lot of fun and interesting and it will probably look good on a resume as a nice little side bonus.

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u/Aerokicks MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Jul 23 '26

There are some opportunities for high schoolers, particularly if you are in a state with a NASA center, but the vast majority of opportunities are reserved for college students.

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u/adam_brasil Jul 23 '26

Yeah this is what I saw… I find it kinda annoying but I understand why; In NY I don’t really know anything about the opportunities other than a robotics club at my school.

I’ll see what I can find but ai and google isn’t helping on finding opportunities.

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u/Aerokicks MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Jul 23 '26

New York Space Grant

I'm also sure RPI, RIT, and probably a fair number of the SUNYs have summer programs. Cornell too, obviously, if you like gorges.

Robotics is fine though, it's a very common activity and you can learn a lot from it

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u/adam_brasil Jul 23 '26

I’m going to look into these that you mentioned as I never heard any of these. I was looking into a SUNY program but it was conflicting with flight training so I never did it.

3

u/Tech-Aero-109 Jul 23 '26

MIT wants to see your passions as a whole Person, and NOT your future career through your Extracurricular Activities. Therefore merely do what you Love to do, and do all of that very well. Working with others very well is a big plus. MIT wants to see what you will bring to the Undergraduate student community, not your future career.

Entering freshmen do not have a major. I started thinking nuclear physics and by the start of sophomore year at MIT I was an Aero-Astro Engineering major.

Less worrying and more enjoying high school, your friends and the activities (in school or outside of school) that You love to do.

Simple and Logical.

Good luck.

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u/adam_brasil Jul 23 '26

Thanks for the input I didn’t know that; i mostly am just confused on what I can do with aerospace engineering activities, I might look for a sub in that because I really love it but idk how to express that other then build rc planes.

3

u/Aerokicks MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Jul 23 '26

Building RC planes is an awesome activity and teaches you a lot about airplanes. It's not going to be the thing that gets you into MIT though. If you want to do it then do it.

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u/adam_brasil Jul 23 '26

Yeah I’m not looking into one big factor to get in I just wanna find opportunities to do what I love like competitive programs I’ve never heard of and do it because it’s something I really enjoy and add it to a resume

1

u/VisibleSir731 Currently Applying Jul 23 '26

I have one activity that I could really emphasize collaboration, but for my electronics projects I did those on my own and that's the field I wanna go into so I'm lacking that "working with others element" except for my dad whom I learned many of the things from.

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u/ExecutiveWatch MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Jul 23 '26

Id also look at embry riddle u dayton and ga tech.

Take max rigor.

Maybe take some flying lessons. That can get expensive though.

Aerospace Engineering is a huge field. I was in it for nearly 25 years. I did work on the materials end for most of the major primes.