Does MIT care about diversity that much?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>Hi,
I've been dreaming of MIT since i was a kid but only knew i could apply a couple of months ago, so i started to work on it with looking for infos and prepping for this unknown SAT ,dreaming that my efforts will be rewarded with admission.</p>

<p>Yes, i am an international senior from a country whose students NEVER applied for (so never admitted) for MIT(at least undergrad school).[TUNISIA]</p>

<p>Since i never heard of the possibility of applying to MIT until this year, i haven't enrolled in numerous clubs or activities just for the application(we don't even have that opportunity ; nothing such as debate club/drama/students government ,etc...), i only did why i loved for the fun of it;; math Olympiads/ science camp/ tennis/swimming/math games and small diverse activities with volunteering work and tutoring(math+english).</p>

<p>The thing is that i'm not a very low-scorer on the sat, i'm currently scoring lie 2300 on practise tests and have just sat fror the sta and will hopefully get a score clse to that 2300.
However, i still have Subject tests to come, and even though i never studied the material for math II in class, i thank god for the olympiads ; so all i have to do is translate.Yet, i still have the trial of SAT physics whose content i barely know half of it: so, i'l have to sacrifice my comfort (it's okay anyway) and my school tests(that's what bothers me since i am a senior and going to pass baccalaureate).</p>

<p>I've been facing many troubles with my parents asking me to let it go and focus on my studies to earn a scholarship to France!!</p>

<p>I am going to talk to my interviewer about the date soon (BTY:: have qualified of the international MUN in qatar)</p>

<p>I must say that watever happens i'll never let it go and i'll do my best even if i don't get in but i just wanted some advice from you dear CC's and if i have ta least a reasonable chance: i'm not asking for a percentage i'm just asking about the truth about my chances to give me a moral boost since everything else tells me otherwise!!</p>

<p>What do you think!!</p>

<p>THANKS!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>ps; sorry for the hasty writing and eventual typos that don't reflect my real writing skills!!!</p>

2

<p>Admission for international is very competitive. They accept about 110-120 international students every year out of 3-4000 applicants leading to a 2-3% acceptance rate.</p>

3

<p>i know the statics , but i wanted an insighted into my own chances viewing y background and the effect of the diversity factor!!</p>

4

<p>LOL, farfalla, have you even read the post? xd</p>

<p>Ghastn… Im not an Adm Off so I can’t back up my words with any actual proof… but I actually think that like 80% (if not more) of intl’s, are in the same situation as you. I hadn’t known anything about the possibility of studying abroad, either, and even after I heard that it would be possible to me, it was much later that I heard about all those clubs, activities and etc that colleges in the US ask about.
And understandably, since in my country the university admission is based solely on final exams scores, they don’t really provide us with any ECA possibilities. And I can only assume it so for most countries, and Adm Offs are aware of that. </p>

<p>You shouldn’t make the mistake of comparing yourself to US students. (Which I did, too.) </p>

<p>And, lastly, did you notice that the application asks for only <em>five</em> EC’s? You have them. And, I guess, that you’re actually devoted to them, which really can only help you. If you hadn’t done <em>anything</em>, then yes, that would probably be bad - but as it is… =) Not to mention, that your Math accomplishments are… wow!!! <em>__</em></p>

<p>I didn’t really mean to say that you are 100% in, or anything like that, but… I hope I gave you the moral boost you were looking for? ^_^</p>

<p>But… well, I have to say that I, in a way, <em>do</em> agree with your parents - when admisssion is based on scores, you can more or less predict your chances. The way things look in the US - you can’t know anything, especially with such a low admit rate. I know that MIT may seem like a dream (and I do think it’s (very?) probable that you’ll get in - but, well, it’s just me), but it’s stupid to center your life and plans around it, when it’s so uncertain. Studying in France is <em>great</em>, too, and you shouldn’t let that opportunity go, especially if it turns out that you may need it. </p>

<p>I don’t know your financial situation, but if you can afford it, (and if it’s not too much of a trouble) I would advise you to apply to more US colleges - unless it’s just MIT that you like, and other schools don’t interest you much.</p>

5

<p>

Acually, I have. But honestly, who can really chance a student? And I think someone like the OP with 187 posts has enough knowledge of CC to find the answers to his questions.</p>

6

<p>Actually there are people from Tunisia who have applied for undergraduate and graduate, and got in both. So no, there has been other people.</p>

<p>If you can score 2300 on SAT-I, thats pretty good. Are your classes in English or such? You can alternatively take TOEFL but if you can get 2300, you really don’t need to.</p>

<p>Don’t stress about Subject Tests. Math Level 2 test is a piece of cake(atleast for me), unlike what people say, you don’t need a graphing calculator, a decent scientific calculator will do the job but of course graphing calculator helps a lot more.</p>

