Coaches LOR

Colleges & Universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>How much does a LOR from a MIT varsity coach help in admissions? Do some sports carry more weight? Is it hard to get one?</p>

2

<p>I don’t have any personal experience with sports at MIT, but I have heard that being recruited by a coach does not help at MIT nearly as much as it might help at other universities.</p>

3

<p>@lidusha is correct.
Here are two recent MIT CC discussions on the subject which have some valuable input:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/1473244-cruel-process.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/1473244-cruel-process.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/1497562-mit-athletes.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/1497562-mit-athletes.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>The bottom line is that MIT uses the “injury” test for admitted athletes. “If the student gets hit by a truck just before starting their freshman year and is physically unable to play their sport, then is MIT still the correct choice of university for them?” If the answer to that question is “yes” then a LoR can help, if the answer is “no”, then no LoR can change that.</p>

<p>MIT is an evidence based institution, and looks for evidence for all of the claims made on your application. So if you say you are really good at music, then the portfolio that you submit, will be sent to a member of the music faculty for analysis and recommendation. If they write back that they would really like to work with you musically, then that is a plus. Similarly, a LoR from a faculty member to the admissions office telling them how wonderful it would be to have [name] on the team, is more highly rated than a student’s unconfirmed statement about their love of sport. All of these things can help. None of these things can get you in on their own.</p>

<p>MIT admits about 8% of all applicants, but our applicant pool is very self-selecting. Some 75% of our applicants is academically strong enough, and it is very hard to stand out enough to get in. A coach’s LoR can certainly help, but do not rely on it alone.</p>