<p>The deadline is as soon as you can get your forms in.</p>
<p>The will start selection for RD around Valentine’s Day, so it’s good to get your secondary school reports in as soon as you can. But if your semester ends late, that’s fine – MIT does this every year, and they’re used to the different schedules different schools are on.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>What if it ends really late… my mid-year exam’s result will only be out in Mid-march…</p>
<p>@Mollie Batmit: What percentage of RD applicants (ignoring the deffered) get in? Just curious.</p>
<p>
That will be after decisions have already been made – MIT typically releases decisions around Pi Day, March 14. If your mid-year report won’t be available at that time, it might be best to have your counselor send any possible progress report available at the end of January.</p>
<p>
Well, there’s not a standard number – it fluctuates every year. </p>
<p>Last year it was 7%, as 1057 students were admitted RD, minus 299 deferred EA applicants who were admitted RD, from a total of 10981 pure RD applications. US citizens applying RD were admitted at a rate of 8.7%, and international students were admitted at a rate of 3.3%.</p>
<p>All of these rates can be calculated using the admissions statistics available at the MIT admissions webpage.</p>
<p>(And, just for the record, my username would be more accurately parsed MollieB @ MIT. :))</p>
<p>I was deferred from Early Action, so I shall have to wait for Regular Decision date to receive my … decision. </p>
<p>molliebatmit, the statistic about US Citizens … does that also include US Permanent Residents?</p>
<p>does anyone know the acceptance rate for those who get deffered? Will the committee look at the applications with a little extra ‘care’ because it’s been through the EA process…so maybe “…oh lookie here, this person applied early, he/she must really want MIT, so let’s check it out more carefully…?”</p>
<p>
Yup, citizens/permanent residents.</p>
<p>
Those numbers are also at the [statistics</a> page](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/admissions_statistics/index.shtml]statistics”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/admissions_statistics/index.shtml), and I know you guys are good enough at math to crunch the numbers. Again, I will emphasize that these are last year’s numbers, and are not evidence of any sort of hard quota.</p>
<p>I like to be very optimistic with my number-crunching. So the way I see it, 17% of all EA applicants get in either EA or RA, not including those who eventually get in off the waitlist.</p>
<p>@At molliebatmit: Sorry! For some reason, I thought your last name was Batmit ._. (which is a totally cool last name btw).
I apologize!</p>
<p>Also…is it tactically more advantageous to apply EA?!?</p>
<p>The lowercase throws everybody off. :)</p>
<p>The EA admit rate is not higher because of applying EA per se; it’s higher because the EA applicant pool is stronger than the RD pool.</p>
<p>I have a dilemma, guys. I’ve fallen madly in love with MIT. This does not bode well.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: The following is a self-indulgent vent written primarily for my own benefit. No one is obligated to read my rambling pondering prose.</p>
<p>It’s just that soul-searching made me realize, dangit, I love Computer Science. I do. I can’t deny it anymore. I originally turned away from it because, as I lead myself to believe, I’m “not good at math.” You know what led me to believe that? The SATs. Yeah. Stupid standardized tests made me think that I’m bad at math, just because I don’t do it relatively well in rushed time constraints. (SAT I M - 720, SAT II M2 - 760).
I’ve never struggled in math classes-- in fact, I frequently got 100’s on every HW, test, and exam, considered it easy and interesting, and was the one to explain the concepts to classmates after the lesson. Before the SATs, Math was actually my favorite because it was so “straightforward.” Yet, somehow, as standardized testing came to come and pass, I slowly convinced myself that I was slow, bumbling, and overall mathematically poor.
Now, given, compared to most competitive MIT/Ivy/etc applicants, I am relatively less math-gifted. Poor, even. Nor is raw, fundamental mathematical formulas and algorithms something that I’m especially passionate for. Calculus does not, in fact, send exhilarated tingles through my body. But you know what does? Computer science. Programming. Making things come alive by the magic of some many lines of code. It makes me unbelievably giddy just thinking about it.
Not really just programming in general, I admit. I love games. I love making games. Every single one of my career plans before my most recent was based on dreams of working in the video game industry. Yeah, not the most “respectable” aspiration in the eyes of the general public, but dangit, I would die to work on video games. I love the industry, I love the process, I love the art, I love the mechanics. Playing them is ok, but actually doesn’t interest me that much anymore. I love the behind-the-scenes realm of video games. I hope that the relative lack of females in that industry may help me break into it, hahaha.
