<p>After reading this (<a href="http://mitadmissions.org/apply/process/match">http://mitadmissions.org/apply/process/match</a>), I'm wondering whether admissions is actually thinking about those criteria. Would an admissions officer really think "Jim seems like a strong applicant, but his app isn't strong on desire to improve the world or cooperative spirit"?</p>
<p>Yeah. </p>
<p>The thing that you have to understand is that the entire MIT education is built around these match characteristics. So take for example “cooperative spirit”. Most science and technology today is a team sport. If you enter (say) a high energy physics lab, there are some 15 people working together for a common goal. The education reflects this. From Freshman year, problem sets are drafted with the understanding that these will be worked on by groups of students. These groups are not assigned by the institute, they form more or less spontaneously. Yes, there is a fair amount of support for study groups, but they arise because students know how to collaborate, and wish to. Students who cannot do this will not be particularly happy and successful at MIT. So yes, a lack of cooperative and collaborative spirit really will count against you in the MIT admissions process. That being said, it does not really matter HOW you demonstrate a cooperative spirit.</p>
<p>I understand why, for example, you’d want students who can collaborate, but I don’t understand how anything is accomplished by selecting for students who have collaborated on something. I doubt there are enough applicants who don’t like to collaborate to make it a major criteria; I’d argue the same goes for wanting to make the world a better place. Especially since it’s never mentioned in the essay prompts or anything that you should like to collaborate; what if you had an experience that shows your collaborative spirit, but didn’t write about it, since you didn’t know it would help you significantly?</p>
<p>Then you chose to write about something else. Which is also fine. We really want to make sure that we don’t admit students who <em>can’t</em> collaborate (and we do get applicants who are like this sometimes), because no one is smart enough to make it through MIT on their own. </p>
<p>As an EC (interviewer), I can confirm that I always ask about these sorts of match type questions.</p>
<p>As a retired engineering manager, one’s collaborative and cooperative nature is a primary discriminator in whether I would consider hiring a person. As stated above, engineering is a team effort and someone who can’t function in such an environment won’t do well. So, whether it is applying to engineering school or joining the work force, it pays to develop such skills.</p>