MIT/Caltech EA or Princeton ED?

snowfinite
Sat, 22 Jul 2006 22:51:48 +0000

summer programs can only be a positive thing. i don’t think being rejected (you were still waitlisted, so that must say something) would have any bearings on you as a college applicant, unless you were completely out of the ballpark - which isn’t the case judging by your initial post. remember - their programs draw students from all over the country, some of whom aren’t necessarily interested in attending the institution that hosts them. even if you did get rejected from mit, you applied to caltech ea too, so it’s hard to say. most likely mit would just defer you.

er, from what i’ve heard, the asian population at mit is extremely varied (from the typical stereotype to the cool druggies to the actually interesting people, especially on the east side)… no worries there, i’m sure you’ll find your niche somewhere, be it asian or not. i’ve only visited caltech once, and though it wasn’t my place to begin with, i got the distinct impression that the asians seemed more… rigid. i don’t know, someone from caltech please say something more helpful and substantiated.

prestigious awards… honestly, i wouldn’t dwell too much on your achievements; at this point there’s really nothing you can do. you’re already a senior and embarking on any large projects would only show a short term, last-minute burst. i would focus more on the quality of your application. way too many hotshots with awesome usamo scores and all that other crap have been denied (an acquaintance from malaysia who set a record for his country in imo was turned away from mit). it says something about what colleges are looking for. princeton seems more of the type that would pay attention to such details, which was another reason why i encouraged you to apply caltech/mit ea. they seem less bureaucratic (plus mit has an awesome admissions team ^.~!).