In fact, almost every one of my extracurriculars is related to that, too. I do art/illustration/design and game-making for fun and profit. In fact, I’m on a professional contract making small web/computer games for a music education company. I took classes in Computer Science at Harvard’s SSP and excelled, placing at the top of the class, despite not having taken the prerequisite level of math. I loved it. It was the most difficult, challenging class I’d ever taken, but I loved it.
Enough of that, though. Why MIT, specifically? Well, obviously, they’re the best Comp Sci school around, but that’s not enough to make me “love” it. The thing is, I loved everything about MIT beforehand, but felt like it wasn’t really suited for my “academic interests,” so I didn’t let myself get carried away in adoration of the school. It’s actually the only place I’ve visited besides Harvard, because while I was in SSP, I had a friend in MIT’s WTP. So, I got a tour of the premises. It’s architecture already spoke to me about the school’s attitude, philosophy. I loved it. Modern. Creative. Interesting! Breaking away from those boring, traditional brick-and-vines-and-marble-inside buildings I find so bland. Who couldn’t love a school who had giant blackboards on the walls of a building’s interior to draw or write on?! Seriously!? And the blue lights on the sidewalk! How awesome! And the colors! And the twisty stairs! Just… Everything! It’s been almost two years, but it’s stuck with me since. The viewbook I got one day didn’t help-- it was packed with all sorts of creative-looking design and down-to-earth language. Ugh. MIT is just so wonderful. I’ve read the blogs, too. They had one thing with a visiting orchestra playing game music-- not just vanilla, widely-known titles like Zelda or Mario-- they had Silent Hill. Silent Hill! Pretty much the most amazing wonderful awesome deep psychological game series (before the franchise got changed to a new developer, at least) ever! Insert screams of excitement and wonder and amazement and giddiness here, please.
But, anyway… Just… I love MIT’s philosophy, its attitude, its creativity, its everything. I love the colorful (undergrad one, specifically) and well-designed website, the interesting blogs, and the eloquent but down-to-earth and humorous tone of its PR writing. MIT is exactly the kind of place I would love to be.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, though, its one of the places I’m most pessimistic about getting into–hence the “does not bode well” comment. Because I’ve pretty much been thinking I’ll go into public health and medicine-- simply for theoretical interest in the ideas behind them, rather than real passion for the subjects-- I pretty much put myself down as the typical pre-med/bio female applicant, which is certainly not a niche the committee will be struggling to fill. I did write about comp sci and games in some of my short answers, as well as my EC experience, but I pretty firmly expressed that I’d changed my mind to the bio and public health path, the latter of which will probably not make me look very “fit” to MIT, which is more about hard sciences, comma comma comma. I don’t feel it would look very good to suddenly send in a notice of changing my intended major, either, as I wrote my main essay on the background behind being compelled to pursue that health-related path (background which I do not regret writing on, as it regardless had a larger impact on me than anything else I’ve experienced.). Also, because I’ve had a different math teacher every year, I had to use my science teacher for that recommendation… Who is a great guy, and respects/trusts me a lot, but, as much as I adore him, I do know he’s a bit of a lazy kind of guy. He put off writing and sending it until the deadline, and honestly, I’m not convinced that he’s the type to put a lot of effort into a rec. I feel bad saying that, as I certainly don’t mean to slight him, but that’s what four years of learning under him has told me about his personality. Great guy. But, vocal advocate of do-the-minimum-you-can-get-away-with. (Kind of unusual for teachers, but that’s Mr. P for you.)</p>
<p>Gah. I wish I had realized what I really wanted earlier. Boo.</p>
<p>There ends my self-indulgent venting. I apologize if it was slightly off-topic from where this thread seemed to go-- originally just a 2014 RD applicants thread, it looks like it mostly turned into a place for people to ask the (awesome) MIT representatives questions. I decided to use it for its founding purpose anyway, haha. I’d love to hear the stories of how other people fell in love with MIT, though (whether applicants or alumni!).</p>
<p>Summary of wall of text: MIT is awesome, boo hoo, why didn’t I realize that earlier, crap, I’m probably gettin’ reject’d, boo hoo, I promised myself I wouldn’t fall in love with a reach school daggummit! Daggummit, Self! You’ll pay for this!</p>
<p>Prussia, computer science <em>isn’t</em> programming/writing code; that’s an ancillary tool. Computer science is the application of (primarily discrete) mathematics and quantitative analysis to develop algorithmic solutions to a wide array of problems. I think it’s important to recognize this before considering a CS major anywhere, but especially at a school like MIT.</p>
<p>@Prussia!</p>
<p>Hey… good to see you here :)</p>
<p>@zenkoan: I don’t know much about CS, but I guess it’s probably similar to physics: Someone crazy at math may not excel in physics, and anyone without math can never be an okay physics learner (I doubt this person can ever graduate from the physics department).
