Help With MIT Application (in general)- What to do?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>I am a rising senior and will be applying to MIT (early) next fall. I am looking for some help on my application - ie: what to put down, what not to put down, what areas to focus on, etc.</p>

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<p>Here's my main problem:
I really have trouble presenting myself as any 'type' of person. I know that a lot of people applying to MIT seem to do this, and go either for "science-and-math-wiz-types", athletes, "artsy-types", etc, etc. I have a variety of really different interests and I pursue them all with a great deal of intensity.</p>

<pre><code> For example, I have wrestled since I was 8 years old, and I love the sport. I spend many, many hours every week training, I am my team's captain (I also got MVP last year and "Most Spirited Award my Sophomore year - yes, I know its goofy), and I wrestle year-round on a club team. (A lot of the time that I would be spending on other EC's, I instead spend on wrestling - which to me seems like probably an undesirable thing, for someone on MIT's end).

I also love scuba diving. I got my certification 4 years ago, and before the end of the summer I'm going to try and get my Advanced and Rescue Diver certifications.

My primary academic interests are in science and engineering, but again, even those interests are broad. I'm interested in Astronomy, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical (Weapons) Engineering, Nanotechnology, and Biotechnology (specifically study in brain-computer interactions). I have an equally intense passion for all of these areas and I devour books and articles on these subjects. My interests are so broad, however, I simply don't know how to show MIT how much I really love all this stuff. (I have never done any prestigious science competitions, research papers, or the like.) The only tangible things I have are that I may be able to volunteer as an assistant with a local neurosurgeon for the remainder of the summer and some of the school year (I really want a chance to learn, hands on, about some of the neuro-science that is involved in the area of biotechnology that I'm interested in), and I am working on some engineering projects at home (hopefully they'll be done - and working - in time for the application). (To add to the engineering area, next year I'm going to work on starting an engineering club at my school to help students pool resources, information and aid for individual engineering projects. ...But that's kind of a work-in-progress.)

Oh, and to add to this already wide variety of things, I have a very intense interest in political science and political philosophy. Again, most of my interest in that area is concentrated in reading on my own time - so its a bit difficult to 'show' that in my application. The few tangible examples I can use are that 1.) this year I went to South Carolina Boy's State, 2.) I will (most likely) be going to the three week Junior Statesmen of America program in DC (the program is competitive entry by application - but still costs a good bit), where I will, among other things, take a summer course in AP US Government. And 3.) next year, a friend and I are going to start a sort of pseudo-debate/politics club to discuss political issues and encourage political activism at our school.
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<p>That about sums it up. It just feels like all of the stuff I'm interested in is disconnected (which it is). But I'm afraid that it'll <em>look</em> like I just went out and did a bunch of random stuff and that I'm not very interested in any of it. When, in truth, it is a bunch of random stuff, but I really love and am passionate about all of it. Again, don't know how to 'show' that in my application.</p>

<p>I'd really appreciate any suggestions, advice, comments, etc... Anything would be helpful.</p>

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<p>Also, I don’t know if it matters at all, but here are my scores and classes. Hopefully, it will make giving advice or comments and will help to make some of the other information I gave more relevant. If not… just ignore it.</p>

<p>Oh, and thanks again in advance to anyone who helps. I realize that’s a lot of stuff to read, so don’t necessarily read all of it. Just any comments or advice would be helpful.</p>

<p>Scores/Grades:
GPA (unweighted - 4.0 scale): 4.000
GPA (weighter - SC UGS): 4.946
Class Rank: 11 out of 349
SAT I Critical Reading: 650 (waiting for June scores; should be able to pull up to high 700’s)
SAT I Math: 770
SAT I Writing: 790
SAT II Chemistry: 750
SAT II Physics: not yet taken
SAT II Math II: not yet taken</p>

<p>Classes:
– Grades 09 through 10
the basics (all required classes - all honors, if available)
only class worth noting: PLTW - Introduction to Engineering and Design (taken Freshman year)
– Grade 11:
Chemistry AP: 97 (AP Exam scores not back yet)
US History AP: 97 (AP Exam scores not back yet)
the basics: (Latin 3 Honors, English 4 Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors)
Computer Integrated Manufacturing Honors (a Project Lead the Way engineering course): 99
– Grade 12:
AP BC Calculus (highest math offered at school)
AP Physics
AP English or AP Biology (can’t decide which right now)
PLTW- Engineering Design and Development Honors
Government and Economics Honors </p>

<p>(My senior year schedule isn’t entirely set in stone. I might replace the Gov&Econ class with something else if I get credit for it over the summer - so I’m not 100% sure. But that’s the overall “jist” of my schedule next year.)</p>

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<p>52 THINGS NOT TO DO IF YOU WANT TO BE ADMITTED TO MIT:</p>

<p>[MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: ““I’ve Got 99 Problems… Admissions Is Not One””](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/ive_got_99_problems_admissions.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/ive_got_99_problems_admissions.shtml)</p>

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<p>You seem like a solid applicant. Make sure to get good scores on the remaining SAT II’s. Work very hard on your essays. You seem to fall in the type of applicant who has to write a good essay to explain all this stuff to MIT. Writing a good essay is very hard (the vast majority of people suck at writing personal essays), so think about it carefully.</p>

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<p>Goofy is good =D. (I’m referring to the award.)</p>

