<p>First of all, congratulations to all of you. I know that for many of you, MIT is your dream school. It's mine, too.</p>
<p>This is why I'm asking this of all you: please let MIT know as soon as possible whether or not you plan to attend in the fall. I know that most regular decisions are still two weeks away, and I understand that financial aid packages are an important consideration as well. Still, some of you may not see MIT as your first-choice school, and if you don't, I ask that you please notify the admissions office if and when you know that you're going to attend a different school. </p>
<p>Many of the waitlisted students, myself included, had already been deferred from Early Action before this. I want to do everything I can to make sure that, at least, there's some hope for some of us. Had I been accepted today, I would have notified the other schools to which I applied (Princeton, Cornell, and Rensselaer) as soon as possible to ensure that less people would be made to live in uncertainty for two more months. I hope that you can all see where I'm coming from here; all 1533 of the admitted students, 499 of the waitlisted ones, and a large portion of the rejected ones are deserving of an MIT education.</p>
<p>On that note, large donations to the "buy MIT a second campus so we can all attend" fund are also appreciated. :)</p>
<p>Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and I wish you all the best at MIT or elsewhere.</p>
<p>uh... you still won't find out until after may 1. the behavior of admitted students is not up to you and yield is factored into how many students are admitted. assume all students well let mit know by may 1 and if they haven't deposited then they will assume these students are not enrolling. </p>
<p>either way, best of luck in the rest of your college decisions.</p>
<p>However, yield predictions can be made in advance of the May 1st date, if enough students respond to the school before then. It would be nice to have some idea of whether or not the waitlist will even be used this year, given that it effectively hasn't been in 3 out of the past 4 years.</p>
<p>I know you're going to hate me for this, but I'm fully of the opinion if you're not sure, you should take absolutely as much time as you need. Come to CPW, come stay overnight, come dance with us, whatnot. See if we're your type of people. Just don't feel rushed. The choice you're about to make affects (quite probably) the next four years of your life. Four years is a long time. Don't treat it any less seriously than you should...</p>
<p>No, I agree with you. I'm speaking to the people who are sure, one way or another (I'm assuming there must be some, because I know I would have been).</p>
<p>Olo is right on target with this. Allow me a few words from a parental perspective. Four years is a long time and you should not take the choice of where to attend college lightly. I did that over 30 years ago and regret it to this day. I did not enjoy my four years of college. Fortunately, I ended up in my field of interest and was able to pursue advanced degree work. I based my decision on prestige of school not whether or not the school was the right "fit" for me and what I wanted to study. Don't great me wrong. It was and stil is a great school. However, for my major, I should have selected another school with a better program. Don't make my mistake.</p>
<p>I know that you may not have an idea of your intended major. However, if
you do, look at what is available in that major at the institutions to which you have been accepted. How many courses are required as institutional requirements? Some schools have more requirements than others and that may play a role in your decision making. Contact the departments of interest and ask questions. If you have received a letter of acceptance, it is because xyz institution wants you. Let them show you WHY xyz institution is the place for you. </p>
<p>Can you finish your undergrad degree in four years or will it take much longer? Is that a problem for you? Some outside scholarships may be only good for four years. Can you afford to pay the difference or can you take out loans for the difference (and do you want to take out a lot of loans)? There was an excellent blog entry on this issue of choosing the right school last year by B. Nance. I'll try to find it. Alternatively, go to mitadmissions.org and search under his blog entries. </p>
<p>We went through this process in my household last year with DD. She sat down and mapped out plans at each school that was under serious consideration. She visited her top choices during their pre-frosh weekends and made an informed choice. </p>
<p>So, in sum, don't make your decision over night. Think about it carefully. </p>
<p>I wish all of you the best as you decide where to spend the next four years.</p>
<p>how does the waitlist work?
Suppose I got waitlisted from my dream school (lets say MIT), are there anything I should do to maximize my chance of getting in?</p>