MIT FAQ for application year 2009-2010 - Page 3

HiPeople · 06-18-2009, 05:07 PM

^Where did you already find the essay topics? I think thats fine that essays are informal. They are meant to express your personality. Infact, I will do the same thing when I write essays.

jamesford · 06-18-2009, 05:17 PM

I didn't find them, I just figured a "Why MIT" essay would be a good way to continue thinking about why I want to attend the school. Even if it's not an official prompt, I think MIT uses the common app and so I could submit this as an essay on "topic of [my] choice."

adamonkey2 · 06-19-2009, 07:35 AM

MIT does not use the common application. In past years, its application has 2 essay prompts (for the main essay); the questions have not changed for quite a couple of years so i imagine it will be the same this year too. For last year it was:

* Essay (around 500 words): Choose essay A or B. Essay A: Tell us about an experience which, at the time, really felt like the "end of the world" -- but had it not happened, you would not be who you are today. Describe the process through which you discovered value in the negative. Essay B: Describe the world you come from, for example your family, clubs, school, community, city or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?

If you want to write a "Why MIT" essay, you can just submit it as a supplementary essay.

jamesford · 06-19-2009, 02:03 PM

^ Yeah I looked up the Common App's member school's and MIT wasn't listed.

HiPeople · 06-20-2009, 11:22 PM

Not really related to FAQ for 2009-2010, but is MIT the only top 25 school not listed? I'm just curious to see what other schools do not use the common app.

dbc9todd · 06-21-2009, 11:30 AM

Would MIT look at other solid math/science SAT 2s and scores from history if you feel that they represent you well?

molliebatmit · 06-21-2009, 07:55 PM

No, MIT will only consider your top math and top science SAT II scores.

Tapper7 · 06-25-2009, 01:15 PM

Don't submit a "Why (Fill in School Here) Essay for the Common App. As I recall, when you submit the Common App to your first school, the application locks, and nothing can be changed. Of course, if you don't mind filling in everything all over again, I suppose you could just register for multiple accounts.

adamonkey2 · 06-28-2009, 12:23 AM

if we're sending an art portfolio, are we encouraged to send a recommendation by an art teacher along with it?

and thanks for the reply about Matt; it's a relief.

molliebatmit · 06-28-2009, 10:15 AM

You certainly could, but the art portfolio itself will be evaluated by art faculty, while an additional recommendation would be evaluated by the admissions office itself.

More info on submitting supplemental material is here.

Firstmate · 07-11-2009, 03:10 PM

I understand that MIT isn't going to accept a triple-800 automatically, nor deny someone with >500's (~36/20 respectively for ACT), but I'm sure these things play a hand in the selection process.

My question is, how much do the following take importance when selecting students:
-->Standardized testing vs High School Grades.
I'm currently in the top 10 in my HS and take part in many challenging courses, yet I do poorly on tests. I work hard to excel on tests, and keep trying, but I end up with results that do not even meet my personal standards (~500R/640M/500W sat. 27 act).

-->Environment of my High School.
Being a student in IB, and from what I have heard, my high school's IB program is very simple. The students in this program have no thirst for education and many can't even use a simple scientific calculator. How big of an influence does these sort of things play into all this.

I just want to do what I love, and getting admitted or not into MIT isn't going to change whether I give up on college. I don't wish to do the "What are my chances," which is why I am posting here. I just want to know if I'm looking up too high for colleges, but I know there's no harm in trying.

My other question, are there any pros/cons for EA vs RD?

-Firstmate

molliebatmit · 07-11-2009, 09:14 PM

It's not really a question of components versus each other, it's a question of components considered together. MIT doesn't weigh high school GPA vs. standardized test scores -- they consider the application as a whole.

If you look at the admissions statistics, you'll see that a few people with scores like yours are admitted every year, but not very many.

The basic advantages of EA are that you may get a decision early, and if you're deferred EA (as about 70% of applicants are), you'll get a chance to think about your application during the months of November, December, and January and send in more information to make your application stronger. The disadvantage is that you'll have to have your application together by November 1.

Firstmate · 07-12-2009, 02:11 PM

Thanks for your reply molliebatmit.

I'm a hard working student, but it's good to know that my test scores won't ruin my chances of getting into schools like MIT. Thank you.

-Firstmate

molliebatmit · 07-13-2009, 10:22 AM

For everyone's info, I got an email from Matt saying that at this time, they will not be changing the policy on writing SAT scores (they will not be considered, although they are required), and that the application essays may or may not change for the upcoming admissions cycle.

soadquake981 · 07-13-2009, 10:25 AM

I'm a little confused. SAT writing scores are required, but not considered?