Massachusetts Institute of Technology Visit Report by olderwisermom

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: No - MIT does not offer on-campus interviews. Educational Counselors around the country interview applicants in their areas.

Information Session: Yes - By an asst. admissions director in large auditorium. Also a student who answered questions. No visuals. Be sure to check in Building 7 lobby to confirm loaction. Ours was moved due to a large turnout.

Campus Tour: No - Our guide, Jason, was funny and engaging. Had great stories about MIT "hacks." Tour does not include dorms or classrooms. It mostly gives history and anecdotes and shows the architecture.

Classroom Visit: No - It was Presidents' Day. No classes.

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Campus:

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Not many students on campus since classes were not in session. Student in group session and tour guides were very friendly.

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They handled a large crowd very well. Didn't allow any one family to monopolize question session.

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MIT is not a traditional-looking campus. Its architecture is an electic mix of design. Symbolizes the wild creativity that engineers and researchers need. More urban than we expected.

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Infinite corridor of classrooms is unique and a welcome feature on a cold day. Student center is well-used and looked it. Hand sanitizer everywhere.

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Did not see the interior of a dorm. Every dorm looks very different architecturally. No cookie-cutter designs.

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Noticed a few of the blue phone locations.

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MIT is a creative place where unique thinking is evident in its students and its physical plant.

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Off-Campus:

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Some high rise, high tech office buildings and some older warehouse structures.

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This part of Cambridge has a very different feel from the area around Harvard. Lots of ethnic restuarant choices in Central Square, a 10-minute walk from campus.

Campus Visit Notes for Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Visit Description:

Our purpose was to determine if our Midwestern son from an underfunded public high school could "fit in" at MIT if he were admitted. We had signed up for the informational session and tour on Presidents' Day. We also arranged a dinner with a couple we know in Boston, both of whom earned their masters and PhDs at MIT, and another dinner with a sophomore MIT student from our hometown. We wanted to pick as many brains as possible since the application process (like the cost) is intense. No use in applying if it's not a good fit. We found that the official MIT presentation and the dinners confirmed that this is a place to aspire to attend if you LOVE LEARNING and you can be a TEAM PLAYER. Creativity and collaboration were definite themes in our two-day visit.

Some other tour families didn't get the message about playing nicely with others in order to succeed. When we sat in the second row, they moved from the third to the second. When we moved to the front of the tour briefly to ask a question, they shoved us aside to interrupt. This went on for two hours. The admitted students did not act that way at all. You saw group study everywhere even a day with no classes.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

We stayed at the Kendall, the only really "colonial" looking building in the area. Boutique hotel that backs up onto campus, across from bookstore. Full breakfast included. Right at the T st

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Ate our way through Cambridge. Legal Seafood across from hotel. Afghan and Thai restaurants with friends. Indian, Middle Eastern and Japanese in the student center. (But we did see McDonald's onc

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

We used the T to get from Logan to campus. Also used it to visit JFK Library and Science Museum. Walked everywhere else. Don't miss the MIT Museum. Small but wonderful, showcasing MIT research.