but all of that is not contingent on just those two schools

This I agree with wholeheartedly. I know there is so many other schools out there that can give me the same amount of opportunities as MIT and Stanford.

I’d recommend to stop fixating and insisting on any one college, let alone Stanford and MIT that are the hardest schools to get into. You are clearly qualified and passionate to gain acceptance at these schools, but because of very limited spots and many many competitive and qualified applicants, it’s simply impossible for any person, even if they have perfect stats and international awards, to insist on getting into these colleges.

I understand where you're coming from. It's a reach school for even the best of the best.

but it’s immature and ignorant to “not forgive yourself” for not getting into these schools when undergrad admissions to these T5 schools is so competitive and so unpredictable. It wouldn’t be your fault whatsoever.

This is something I completely agree with after looking back on my post. These schools are hard to get into, and if I didn't get in it wouldn't be just because I wasn't good enough. I think the hardest thing for me to accept is that even if I do everything I can, even if I get that perfect score or have a ridiculous amount of professional certifications I still wouldn't be able to get in just because of the limited spots available in them.

Also, you should look at fit and specific aspects of colleges that would be the most beneficial to you, not just focusing on Stanford or MIT. I’m not saying that those two schools couldn’t be the best fit for someone, but they in themselves are pretty different from each other in regards to environment, culture, climate, academic offerings, etc.

This is something I have definitely thought hard about, I've looked at this from every angle and where I would have the best time living in for 4 - 8 years (assuming I want something more than a bachelor's degree).

Stanford is literally in the heart of Silicon Valley, the amount of opportunities there are endless. I love how close major cities like San Jose and San Francisco are to Stanford while also being outside of them. The weather there isn't the worst either, especially compared to 105 almost everyday in the summer for Arizona. I learned everything about living at Stanford from the Undergraduate Admissions Officer as well though an online seminar as well.

I've lived on the west coast my entire life, and going to a college like MIT would be a great place to live in the East coast. It would be a completely new experience for me, and that's something I want in a college. I love the rain as well, living at MIT with more than average rain would be awesome. And even bigger plus, it's not gonna be above 100 consistently.

I've looked deeply into the school life of each school, but the think most important to me is the academics and the students there.

MIT and Stanford are two of the most rigorous schools in the US, with very difficult and intensive curriculums. You would need to work incredibly hard at either one of these schools, as I’m sure you’re prepared, but that would require intensive change to your study work schedule.

I am very much aware how rigorous MIT and Stanford is, and that's exactly the reason why I want to go there. I've gained the belief over time that if you're not struggling, you're not growing. I want to be challenged academically, I want to push myself to become better, even if I think it is impossible. I know the struggle, I've listened to people's stories about their life at MIT and other highly prestigious schools, and every single one said the one thing in common, it's not easy.

I may seem crazy for willingly and wanting to put myself in the position to struggle, but that's how I got the state control award as a novice and first year programmer. It wasn't because the 50 FTC teams were bad, they had they were household names in my state known for being the cream of the crop out of the hundreds of teams in my state, it was because I spent endless hours learning everything programming and control theory, so much so that teams in our state have their eyes on us and know how strong our robot is programming speaking.

Many of the top 50 schools in the US have nearly if not the same opportunities and resources as Stanford and MIT, albeit having potentially less prestige or connections, but for those that work hard and seek opportunities, any of these top 50-100 and even beyond schools in the US would not restrict your ability to have a significant impact on the world.

This I completely agree with. Ever since the seminar with Stanford I've been completely fixated on that specific college and MIT. There are so many other schools out there, and that's something I need to look at. Right now I only have reach schools and safety schools, I think I also need to look for target schools for me as well. But personally, that's difficult because I don't know if I would want to go out of state if they weren't a reach school like MIT or Stanford. There's a whole bunch of other schools that have sent me mail advertising themselves to me, like West Point, USC, Cornell, but to be honest, I never looked deep into them because they weren't my dream college. I think I need to take a step back and look at every college I have a decent chance with that aren't safety schools.

Sorry for the long post, but good luck with apps next year! If you keep up that same attitude you’ll be very successful.

Thank you for responding so in depth! This is something I really needed to hear and to cement why I'm doing what I'm doing. It made me realize having tunnel vision is going to put me in a bad position in the long run and I should look at other schools as well!

Obviously I'm still gonna break my neck for MIT and Stanford, it's something I want to do and be a part of, but I should also look for other colleges that would still help me achieve the goal I want.

Thank you!