MIT and the admissions process

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Hey everyone, I am a junior in a small catholic high school in New Jersey, and ever since I was 5 I have wanted to become an engineering and invent the machines of tomorrow. I have been going on a lot of college trips lately, and I have many more to go, but over the weekend I saw MIT for the first time. Obviously I have heard of the infamous school where masterminds go and the internet was invented, but I never thought that I could go to such a school. That all changed when I visited the campus.
For one thing, the school itself is magnificently insane when it comes to architecture. Half of the structures are very formal contemporary buildings; they all seem to scream academics and excellence at the ongoing commute. The other half are buildings that happen to be 30-60-90 triangles, buildings devoid of right angles, buildings representing other buildings on campus fallen over. Its insanely fascinating for me because that is how my mind works. Half of my mind is focussed on studies and getting into college while the other half is video games, crazy ideas, Netflix, and love. I related to the campus and the buildings itself on so many levels, which was something that I had not felt in any of my other college visits.
Before visiting MIT, my heart was set for Georgia tech. It has all the majors I am considering and is ranked amazingly on us news and world report. I also love the fact that the US olympics were held there in '96, which inspires the varsity swimmer in me. I have the grades and SAT scores to get in, and it seems like a great fit to me. Sorry GA tech, you will now be number 2 in my heart. MIT is in boston, so it naturally has an amazing crew team, another sport which I love. The D3 swim team is nice to have, because I would love to swim in college but doubt I could swim for D1. The facilities, the people, the overall persona of Cambridge and MIT just gave me a feeling of wonder and anticipation for the upcoming admissions process.
What I noticed about myself in MIT compared to other Ivy league and accredited universities was the feeling of being at home. I went to Columbia, Harvard, Upenn, and Princeton and I loved them all, but I couldn’t imagine living or studying there. Naturally, all those schools are amazing in their own way, but I didn’t connect with them. I am a wholehearted believer of destiny. I believe that there is one girl/boy etc. one school, one job that is perfect for you, and if you work hard enough, everything will work out in a very “How I met your mother” manner, where everything is connected, leading to that wonderful climax of achieving your goals. When I walked into MIT, sat down for the information session, and listened to the obviously overworked tour guide, I felt like I had known this place my whole life.
I do not know why I am writing this. To be honest I probably should go to sleep. For some reason I just started writing. I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy for thinking I could get into a school as prestigious as MIT. Maybe I will get some harsh criticism from angry people on the internet about how I will never get into MIT. But for some reason, I am drawn to this school, drawn to their mission of teaching and using that knowledge to make things that will change the world. I am drawn to the latin, mens et manus, mind and hand, learning and making, thinking and changing the world. All I know for sure is that this is the one school for me, and I will do everything in my power to get in and change the world.

If you had a similar sensation when visiting any school, I urge you to apply, because that school may end up being the best decision you ever made. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.

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“Obviously I have heard of the infamous school where masterminds go and the internet was invented,”

The Internet was not actually invented at MIT. There were multiple MIT graduates who worked on it in the early days, as well as multiple folks who had graduated from other schools.

Apply to MIT, but have a plan B, and a plan C, and …

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You seem bright and quirky, and it is possible that you and MIT would be a good match. The only certainty is that you have a 0% chance if you don’t apply.

A word of advice. Stay focused on your application, and avoid rambling or overloading your application with TMI. The MIT essays are short answer (100-250 words each), so work on expressing who you are briefly. The old prompts are readily available online through the MIT Admissions office and blogs. There are also some old CC threads with useful application advice from current and former MIT Admissions staff.

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Renaissance Dad gives good advice. Your title is “MIT and the Admissions Process”, yet your OP is a rambling post about how much you liked the campus, and nothing about the admissions process. You’ll need to be much more “to the point” in your essays.

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thanks for the help guys I will work on that

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@kshaunishSoni Glad you liked MIT, but I think you might want to take a deep breath and back off a bit on your travel plans. You wrote: “I have been going on a lot of college trips lately, and I have many more to go.” I’d suggest you cut back quite a bit on your visits. It is spring, and love at first sight seems to apply to colleges as well as romantic partners, but try not to set yourself up for disappointment. I know that you believe you “…have the grades and SAT scores to get in” but thousands of kids a year apply who could also say that and are rejected. Great GPA and SAT scores only come close to guaranteeing admission to MIT if you also are an RSI alum with a stellar recommendation from your mentor, and even then, its not 100%

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I can completely relate to you. I am applying for the class of 2022, and I fell in love during a college trip that I got for my 17th birthday. I, too, fell in love with the campus and I look forward to seeing your there. Mens et manus.

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It’s great to have an idea of what you want but please give other schools a chance too. I don’t believe that there is only that one good fit. MIT is a great goal to have and I encourage you to apply because you will always strike out if you don’t swing but it is extremely selective and will turn away qualified applicants. That is just the reality. Good luck and I wish you all the best.

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@kshawnishSoni A few contrasts about MIT and GT: GT will admit about 25% of applicants MIT about 2-7% depending on your race, gender and if your parents attended college. If your parents did not attend college, you are a female student of color, MIT could be within reach, if your scores, grades, and summer activities align with what MIT looks for. If you are male, its going to be very very tough. There are simply way more boys that want to attend MIT than there are seats. MIT is 47% women in the undergraduate classes today.

With GT, you must, I cannot emphasize this enough, apply by Oct 15 as an OOS student. The 25% admitted rate is misleading because Georgia students, will get admitted with lower test scores than you can as a New Jersey student.

We know girls that were waitlisted at GT with ACT of 36 and lots of boys get rejected at GT if they are out of state and apply regular decision.

Show interest in both schools and hone your writing skills.

GT and MIT have similar curriculum and opportunities for engineering majors. MIT is better for social sciences, business, economics, and all humanities electives, but GT is still strong in all of that.

I think GT’s co op program is better than MIT’s lately, as MIT students tend to go abroad a little too much and do not focus quite as much on job skill building in the summers. GT has one of the best engineering co op programs in the nation, and that Olympic swimming pool is really wonderful ! Rock climbing, kayaking and biking are phenomenal in Georgia. Atlanta is a thriving city with attractive places to go out and the weather is fantastic, for the nine months you will attend. Four seasons but mild and pleasant.

Cambridge is cold and miserable. I don’t know that Cambridge is as fun as it seems, given the long hard winters.
MIT’s buildings are all connected together for a reason: New England winters are long and miserable.

GT has more spirit, and a lot more clubs as its much bigger than MIT. The one flaw I see at GT is registration is a bear. It is a large public school, but focuses well on undergraduates and has a lot of requirements to get an engineering degree. MIT offers slightly more balance and requires a strong science core of chemistry, biology, math and physics. GT is much lighter on the core and very heavy on in major requirements.

At GT, many mechanical engineering students and biomedical and chemical engineers at GT take 4.5 or five years to graduate, so take that into account. If you change majors at GT, it will take an extra semester, unless you have a full year of IB/AP credits. Most MIT students, who are careful can finish a degree in four years, with or without credits
as the total number of classes to get an MIT degree is a little bit less than Georgia Tech requires.

Hope that helps.

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Check out GT’s crew team:
http://www.gtcrew.com/

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@Coloradomama

There was a urm girl mentioned on cc this year with a 36 who was rejected, it is tough no matter what.