<p>Physics test questions are not hard, the problem is there are 75 questions but only 60 minutes. Being used to exams that has 10 questions(atleast a hundred times harder than Subject Test questions :)) and 40 minutes, I’m used to slowly and careful solving. But in SAT Physics test, you must act quick and not spend much time on any one question. You should try to get to the end as fast as you can and avoid careless mistakes. You can return to omitted questions later. AFAIK, it is possible to get 800 even when you omit 15 questions on an average test, so just try your best. If you are worried, try to get Princeton Review’s Cracking SAT Physics Subject Test book, I think the tests are pretty close to the real one.</p>

<p>While the app asks for 5 ECs, you don’t have to write 5. And I’m pretty sure if any one person thinks hard enough, it is easy to find even more than 5.</p>

<p>I’m more worried about teacher recommendations because our teachers don’t know English so thats gonna be a hard one to handle. Even if they think the best about you, its hard to keep all that meaning after translation, not even talking about the fact that teachers may not be used to writing such letters since their system may not require them.</p>

7

<p>

Yeah, and I didn’t mean to chance him. I have no idea if he’ll get in or not, and that’s what I wrote at the end of my post. But I do think that he’s an excellent student/person/whatever and I do think that unless it’s really a hardship, he <em>should</em> apply. Saying that “international admission is very competitive” rings to me like saying “you must be really awesome to get in, so really, just give up now, because, seriously, you don’t think you’ll be admitted with a 2-3% admisson rate… do you???”. </p>

<p>Yes, I know, that 97% of people won’t get in, and it’s more probable that the OP won’t get in than that he will. That’s why I think it <em>is</em> stupid to devote too much time to the admisssion process, it <em>is</em> stupid to join random clubs just to look better on the application (especially, when someone’s international, imho), and generally do anything just to increase the chances of getting in, while it collides with something else that’s important to us. </p>

<p>But, lets be honest - even in the ideal situation, when you do nothing with the thought of admission - the sheer application process is a lot of work, (you have to find out the admission requirements, pass the SAT, write essays, find teachers to write you recommendations, translate everything, the whole fin aid application will probably be even more of a pain in the a**), and this especially if someone has to do everything on his/her own.
It’s not so easy to get motivation to do so with everyone around shooting you down with a 2-3% admit rate. </p>

<p>That’s why, I cut down on the schools I want to apply to MIT only (as it happens I fell in love with it), and I don’t even know if I will apply here. But, my situation is different. There’s a lot of financial matters going around, and besides, I’m not even half as accomplished as the OP is. But I think it would be a real pity, if the OP decided not to try (when he’s obviously very enthusistic about studying at MIT), and that’s the reason I decided to chime in. </p>

<p>And, to the OP: I wrote it in one of your other threads, I’m not sure if you noticed - don’t worry about not having a graphing calculator - a 800 with a scientfic calculator is absolutely doable, too =) As for Physics, I really advise you to use sparknotes - just read everything, especially the “dictionary” at the end - you’ll be fine =)</p>

8

<p>Thanks everybody; especially nefliege: i remember you post in sat subject test!!
the one thing i am sure about is that i WILL APPLY to MIt in addition to other schoos which aren’t a lot easier to get viewing that i need huge FINAID!!</p>

<p>BUT you guys give the boost i need and explained to me my situation from another perspective and that’s what i needed::</p>

<p>So thank you a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT!!!</p>

9

<p>@Phoestre: i know that there are some people(one per year i guess) who applied to MIT undergrad: but i am definitely sure that no tunisian student GOT IN mit undergrad:
1/An article shows that 16 Tunisians have diplomes from MIT; and they are all masters or Ph.D but no bachelor</p>

<p>2/ the office of international students shows that no tunisian is currently studying at mit(neither undergrad nor graduate)
3/ educationUSA center always dicourages us fromapplying telling us that no tunisian ever got in or will ever get in (giving examples of a few who applied and were rejecte):and they are the one to ask when it comes to tunisians applying to US unis.</p>

<p>So, i would be the first(if ever) tunisian to get into MIT undergrad(but that is a long shot as all of you know!!)!!!</p>

10

<p>Sorry to disappoint you but Omar Jenayah From Sousse in Tunisia graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Course 15 (management).</p>

11

<p>thanks cellardweller for the clarification
i wasn’t disappointed but glad to know that a compatriot got in!!</p>

12

<p>Believe whatever you want but if you check OIS statistics, you can clearly see there were some UNDERGRAD admits in early 2000s. Right now, I don’t think there is any Tunisian int’l student in MIT.</p>

<p>This shouldn’t discourage you as there are tons of other countries who don’t have any students in MIT. Country statistics don’t mean anything for you, they are statistics of the applicant/student pool at best and doesn’t indicate anything about you as an individual.</p>

<p>My advice is not to focus solely on MIT admissions but also consider the Tunisian system. Also if you are in need of financial aid, there are 7 other colleges that offer full-need FA to int’l students in US.</p>