Do past admits get you admitted?

lookingforward
Wed, 26 Jul 2017 17:05:02 +0000

Some high schools are on their radar, for various reasons. Sometimes, it’s that the admits do tend to enroll and then do well at that college. But at any time, there could also be another hs in the area that adcoms want to pay attention to. Maybe their kids are leaping ahead in quality, doing interesting things, and presenting better than before in their applications.

No, it’s not quota. But as in any important decision, sometimes we all lean toward the “tried and true.” But those kids still have to meet standards.

And it’s the college’s “wants” that OP should focus on. It’s not just what you dream of. Know what you can about what MIT looks for, what they say, the sorts of kids they brag about. It’s not just stats and some ECs. To have a savvy strategy, to even assess your match, you have to be informed.

The Gatekeepers is now 14 admissions cycles old. Things can change a lot, even from year to year. That’s the issue with relying on something that was once said, once in effect. And written by someone not working in admissions- or whose experience as an admissions officer is decades past (Hernandez.)

OP, have you been reading what MIT says about all this, dug into what they value? Do you have an idea of how you match, in all the ways they like?