[alecbenzer]

I got the opposite end of that stick. Me and a friend both tried for MIT. I had (relatively significantly) higher grades and test scores but he got in and I didn't because he had built a cool website and I hadn't really built anything I could show off (also my SATs could have been better - if they were I suppose I might have gotten in via merit of numbers; the rest of my application wasn't _completely_ barren). I wonder if he'll find MIT like you did.

OP: The question has been on my mind as well (this is kind of a fresh wound). I keep telling myself that great people make themselves, they aren't made by schools. I'd tell you that, too, except I haven't even started college yet, so it's kind of early to go around telling other people that - might just be wishful thinking (though I'd imagine not completely).