<p>@curious: My primary essay had nothing to do with MIT at all, it was about my dad. You don’t have to tie everything back to MIT. And MIT is not all “math math science science engineering!” - MIT students are allowed to have fun too, sometimes.</p>
<p>@tebow: Fantastic credentials, it seems to me (especially placing at ISEF), but how are you planning on organizing them for MIT? Remember, you only get 5 spaces for extracurriculars: what matters most to you. What do you want to major in, and how does your research factor into that? Did you work with a professor who can write you a supplementary recommendation?</p>
<p>Remember, there will be plenty of applicants who are also valedictorians/ISEF finalists/AIME participants, etc. - and it’s fantastic that you have all of those things under your belt. But when applying to elite schools like MIT, it’s important to stand out - and an interesting essay can be one way of doing that. But also remember that no other person will have done the research and service you have, for example.</p>