But I didn’t mean that a student good at physics is definitely excellent at math (I am an example :D)</p>
<p>@Prussia!: I truly admire you and your passion 
Posting something in this forum and thus, making it worldwide public, especially when it is something very personal and delicate, is an act of bravery.
I don’t have anything to blame you for your decision. Sometimes people make mistakes; but you know what, sometimes “mistakes” actually are not mistakes. It’s just about when you really realize the final impact of your decision in your life. I think if you had claimed CS as your future major in your MIT application, you may never realize how much you love it as you do right now (it’s not “final impact” of course, but it’s still an impact anyway :D). My point is: there is possibility that in the end, such decision turns out to be the best one you’ve ever made. So be confident; life still gives you chances :)</p>
<p>Ah, well I know that, actually. To an extent, at least. But, while I mostly talked about programming, I actually am interested in the other parts, too. Yeah, raw math doesn’t “send tingles up my spine,” but I do still like it. I’ve actually already had a taste of the non-programming side in the second, more advanced of the comp sci classes I took. I still enjoyed it.</p>
<p>Haha, thanks 12npm12! I don’t really consider it that much of an act of bravery, myself, just because I enjoyed writing it and am not generally self-conscious enough to nail-bite before about posting it.
Thanks for the encouragement That’s all very true! Words of wisdom, haha.</p>
<p>And hi, sarbara!</p>
<p>Prussia: You should try getting into making games. It’s a great way to learn programming/computer science/math/physics all at the same time! Check out my site, I make computer games as a hobby: [url=<a href=“http://nikki93.github.com/]Home[/url”>http://nikki93.github.com/]Home[/url</a>]</p>
<p>:D</p>
<p>Ok wait, change that too. “Prussia: Nice to hear you like making games. It’s a…”. :P</p>
<p>LOL 10char</p>
<p>@Prussia, do we repeat what we did with Stanford ;)</p>
<p>We have 2 months :D</p>
<p>Awesome, nikki. I actually have already seen your site, because of some earlier post you made. It’s a cool project. I’m curious; was Valve’s Portal part of the inspiration for the project? The lab themes and art style remind me of it somewhat. Which is cool! Portal is such a brilliant game. (The cake is a lie, etc.)</p>
<p>You know what’s funny, too? My name is actually Niki. Hahaha. (But mine is short for Nicole!)
So far my games have really only been small, simple projects, mostly because of school and the fact that I’ve been producing them for a job. I’ve been collecting lots of thoughts and plans for a big personal project, though. I actually intend to take a gap year after high school, and aside from the main reasons behind that, I’d like to self-teach a lot more programming knowledge to expand my abilities and make something really cool. Likely, multiple somethings.</p>
<p>Hahaha sarbara, like what? Make a super mega jumbo thread?! That’d be kind of tough with the smaller number of participants here, hahaha.</p>
<p>Nah well, Portal wasn’t an inspiration. I guess it’s just a coincidence. I was messing around making some temporary textures to get the game working with. Seems tile’s were easy (just some noise, darken around the edges, normal/height map).</p>
<p>Actually one big inspiration was a game called ‘Dim’, for the ‘dimension switching’ tuff. You should check it out, it’s a cute little game (for Windows, but works fine in Wine if you’re on Linux), along with some of his other games (Jumper, Jumper 2 especially - I learnt a lot from the Jumper 2 source):- [Matt</a> Makes Games](<a href=“http://mattmakesgames.com/games.php]Matt”>http://mattmakesgames.com/games.php)</p>
<p>Haha, Niki eh? 
Well my parents/grandparents began calling me ‘nikki’ after my real name (‘Nikhilesh’). The first username I got for myself was ‘gameover’ on some forum, but then I decided to switch to ‘nikki’ soon. :)</p>
<p>Cool, do get into doing some projects on your own! It’s very satisfying seeing your game work, and watching/hearing from others that play it. Do something involving some graphics programming and physics, teaches a lot.</p>
<p>Most importantly: Have fun! :D</p>