<p>I've read a lot that the main thing on the MIT application, relating to the essays, is to be honest. However, I think that there's a fine line between this honesty and stupidity. </p>
<p>For example, one of the questions is "What do you do simply for the pleasure of it" or something along those lines. All the MIT advice I've read tells me to be completely honest on this part. However, wouldn't it be stupid to say something like "I like to watch TV shows etc. etc."?</p>
<p>So when they say be "completely honest", then I think they're assuming you'll be honest within a certain limit. I'm sure everyone enjoys watching TV shows - just don't put that down for the question. Put down something else you enjoy - but use your common sense.</p>
<p>I don’t see anything wrong with saying that you watch TV shows. It’s only a 100 words and you can totally put it in the context of who you are, what fascinates you about them.</p>
<p>I talked about drinking coffee. It’s the most honest, and perhaps the most mundane, answer possible, but I think it does capture a little bit of who I am. And hell, I had fun writing it.</p>
<p>TLDR – don’t think too hard about this question. and most certainly don’t put reading Wolfram MathWorld (unless that really is what you enjoy doing).</p>
<p>Every question on the application is a chance for you to explain who you are, and to differentiate yourself from other applicants. In that sense, you do want to aim for something true about yourself that is also interesting in some way. And if the activity itself is not necessarily interesting, then your task in the response is to make an argument for why it is interesting.</p>
<p>There have been, no doubt, successful responses to that question about watching TV. But the point of those responses has almost certainly not been only about watching TV.</p>
<p>Honesty also means not being someone you aren’t. Write down what you believe, and believe in what you write. As others have said, the point is to honest about who you are but to not choose something boring. You can be 100% honest without using the first answer that comes to your head.</p>
<p>For that question I actually put down that I spend my spare time just being with my friends. You can make anything interesting with good writing, so just write what you actually do in your spare time.
EDIT: For example, I was really specific with what we’d do. What shows we watched, what video games we played, how much we would laugh and why. Specifics are good.</p>
<p>I would (carefully!) choose one or two specific shows or maybe to be safer explain what type of shows, and why. Might make for an interesting read and much better than simply “I like to watch TV”</p>
<p>I wrote about how I enjoy writing. My friends suggested that I should write about some of my more “interesting” hobbies but this was the one I felt most passionate about. But obviously I can’t say for sure. I was told to be as honest as possible and to convey who I am, so I did just that. When you write about something that sounds cooler it just comes out as a dispassionate summary. If you REALLY enjoy T.V so much that you can write a godly essay in 100 words, why the hell not?</p>
<p>If your #1 for fun activity is really watching TV, then in my opinion it is best not to be honest. I am a current MIT student and I wrote mine about a sports activity. </p>
<p>I would not write this about watching TV shows. Try to pick something relatively unique but more importantly something where you can demonstrate passion. If you participate in any cool sports activities or something I would write about those. Convey excitement about the way you feel when you do the activity, describe the environment in which you do the activity and how it makes you feel, etc. Everything counts on the application and you can’t overlook this part.</p>