<p>Seriously, tons of awesome-scorers are turned away from MIT. MIT wants to see your capability - and then the rest (recommendations, activities, etc) are what makes you awesome and why you should be in. Your scores are fine. Do other things.</p>

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<p>Does your school have a Junior Statesmen of America club? It’s the same people who run the summer program in DC that you’re going to. It’s basically what you said that you and your friend want to start (the pseudo-debate politics club), except there are three annual conferences that you can go to, so it’s really organized.</p>

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<p>Don’t worry if you don’t fit into a category, or that your interests are ‘too broad’. Stop it. Now!</p>

<p>But seriously, you sound like an interesting kid with a lot of passions, and that’s totally fine. You might want to read [MIT</a> Admissions: The Match Between You And MIT](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/the_match_between_you_and_mit/index.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/the_match_between_you_and_mit/index.shtml) for some more information, but you definitely have the scores that show that you can handle the work, and above that, all you really need to do is show the adcom that you belong at MIT. And the way to do that is by being honest and talking about your passions, because that’s what they’re looking for - <em>not</em> necessarily a kid that fits into any of the molds that you’ve stated.</p>

<p>If you’re looking for an awesome activity, you might try to join a FIRST robotics team - it starts in January so it’s too late to put on your application if you’re applying early but it is way fun and totally worth it :slight_smile: Good luck! I’m sure that if you write honestly about yourself, your passion will more than come through in your essays and in your teacher recs.</p>

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<p>I don’t understand the problem. Fill out the application. Be honest. Cut out this “why type of person should I cast myself as?” crap, it’s a good way to not get admitted anywhere.</p>

9

<p>I’m going to guess here, because you sound a little bit like my son…</p>

<p>The way I would tie together your interests, the political philosophy, the interest in activism, the Astronomy, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical (Weapons) Engineering, Nanotechnology, and Bio-neuro-technology, is that these are all things that will affect the future a lot. So I think maybe you have a passion for understanding where society is going, and how we are going to get there?</p>

<p>One thing you might do with all the books and articles you’ve devoured is make a list of everything you’ve read, and look it over and think about what you’ve most liked learning. That might help focus you, although wide interests are wonderful. Maybe you’re just a big picture kind of guy.</p>

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Or, on the off chance you do get in, it’s a good way to get somewhere you’ll hate. (Seriously, be yourself on apps - they should admit you because you’ll thrive there. Pretending to be someone else = bad.)</p>

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<p>I really didn’t mean to come off the wrong way and make it sound as if I were trying to fit a mould. Changing the basis of <em>who</em> I’m presenting in my application is certainly not what I would want to do (after all, I can probably write an application for myself better than I can for someone I don’t really know). What I was really trying to express my concern about is that I know MIT looks for depth not breadth (which is wonderful), but since my interests and pursuits are rather broad, I don’t want it to appear as if those interests are also shallow. (And I know that you show this by doing things - It’s just, the things I’ve done are somewhat spread out and not concentrated in only one or two areas). Sorry again if my earlier post came out the wrong way. I didn’t mean to sound like I intend on being anything but completely honest in my application.</p>

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<p>@PatCS – You’re stressing over misplaced assumptions about what MIT is looking for. You say, “I know MIT looks for depth not breadth..” This isn’t necessarily the case. I heard a MIT admissions officer say once that “some of our admits are well rounded, and some of our admits are very pointy.” You can be well rounded, pursuing a wide range of real interests, and gain admission to any top school, including MIT. </p>

<p>Writing the essay is not meant to be easy. Thinking about who you are and finding a way to express your ideas is always a challenge. No one on this board can help you do this. This you should do on your own. Turn to others for some feedback on essay drafts, or for some proofreading, but make this YOUR project. If you truly are of MIT caliber, then there will be a teacher or two at your high school who will welcome the opportunity to read over your essay drafts in the fall and give you some feedback. Don’t seek feedback on your writing from strangers on a message board: They do not know who you are. </p>

<p>Writing will take time. It’s a great idea to start early in the summer. At my daughter’s high school, the senior English teachers assign an essay “describing your interests and passions” over the summer, and when students arrive in the fall, these essays are stapled up on the wall for everyone to read. The first drafts are always rather disappointing, because many students simply use the essay to describe a long list of activities and achievements. In a way, you also did that in your initial posts, when you listed your “stats”. It’s the ultimate fallback when the writer is not yet clear about what he wants to say.</p>

<p>Start thinking about your own experience, and start writing. Do not repeat anything in your essay that someone can find elsewhere in your application. The essay is a great place to tell a story, a story that illustrates something about who you have become during the last few years.</p>

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<p>Hey Pat. I had the -exactly- same dilemna as you all four years of my high school career. There wasn’t really anything that I could emphasize as something that stood out about me, and I was never sure what aspect of myself I should talk about in my essays and personal reflections.</p>

<p>However, you can easily use this to your advantage by emphasize how broad of a range you have. Your openmindedness to new ideas. Your ability to adapt, learn, and develop. Your ability to manage your time well to balance the many exciting aspects of your life. I used my multifaceted personality as the topic of one of my college essays (feel free to PM me if you’d like to see it), and I believe it was quite successful!</p>

<p>Best of luck! It surprises me to realize that only 8 months ago I was in your exact same position, worrying about college apps, haha =)</p>