Can I Get Into Caltech? | Tips From a 13-Year-Old

[Call me James]

First of, I migrated from England to Australia when I was 10, I am now currently 13 and just finished Year 8 (7th Grade in America I believe)I love Science, Coding/ computer science and most of all, Astronomy. I get B+/A- in Science and Maths but I never really try because I find most of it boring.

As said in Australian High Schools it goes, year 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, then you graduate. I am starting year 9 in 7 weeks. With this said I get A's and B's in most of my classes, getting B's in the ones I care less about, I prioritise Maths and English. Next year is what I call the pre-preparation year. Year 10 is the year you prepare for moving on into (what Americans would call, Junior and Senior year).

I am in the top 3 of my class but there is one person who has massive potential in my class. He's very friendly, but not so much a friend despite the fact I talk to him (also from Britain) and is much smarter than me. Yet, because he doesn't give to flying grades about school he mostly get C's and B's and I feel kinda bad for him.

Anyway, I have an action plan for getting into Caltech/MIT/Harvard etc. Now obviously I'm trying not to be too overly ambitious and chances are slim although I have a history of having very good luck, despite the fact that luck does not exist, there was an 80% chance that when I was born I was going to either be blind or deaf. The acceptance rate of Caltech is 8% as of today, plus 7.9% of MIT then 5% for Harvard = 20.9% chance. If I'm as lucky as when I was born I may get into one of them.

Plane tickets will cost a fortune but with my job included, our family makes about $160,000 USD per year. Of course I am not basing this all on luck and hope, that would be stupid. I've been told for the application essay to do something creative. Which sparked an idea in my mind.

Ok, not to sound like I'm trying to grab attention, but I'm a little evil. I used science and studies to manipulate the girl I liked into liking me back and overtime it did work. I used the, the more you're around something the more you'll like it approach which increased dopamine levels when she was around me. I took this a step further and gave her foods that released other endorphins into her brain. I do mess with people psychologically and I decided it may give me an advantage with getting into a good college.

With a create approach I'll write the essay in 3rd person, this'll make it interested while manipulating whomever the reader is into thinking I'm much better than I actually am. instead of saying " I have lust for Advanced Coding." It will say something similar to "He/She has an infatuation with Astronomy." Of course these are just examples and will not be in the essay. The 3rd person adds a creative twist yet manipulates there mind into believing I am better than I actually am.

I'm very aware of the fact that Yellowstone park will eventually erupt like the super-volcano it is and am willing to take this risk. after doing a few little calculations this should increase my overall chance of getting into one of these 3 schools to about 30%. being a little more realistic, about 28%. I have had tremendous luck getting into advanced schools before, similar to the Private school I am in now. It requires you to be a catholic and have been baptised and confirmed despite the fact I am not Catholic, nor have I been confirmed (but I have been baptised) I got into both private schools I aimed to get into. I chose the slightly more advanced school.

With this said, what would you say my chances are of getting into one of these schools, I'm trying to get ahead now so It'll pay off later.

I'm not called James.

 

[phinds]

I get B+/A- in Science and Maths but I never really try because I find most of it boring.

I get A's and B's in most of my classes, getting B's in the ones I care less about,

But you will be in competition with people who work very hard at ALL of their subjects without regard to whether they are "boring" or not and who get straight A's so you'd best up your game.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What phinds said.

MIT receives 19,000 applications per year and enrolls, on average, one Australian. Caltech is five times smaller.

 

[Call me James]

Caltech was more of an example for the Title, I wouldn't mind getting into any Ivy League College.

 

[phinds]

Caltech was more of an example for the Title, I wouldn't mind getting into any Ivy League College.

Same issue

 

[Call me James]

If this helps getting into MIT, I have straight A+'s in ICT and Coding. Apparently if I took the 10th Grade test I'd probably get an A/A- so I'm pretty good at that. I also study Quantum Mechanicals because I believe the more we study it, the more it may help us as the potential for using the Quantum mechanicals/ Quantum computers for engineering and the enhancement/development of the Human race is phenomenal.

They're just another few points to add to the board.

 

[phinds]

If this helps getting into MIT, I have straight A+'s in ICT and Coding. Apparently if I took the 10th Grade test I'd probably get an A/A- so I'm pretty good at that. I also study Quantum Mechanicals because I believe the more we study it, the more it may help us as the potential for using the Quantum mechanicals/ Quantum computers for engineering and the enhancement/development of the Human race is phenomenal.

They're just another few points to add to the board.

All good stuff but unless you overcome the issues I quoted in post #2 they won't matter. It's a VERY competitive world out there.

 

[CrunchBerries]

What phinds said.

