INPUT ARTICLE: Article: . You must show your ability to do well in classes.  While this may not require a 4.0 GPA in high school, getting lots of B's won't help. Tell your teachers about your aspirations. They'll want to see you succeed. Ask for outside help whenever you feel it's necessary. At some high schools, certain courses affect your GPA more than others. This is because they're just plain harder. In fact, with weighted courses, you can end up with more than a 4.0 (on a 4.0 scale)!  Skip study hall and opt for that AP course. It shows drive and initiative. MIT requires students who take every opportunity to learn and better themselves. This does not mean cutting classes like band or choir out of your schedule. MIT also wants cultivated, interesting students--not just mathbots. If you're good at something, stick with it. It'll pay off. Many schools offer opportunities for seniors to take classes at their local university or community college. Showing you can handle college courses as a high school student is impressive.  If your school doesn't have a program like this, ask. Better yet, create one. They won't turn down your opportunity for a better education. MIT is a very math and science oriented school. Taking any college course looks great--but loading up on calculus (and loving it) looks even better. This is where the genius-IQ students get turned away. You can have absolutely outstanding test scores and grades and still get turned down. About 60% of all applicants are fully qualified.  So ditch those video games and sign up for the debate team.  MIT has what's called "holistic admissions." This means that not only are grades and test scores considered, but they also take into account the whole person. Try to focus in on a few core activities and show your talents. If you're on the rowing super! You're talented and athletic. But if you're on those teams and in show choir, you're talented, athletic, and artistic. Show them that you care about a certain few activities. Show initiative. Do you feel passionate about something your high school doesn't have? Don't be limited by the size or success of your high school. Start that environmental club (you could be the President!). Form an after-school Spanish study group. Think outside the box. Compete in many competitions - MIT demographics show that 10 to 12% of their approved petitions are from people that have some sort of achievement (ISEF, AIME, USPHO, IBO, etc.). To get into MIT, you'll need two evaluation letters. With that stellar GPA of yours, it shouldn't be hard.  You'll need two letters from teachers of opposing subjects. One from the math or science department and one from the humanities or languages. Why stop at 2 when you can do 3? It's best to have a back up in case a teacher gets sick or is running behind your deadline. Having an internet profile that shows your best side is ideal in today's techno-driven world. So, go ahead, post away those photos of your rewards! You earned it.  Allowing colleges and employers to look at information about you turns you into a real person. You are no longer just a name on one of a thousand pages. Open your profile and invite them to look. Any 18-year-old with an impressive internet profile is a diamond in the rough. As an alternative, close your profile to the public. But make sure it's secure--the folks at MIT know what they're doing. A high-schooler who is truly world-thinking and driven doesn't just stop within the grounds of their educational establishment. Volunteer at your local hospital, animal shelter, or nursing home. MIT seeks to serve humanity and builds their student base off this criterion.

SUMMARY: Ace your classes Take weighted courses. Get college credit. Pile on the extra-curricular activities. Cultivate relationships with your teachers. Put your best self on Facebook. Get involved in your community.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Many people find a memorial is helpful when burying their cat. Before placing your cat in the ground, you can say a few words, sing a song, or read a poem.  Consider inviting friends and family members over to say goodbye your pet. Young children may find a memorial particularly beneficial. You can encourage them to all collect things that remind them of their lost pet. They can place these things in the hole alongside the cat's coffin. After saying a few words, gently set your cat's coffin in the ground. Refill the hole with the soil you dug up. Make sure to press the soil down as you place it over the grave. You want the soil to be firmly in place to prevent predators from digging up your cat. Do not skip the grave marker. While it may not be important to you as a symbolic gesture, a grave marker prevents the grave from being disturbed. If you purchased a coffin, set it over the grave. If you're using rocks or other materials, pile them over the cat's resting place. If you're planting something in the ground, make sure to surround the base of the plant with something heavy. This will keep predators away. Once the marker is up, you may want to decorate the gravesite. You can put up temporary decorations, like flowers and other foliage. If you have young children, they may want to decorate the grave. You can encourage them to do something like write notes to the cat or draw pictures to leave at the gravesite.

SUMMARY:
Have a small memorial, if you wish. Lower your cat into the hole and cover it with soil. Set up your grave marker. Decorate the gravesite, if you want.