<p>I will be a freshman in the upcoming year at Rutgers University. I will be majoring in computer science. I slacked really hard in high school and didn't take it seriously. However, I learned my lesson and now regret it big time. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get into MIT grad school? What would I have to do to get in? Like some details would be good. Thank you! </p>
<p>Apple: presume an MIT grad school admissions official were to look at your inquiry. What do you think would be some basic questions she would want to know about you?</p>
<p>How about: why did you choose your major ? Why? How successful were you? What are your plans with your MS or PhD after MIT? What research have you done? Do you see yourself as a Univ instructor? What other schools are in investigating. What about MIT’s Department of CS is so attractive to you? Are you familiar with the work of Professors in our CS department? With what other universities’ professors in this field are you familiar? What are the top 5 graduate schools in CS? Why not them?</p>
<p>Apple: get to campus, graduate with honors, then revisit the question. Your ink’s not even dry on your diploma yet. One step at a time. One semester at a time. This name-chasing at this stage is akin to your 8 year old cousin telling you he’s going to get into Harvard and “do whatever it takes”</p>
<p>I’m not trying to sink your ship but really, to keep you from sounding naive. Be confident, nothing wrong with that. But saying you’re directing yourself to MIT when you’ve only been a middling HS student makes you sound out of touch w/reality. </p>
<p>I hope you hit the home run and get there. But don’t go talking about it now. You’ll sound nuts or immature or naive.</p>