Application Question?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
41

<p>They mean chemistry and biology. Period. If you took AP (instead of or in addition to regular/honors), that's great, but that's not required.</p>

<p>Generally they don't care much what you took in 8th grade. If you took something in an earlier year that's on your transcript and you feel it should be included, you can explain it in the comments section. Many MIT applicants have unusual-looking transcripts, either due to taking community college courses, self-studying for APs, or doing independent study or online coursework. Explain anomalies in the comment area.</p>

42

<p>"In the comment area"</p>

<p>Do you mean that box with "If there is anything that we should know about your school's grading system, please use the space below."</p>

<p>? </p>

<p>for now i just left grade blank. thanks for answering my questions though :)</p>

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<p>Yes, that is the box I was referring to.</p>

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<p>Yeah, generally 8th grade doesn't matter, but if things you did in high school don't really make sense without the 8th grade context, you should inculde it somewhere in one of the extra info sessions. In my opinion, it's also not a crime to say "I've been involved in such-and-such activity since the 6th grade," because that shows an extra 3 years of committment the app doesn't ask about. Don't go crazy with it, but they understand your life didn't start on the first day of 9th grade.</p>

45

<p>"They mean chemistry and biology. Period. If you took AP (instead of or in addition to regular/honors), that's great, but that's not required."</p>

<p>Also, I'd like to throw in that 'chemistry' and 'biology' don't have to be in the course title. For example, my school required freshmen and sophomores to take Integrated Science 9 and 10, which both covered bio and chem.</p>

46

<p>Ben, for the sibling information section, my sister is a current student at a college and will graduate in December. Should I put her degree down on the app or not, since she hasn't received it yet?</p>

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<p>Thanks for answering everyone! 8th grade isn't terribly important to record on your application unless, as was stated earlier, it provides some context/clarification for high school endeavors. In that case, use the box that mootmom recommended.</p>

<p>theoneo - sure, feel free to list the degree. :-)</p>

48

<p>For the additional classes section.. do you want <em>all</em> the elective class I took throughout high school, or only the somewhat important ones?</p>

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<p>List the ones that you think will really benefit your application. Only you can decide whether that's all of them or a select few. :-)</p>

50

<p>i have an application question! well....its sort of application related.....</p>

<p>Is it ok to schedule an interview before submitting part 1 (biographical info) part of the application? or do you need that first?</p>

51

<p>My question: I have all A's and a small number of A+'s on my transcript, and would have received more A+'s (for instance, in two science classes I took, my grade in the class was 100%), but most teachers at my school only use "A" as a grade and not "A+". Would it be worth mentioning this in the "extra info" session, or would that sound silly? Thanks!</p>

52

<p>One question: On the scholastic distinctions section, should I mention London International Youth Science Forum (liysf.org)? I participated here, as a result of a national science contest. Although the Science Forum is not a contest, it is related to the participants projects. It is an international gathering with 250 students from 50 different countries. Where else should I put this if not in this section? Thanks</p>

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<p>noday42 - you can definitely schedule an interview before you submit part 1, no problem.</p>

<p>bobk - lol, no, you don't need to clarify your a's. :-)</p>

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<p>oyso - you could put it there or in the "anything else?" section.</p>

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<p>Ben, I am sorry, but I cannot seem to find the "anything else" section. Do you mean the last of the completely optional sections?</p>

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<p>Ooops, sorry for the lack of clarity. Yes, that's the one.</p>

57

<p>Ben, do you ever buy your co-workers coffee?</p>

58

<p>Of course! :-)</p>

59

<p>Thanks for the help guys =)</p>

<p>Also, in the Application List & Tips, it says MIT wants two recommendations, one from a math/science teacher & one from a humanities teacher. I was really hoping I could use 2 strong recs from a biology & chemistry teacher who know me better than the humanities teacher I've had for 11th and now 12th grade. I know for a fact that this humanities teacher is very busy all of the time, and when a student last year showed me the recommendation she wrote for her, it was full of grammatical errors and misspellings, very generalized, and kinda sloppy. =\ I have great grades in English, so do I absolutely <em>need</em> a humanities teacher recommendation? MIT is the only university so far that is specifying where the recs come from, and I always thought MIT was an institute that wants applicants to be displayed in their best light...</p>

<p>If a humanities teacher rec isn't 100% required, will an applicant be penalized for not having a rec from a humanities teacher?</p>

60

<p>You can submit any supplemental recommendations you feel will help your case -- you could submit both the biology and chemistry recommendations in addition to the humanities teacher recommendation.</p>

<p>Do you have any humanities teachers from grades 9 and 10 who would be able to write you a better recommendation?</p>