MIT receives 19,000 applications per year and enrolls, on average, one Australian. Caltech is five times smaller.

This stat alone suggests that you would want to have A+ in EVERYTHING just as a bare minimum pre-requisite, if you are serious about making it into that school. Its not just about being smart, its about working very hard to achieve the absolute best in everything. Being bored is not an option here. If this is truly what you want, then start with that.

 

[phinds]

This stat alone suggests that you would want to have A+ in EVERYTHING just as a bare minimum pre-requisite, if you are serious about making it into that school. Its not just about being smart, its about working very hard to achieve the absolute best in everything. Being bored is not an option here. If this is truly what you want, then start with that.

Yep. Exactly.

 

[Call me James]

Your advice is taken on board, I've also heard much about not be a well rounded student, be exceptional and achieve great things in one or two specific subjects, for me that will be coding as I have already published mods for games and have made small games myself, that I haven't published.

 

[Call me James]

At the minute I'm very pumped to go back and give it everything I've got, my point is, If I get A's and B's without caring or studying at all then if I did my grades would increase to straight A's, next Year I'm joining the Coding team and hopefully going to get the ball rolling for myself. Thankfully, I'm not too late.

 

[phinds]

At the minute I'm very pumped to go back and give it everything I've got, my point is, If I get A's and B's without caring or studying at all then if I did my grades would increase to straight A's, next Year I'm joining the Coding team and hopefully going to get the ball rolling for myself. Thankfully, I'm not too late.

Good attitude and you're right about having time. Hope it works out for you.

 

[Call me James]

Good attitude and you're right about having time. Hope it works out for you.

Thanks man, Merry Christmas :) Also, at the minute I'm reading this and it's pretty interesting. http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-harvard-and-the-ivy-league-by-a-harvard-alum

It guarantees that if I take its advice on board I'll get into Harvard which is completely ridiculous, but it did give me something to read ;)

I believe that Coding is my ticket into one of these schools because it would appear that it is by far my strong point :) If I go on to make a good selling App/Game in 2017 then that may show the College of potential in the future.

 

[Logical Dog]

Year 9 and 10 is usually pretty easy..I was also top of my class from british system.

I recommend you find something good you like and really get to love it, instead of loving the school love the subject!
dont try any manipulation with professers or admissions committee people.
good luck!

 

[Call me James]

Year 9 and 10 is usually pretty easy..I was also top of my class from british system.

I recommend you find something good you like and really get to love it, instead of loving the school love the subject!
dont try any manipulation with professers or admissions committee people.
good luck!

I know what you're saying, and thanks for telling me, although I found that the British system was a little easier than the Australian, but with that said, I was only there for Primary School so It may be equivalent. It's not so much front facing manipulation more than it is subliminal manipulation. Don't worry I try not to take many risks but believe me, the whole 'He' thing checks out. Think about it a little.

Merry Christmas, Thanks to the people who replied honestly and wished me good luck.

 

[Logical Dog]

I know what you're saying, and thanks for telling me, although I found that the British system was a little easier than the Australian, but with that said, I was only there for Primary School so It may be equivalent. It's not so much front facing manipulation more than it is subliminal manipulation. Don't worry I try not to take many risks but believe me, the whole 'He' thing checks out. Think about it a little.

Merry Christmas, Thanks to the people who replied honestly and wished me good luck.

Hello, thanks..I meant i was top in year 10 and then i barely scraped a pass when year 11 and 12 came, it was quite sad as I was 21 (missed a few years of school, didnt go) when I finished a levels. and i could not get any scholarship or go to any decent university. i still fail most of my classes, and would probably drop out and forget academia soon.
what is your favourite subject? start developing your knowledge in this. :)

 

[Call me James]

Hello, thanks..I meant i was top in year 10 and then i barely scraped a pass when year 11 and 12 came, it was quite sad as I was 21 (missed a few years of school, didnt go) when I finished a levels. and i could not get any scholarship or go to any decent university. i still fail most of my classes, and would probably drop out and forget academia soon.
what is your favourite subject? start developing your knowledge in this. :)

By far my favourite subject is ICT/Coding but I also love Astronomy and the wonders of Space, me and my 7 year old sister watch Secureteam 10 whenever he uploads. She is fascinated by Extraterrestrials, I am too except whatever he uploads is BS, but she seems to enjoy it. There are very few pieces of evidences that I can't seem to prove fake. But most of it is fake anyway so why wouldn't the few others be? If Aliens did exist it would be very clear by now.

