Why did you choose to apply to this college?

I chose to apply to MIT just because they have the best computer science school, it gave the undergraduate students a lot of opportunities, not only to explore within the computer science field but also the research field. It offers you a lot of opportunities to meet new people and pursue new things that you can’t really get elsewhere. 

What are your stats? SAT/ACT, number of AP tests, and GPA 

I have a 4.4 weighted GPA, I scored 1590 on SAT, and I’ve taken around 10 AP tests. 

Did you submit your test scores? 

Yes.

What are two of your most memorable or significant extracurricular activities?

One of the significant activities that I’ve is Computational Climate Research. I created this project to estimate power plant admissions in a cheap way. This is a project where I was able to investigate an emerging and advanced computational system and machine learning. 

Another activity that really helped is that I was the youth member in Pleasanton Energy and Environment committee. This enabled me to get a taste of environmental policies on a government level and being involved in the Pleasanton community.

Which teacher(s) did you ask for your letters of recommendation? 

I asked Mr. Hanson, who was the previous computer science teacher at Amador. I had a really long relationship with him. He helped me with clubs and hosting events and activities outside of school. The other teacher I asked was Mrs. Wohlgemuth, who was my AP United States History teacher and I really enjoyed her class. 

When did you start planning or writing your college essays? 

I started writing my college essays in the summer of my junior year turning into senior. My advice for other people is that earlier is better, just so you can have a high quality draft. 

Can you explain your essay-writing process and how you brainstormed ideas? 

I brainstormed my essay based on what I want to get across to the admission officers. I thought of the activities that I’ve done and my purpose to apply to a specific school. And for me, that was to pursue engineering research. Also, I evaluated my own value as a person. 

What was the hardest essay prompt for you? 

The hardest prompt for me is “Why MIT?”. Not because it was a confusing question, but more because you have to answer in a way that makes you stand out from others. I definitely have to take some time to research the school and go deep in order to come up with a unique response. 

How did you react or feel when you saw your acceptance? 

I’m definitely very happy and joyful. It was unexpected, since it was a very unexpected school, so a lot of luck was involved. 

What advice would you give to future students applying for this college? 

If you want to apply for this school, you have to demonstrate your interest and really show your college you are doing the things you say you are doing. It doesn’t really matter what your passion is, you just have to really pursue that path and show them the effort you put into that category.