<p>Do they just go through the (early) applications in the order they were received, admitting-deferring-rejecting one at a time? Or do they look at all of them and then go back and make decisions? </p>
<p>More something I'm curious about for universities in general, but I figured I'd ask here since this is one of two (other is UChicago) schools I'm applying to early.</p>
<p>I would be amazed if they looked at all of them in one go, and then went through all of them again, because then they would be remembering about 15000 applications at a time. </p>
<p>[MIT</a> Admissions: The Selection Process: Application Reading, Committee, And Decisions](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/)</p>
<p>There is a post which talks more about their process, but I can’t find it right now.</p>
<p>Each application is sent out as it’s completed to a reader, who reads it, summarizes it, and passes it on. It’s read by several people during the reading period, which extends from approximately now until early December.</p>
<p>At some point in early December, the readers will get together and select applications, at which point they’ll discuss each applicant again and decide whether he/she should be admitted. As soon as is humanly possible after selection is completed, decisions are released.</p>
<p>so the reading process is done after the application is completed but all decisions are made at the same time? So there’s no disadvantage to those sending scores from the November SAT since at the end they will all be evaluated at the same time?</p>
<p>So is it simply sent to a random first reader, and then sent in a sort of circle around to other readers? Or does it work in a sort of hierarchy, with a regional reader, etc.?</p>
<p>Basically, does every reader see every app? Because that seems…intense.</p>
<p>
Correct. If you send November SAT scores, your application will be held until the scores come in, and the readers will just read other applications in the meantime. But there’s no advantage to being read first or last, because selection will be held for everybody at the same time.</p>
<p>
I don’t think there’s a real structure to the first reader – it’s definitely not regional, or organized by any feature of the applicants. I think the more senior admissions staff tend to be the first readers, though.</p>
<p>The admissions office says each application is read by about 12 people from start to finish, but AFAIK there are many more readers than 12. So not every reader sees every application.</p>
<p>I spent about five minutes staring at “AFAIK” trying to remember what common phrasing might fit that letter combination before I got it.</p>
<p>so, Mollie, AFAYK, (or anyone else), how many admissions staff exactly does MIT have? I’ve been curious for quite a while (or rather, I’ve been curious ever since I realized that there are more admissions staff than those that post on blogs). :P</p>
<p>According to the MIT offices listing, twenty. :)</p>
<p>Do any MIT professors and students assist in decisions? I know they do that in a lot of places, but it tends to be more consistent and fair when applications are just read by admissions staff.</p>
<p>faculty is involved in the admissions process. I know an ECE professor at MIT who says he does read some apps :)</p>
<p>oh it also says so on the MIT website admissions process</p>
<p>if this is how the process really works, then it seems really fair. I totally agree that when undergrad students sit on the committee the decisions are less consistent…and i think that happens at Yale and some ivies.
But of course, MIT >>>>>>>>>> other colleges</p>
<p>AFAIK, there are no students involved in the applications reading process. However,
there are three undergraduate student representatives and one graduate student representative on the Institute’s Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid. This is the standing committee of the MIT faculty responsible for formulating and
reviewing policies on admission of almost all undergraduate students, including college transfers, and on financial aid to students, including undergraduate scholarships, loans, and student employment. The committee also exercises prior review of MIT publications and formal releases directed toward prospective undergraduate students.</p>
<p>In addition to the four student reps, there are six elected faculty members, the Dean for Undergraduate Education, the Dean of Admissions, the Executive Director of Student Financial Services, and one member designated by the Dean for Undergraduate Education.</p>
<p>So at MIT, there are student reps involved in setting the POLICY for admissions (what the admissions office should be looking for) but no reps involved in individual admissions decisions.</p>
<p>@fireshark
I think this is the entry you were looking for:
[MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “Reading folders”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/reading_folders.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/reading_folders.shtml)</p>
<p>btw, is your name from how to kill a mockingbird flash vid? just curious :p</p>
<p>my name? no, I was trying to think of a free username for a web hosting site 7 years ago, and I ended up using it. I’ve switched username since, but it seems like this vBulletin doesn’t support switching usernames.</p>
<p>what TKAM flash vid?</p>