Sad to hear about what happened to you but I wish you the best of luck in the future! I'm already equivalent to a year 11 Programming student, download a mod for a game you probably don't own here: http://spacedock.info/mod/889/Astronomer%27s%20Visual%20Pack:%20Andromeda-V3%20%28WIP%29 I made it, if you're interested to see what I can do. It may not be the best example since its pretty much just changing particle effects and textures...

 

[Call me James]

Ok, I've come to a conclusion, I must refrain from being 'well-rounded' And stand out in a particular subject. For me that is coding. Coding is my ticket, next year I'll enter competitions, I have a friend whom is much less ambitious than me and does not intend to do any of the things I want to do, despite the fact that he is a little more intelligent than me (And I am catching up :) I'll try and drag him into the competition, to work in unity as a team, I'll try and drag us into MIT, Coding is my Golden Ticket, I must stand out as an incredible coder, We'll put the game on Steam Green-light, see what happens and you never know...

Now excuse me, it's 3:21am (Insomnia), so night...

Call me James.

 

[ZapperZ]

There are PLENTY of terrific and well-respected universities in the US. I don't understand this "Ivy League or bust" mentality at all, especially at the undergraduate level.

Are you saying that you'll be highly disappointed if you get admitted to UC-Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, SUNY-Stony Brook, UCLA, Stanford, UIUC, etc... etc? Really?!

Zz.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Odds are better if you aim more for a top 75 or so school for undergrad, earn a 3.9+ GPA in your favorite STEM major, hit a home run on the subject GRE, publish a few papers as an undergrad, and secure outstanding recommendation letters.

Getting into top 10 schools for grad school is much easier than for undergrad. The above considerations may sound tough, but at least there is a well-defined path with a high probability of success.

 

[PeroK]

You never know, there might even be a decent university or two in Australia.

 

[radium]

To summarize elite school admissions in a few lines: they are completely random, even for the top applicants. Unless you are a recruited athlete, legacy, or child of a donor, it all depends on how you come across to the particular people on the admissions committee at that particular moment in time. They are not at all fair, some people who would be top students at these schools get rejected and end up doing very well elsewhere, other students who were admitted turn out to be duds who don't belong there (I hear this all the time from grad students who teach at the schools you mentioned).

So basically my advice is that you should just do what you are interested in. You could do everything right and still be rejected which could make you feel like you wasted a good portion of your life.

 

[Call me James]

There are PLENTY of terrific and well-respected universities in the US. I don't understand this "Ivy League or bust" mentality at all, especially at the undergraduate level.

Are you saying that you'll be highly disappointed if you get admitted to UC-Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, SUNY-Stony Brook, UCLA, Stanford, UIUC, etc... etc? Really?!

Zz.

No, as I said before, it doesn't have to be Harvard or MIT, more or less any top school, like Stanford of UC-Berkeley.

 

[IGU]

No, as I said before, it doesn't have to be Harvard or MIT, more or less any top school, like Stanford of UC-Berkeley.

If you are going to avoid being "well rounded" then you're much more likely to get into a "not American" school. Cambridge gets quite a few Aussies.

 

[Choppy]

Ok, I've come to a conclusion, I must refrain from being 'well-rounded' And stand out in a particular subject.

I'm not sure it's such a great idea to start putting all of your eggs in one basket while you're still in high school.

It's great that you've found a particular area that you enjoy and that you excel in. You absolutely should pursue that. But not to the exclusion of other opportunities. There can be tremendous value in being a "well rounded" person.

 

[Call me James]

I'm not sure it's such a great idea to start putting all of your eggs in one basket while you're still in high school.

It's great that you've found a particular area that you enjoy and that you excel in. You absolutely should pursue that. But not to the exclusion of other opportunities. There can be tremendous value in being a "well rounded" person.

Thanks for replying, don't worry I will still keep A standards is every class and there is good value in a well rounded person, but that could be anybody... anybody could be well-rounded. That's not what these colleges look for, they look for people who have achieved in the past so they can predict they will achieve in the future, giving the school a better reputation.

The Past they see is my now so I better get cracking.

 

[Call me James]

If you are going to avoid being "well rounded" then you're much more likely to get into a "not American" school. Cambridge gets quite a few Aussies.

I'm originally from England, but I am an Australian citizen.

But I don't see what country of origin has to do with being well-rounded, please elaborate :)

 

[radium]

At places like Cambridge or Oxford, you apply to a particular field of study and devote all of your time to it once you are there (no general requirement). The admissions process overall from what I heard is also less holistic and mostly is based on your test scores, interviews, and maybe a personal statement.

In the US, soft factors matter much. At places like the Ivy League schools (not so much technical schools like MIT and Caltech), most students were not admitted solely for their academic potential, they had something else that makes them stand out. For example if you are a very talented athlete, it can lower the academic standards significantly (basically the better you are, the lower the standards). You will also notice at many top schools that this reflects itself in the priorities of the student body, which for many are not academics.

