u/HappyPerson8--0

Hello MITAdmissions!

I have a few questions about creative portfolio for undergraduate admission and wish to ask for some insights. I actually posted the same question in r/ApplyingToCollege; however, with 2 days of silence, I thought this sub would be a better fit.

I am planning to submit a creative portfolio mainly because I want to continue to play the violin when I go to university and also boost my chances of admission. I also feel quite confident in playing the violin through multiple solo performances.

Violin Skills

• Played the violin since 6
• Concertmaster of an orchestra
• Violin Sonata 1 (Fugue), Wieniawski Polonaise 1 in D
• Play without shoulder rest

Questions

• Which pieces should I practice from now on to submit as a creative portfolio?
• If I do not have international awards for violin, is it still worth submitting one? Will it hurt my overall application?

Thank you for your time and feedback :))

Edit: I will be applying as a pure math major!

Hello summerprogramresults!

Recently, most of the results for the programs that I applied to were released, and I decided to dedicate my summer at Algoverse as a rising junior.

Background

Math

• Awards: AMC, HM from National Math Olympiad
• Completed Calc BC, know basics of Calc III and Lin Alg
• I don't think math would be the biggest problem as I have always loved it. However, I am quite concerned that I might not know all math involved with complex ML topics as I heard that olympiad math and ML are quite different.

Programming

• Know basic C++ and Python
• Made bunch of C++ programs for myself to solve math problems

Goal for Participating in Algoverse

• Learning

I know this is an ambitious dream, but I really wish to advance as a quant researcher as I genuinely love to do math, program, and hope for the best. As machine learning is being rooted into the base of modern quantitative finance, I wish to get a head start as a high school student. Even if I fail to become a quant in the future, I believe learning machine learning would never disappoint me.

• Publication

Yes, I sincerely wish to publish a paper to a conference including, but not limited to NeurIPs, EMNLP, and ICLR. I believe Algoverse is THE program that could really help naive, but ambitious high school students like myself to achieve the dream and assist in the learning process.

Questions

• My cohort starts on June 7. What should I do from now to make the most out of the program and possibly publish a paper?
• Are there things that I should be aware of before the program begins?

If possible, I would really appreciate any comments from individuals who have previously participated in the program! Thank you for your time and considerations :))

Hello A2C!

I have few questions about creative portfolio for undergraduate admission and wish to ask for some insights.

Background Information

• Asian male (International Applicant)
• Rising junior
• Played violin since 6
• Concertmaster of an orchestra
• Not lacking behind academically (solid test scores, gpa, math olympiad)

I am planning to submit a creative portfolio mainly because I want to continue to play violin when I go to university and also boost my chances of admission. I also feel quite confident in playing the violin through multiple solo performances.

Violin Flex

• Violin Sonata 1 (Fugue)
• Wieniawski Polonaise 1 in D
• Play w/ shoulder rest

Questions

• Which pieces should I practice to submit in various universities including, but not limited to MIT, Columbia, and CMU?
• If I do not have international awards for violin, is it still worth submitting one? Will it hurt my overall application?

Thank you for your time and feedback :))

Hello CollegeAppsAdvice!

I am a sophomore who desperately needs some help.

Demographics:

• Race: Asian Male (No citizenship nor green card)
• Income: very low
• School: online school (I transferred in my freshman year due to financial reasons)
• Hooks: none

Intended Major: Pure math (for quant firms and pure love towards math)

SAT: 1450+ (I took it in my freshman year without serious studying and will take again soon; hoping to get 1550+)

GPA: 3.9+ UW

Coursework: Planning for 16 AP with exams

Awards: I will just list the major ones!

• National Math Olympiad Honorable Mention
• MathCON Finalist (took it for fun)
• Some regional awards for volunteering

Extracurriculars: I will try to keep it vague, but I hope this is enough

• Concertmaster in an orchestra (Played for over 7 years)
• VP in Mu Alpha Theta
• Tutored math, wrote bunch of problems for them
• Internship related to math

Summer Plans:

• Got bunch of rejections from major programs (mathcamp, promys, ross, etc...)
• Algoverse (+ some leetcodes)
• AMC, SAT prep

Questions:

• I know my profile is extremely weak compared to other applicants. Realistically speaking, which schools should I aim for?
• I know I need improvements in every part of my application. Which part especially should I focus on, how?
• What should I do for my summer??

Thank you in advance for reading and providing honest feedback :))

Hello chanceme!

I am a sophomore who desperately needs some help.

Demographics:

• Race: Asian Male (No citizenship, No green card)
• Income: well, very low
• School: online school (I transferred in my freshman year due to financial reasons)
• Hooks: none

Intended Major: Pure math (for quant firms)

SAT: 1450+ (I took it in my freshman year without serious studying and will take again soon; hoping to get 1550+)

GPA: 3.9+ UW

Coursework: Planning for 16 AP and take all the exams

Awards: I will just list the major ones!

• National Math Olympiad Honorable Mention
• MathCON Finalist (took it for fun)
• Some regional awards for volunteering

Extracurriculars: I will try to keep it vague, but I hope this is enough

• Concertmaster in an orchestra (Let me flex. I play Wieniawski)
• VP in Mu Alpha Theta
• Tutored math, wrote bunch of problems for them
• Internship related to math

Summer Plans:

• Research
• Making gf

Questions:

• I know my profile is extremely weak compared to other applicants. Realistically speaking, which schools should I aim for?
• I know I need improvements in every part of my application. Which part especially should I focus on, how?

Thank you in advance for reading and providing honest feedback :))

Hello IntltoUSA!

After hours of googling and sitting on the tip of my chair, I decided to reach out for some wisdom.

Background

I am currently a sophomore who attends an online high school (if you know me, please say hi). I transferred to this school when I was in my freshman year due to financial reasons and course rigor (they didn't offer any ap courses). Academically, I would say I am not lagging behind. I took 6 AP courses so far with 3.9+ (UW) GPA and 1450+ official SAT that I took last May as a freshman (yes, I am going to take it again in junior year). I also have Honorable Mention from National Math Olympiad (I know this isn't THAT great but at least I am mentioned honorable).

As for college, I wish to double major in pure math and computer science because, really, I genuinely love studying them. Also, I live to land in one of those quant firms. In other words, I am desperate to get into T20s.

Recently, as my parents' acquaintance planned to move to Georgia with the help of a missionary there, they suggested if we go together with them. Of course immigration is a huge decision, and if we do pull the trigger, we will be there when I am finishing the second semester of my junior year. I know I didn't provide much information, but I had few questions.

Questions

1. Will immigrating to the US in the end of junior year significantly boast my chance of admission to t20s? (at least to certain extent?)
2. Besides financial and cultural differences, are there other factors that we must consider more thoroughly?

Thanks for reading :))