 

[Call me James]

At places like Cambridge or Oxford, you apply to a particular field of study and devote all of your time to it once you are there (no general requirement). The admissions process overall from what I heard is also less holistic and mostly is based on your test scores, interviews, and maybe a personal statement.

In the US, soft factors matter much. At places like the Ivy League schools (not so much technical schools like MIT and Caltech), most students were not admitted solely for their academic potential, they had something else that makes them stand out. For example if you are a very talented athlete, it can lower the academic standards significantly (basically the better you are, the lower the standards). You will also notice at many top schools that this reflects itself in the priorities of the student body, which for many are not academics.

Yeah, this was what I was talking about. I have to shine through with my coding abilities.

 

[Call me James]

To summarize elite school admissions in a few lines: they are completely random, even for the top applicants. Unless you are a recruited athlete, legacy, or child of a donor, it all depends on how you come across to the particular people on the admissions committee at that particular moment in time. They are not at all fair, some people who would be top students at these schools get rejected and end up doing very well elsewhere, other students who were admitted turn out to be duds who don't belong there (I hear this all the time from grad students who teach at the schools you mentioned).

So basically my advice is that you should just do what you are interested in. You could do everything right and still be rejected which could make you feel like you wasted a good portion of your life.

Yes, It is random, random if you decide to be well-rounded, But if you offer something to the school then you have a much better chance. I will do what interests me which is coding.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[radium]

Even if you have a special talent it is still random. A lot of the people do and they want something different each year. For example, they may have a lot of other people who are good at coding applying that year so you will have more competition. Maybe they will choose one of the other people because they also have another thing that they want (maybe they play bassoon and they want another one for the orchestra). Another possibility is that they already admitted a lot of coders the previous year and don't want any this year.

I have seen world class violinists and even people on chemistry/physics etc Olympiad teams get rejected from these schools (or they may get into MIT but not Stanford etc.) You can never be sure if you get into one of these schools. There are a lot of very talented people you are competiting against. There will always be someone who is as good or is better than you.

 

[Call me James]

You make a good point. Although I wouldn't call it completely random. If you achieved great things in High School, that's a heads up to the school that you will probably go on to do great things in the future. Schools love money. If they see that you can achieve incredible things they will take that for an example, and with your achievements, you may make money and donate to the school. They don't want to miss their next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg. I may not turn out to be either of them although they would have done similar things that I plan to do.

 

[radium]

But one of the points I am trying to make is that the admissions committee may not always make accurate judgements of one's ability. Sometimes they miss someone verybtalented and instead take someone who really shouldn't have been admitted. The undergrad admissions committee is not made up of famous professors, Mark Zuckerbergs, etc. Some admissions officers are literally still in their twenties. These are all just things to keep in mind when thinking about these schools. The competition to get accepted is tough and that general attitude pervades the campus culture. Not everyone is cut out for it, even people who have the intelligence to succeed. It's very easy to get lost, and if you are not assertive you will not get the most out of the experience. For example, if you just attend lecture and complete the required tasks, you may not interact with your professors much if at all (it also depends a lot on the department). You can take two people who attended the same classes in the same major and they may have a completely different experience because of how they went about their education.

If you do not mind solely taking classes in your course of study, I would consider Oxford, Cambridge and ICL to be just as good as the top U.S. schools. I actually hear the students in the U.K. are much happier and I kind of wish I could go there myself.

 

[Logical Dog]

Yeah, this was what I was talking about. I have to shine through with my coding abilities.

CODING is not all there is to know about computer science...
computer science is the field of study of algorithms, operating systems, computer architecture, software, networking, ethics, programming languages. data...i forgot the rest.

What is the major you actually want to do? :) maybe try and understand these other aspects at a general level too!

 

[e.bar.goum]

Odds are better if you aim more for a top 75 or so school for undergrad, earn a 3.9+ GPA in your favorite STEM major, hit a home run on the subject GRE, publish a few papers as an undergrad, and secure outstanding recommendation letters.

Getting into top 10 schools for grad school is much easier than for undergrad. The above considerations may sound tough, but at least there is a well-defined path with a high probability of success.

+1. Also, there are multiple* universities in Australia in the top 75 schools in the world. I would encourage the OP to go to one of those, and not go into a huge amount of debt for undergrad. You can get an excellent education in Australia.

*5, going by Times, 6 by QS. ANU, Uni Melb, USyd, UNSW, UQ, Monash. Odds are very good that the OP lives close to one of these universities.