So I am a junior right now and will be applying to MIT this upcoming fall. I was wondering if people had tips for the application process. I also have specific questions such as should I visit before applying? If I should visit then what kind of things should I be looking out for during my visit. How much time should I expect to put into this application? When should I start writing my essays, and what parts of the application should I do over the summer, and what parts should I do during the school year? Should I apply Early or Regular? I am thinking about applying early, so I can get a decision asap, but I am not sure. I already took the old SAT and I did fairly well, but I have to take the subject tests, and I am considering taking the ACT and the new sat. When would be the best times to take them? How much time would it be ideal to put into preparing for these tests? What other things should I be doing just to make the application process run smoothly? Any tips you guys have would be extremely helpful. Also, any overall tips on applying to college would be great as well.
@chesspusher First off, I encourage you to relax. You are asking so many questions; some of them can be answered by looking online or elsewhere on CC, and some can be answered later. But here are my thoughts:
Visiting MIT beforehand is definitely a good idea if you are able to, but you don’t have to. Lots of things to look for - student culture, classes, laboratories, hacks, beavers, weird stuff in Stata, etc.
The application itself wasn’t a huge time commitment. But remember to ask for letters of recommendation well in advance.
The MIT application doesn’t come out until some time in the fall (idr when).
When you’re ready…?
As long as you stay on top of everything that the application asks you to do (e.g. submitting test scores, transcripts, LORs, interview, if applicable), you should be fine.
MIT has in the past deferred a good number of EA candidates, as apposed to rejecting them outright in December. So applying EA does not guarantee an answer, and in fact the most likely scenario is getting deferred and waiting until March for a decision with everyone else who has had more time to prepare their essays more carefully, perhaps, given they had two more months to work on the application.The acceptance rate for EA is about the same at RD, and international students may now apply EA so its not a huge difference either way, except for one factor, your application may get read more times IF you are deferred after applying EA. The EA applicant pool is slightly stronger than the RD applicant pool, for most colleges. I have no data to say thats the case for MIT, but its likely that
students who apply early are a little stronger than the RD applicants.
If MIT really is one of your top choices, apply EA and state that it is your top choice college and why you want to go there. Visiting campus will give you more to write about, you will learn more,and that may be helpful if you can afford a trip before you are admitted. If you cannot, do not sweat it, read the blogs and website and ask MIT students your questions and you will get a good idea about the campus, curriculums and opportunities.
After I was deferred, for my February update I wrote an essay explaining when and how I knew that MIT was the perfect school for me. I used very specific examples from my visit. Also, there’s a section in the application that is meant for anything that you’d like to add, that without that information, your application wouldn’t be complete, that’s another place you might consider putting it.
So, I don’t think that the MIT adcom is worried that you’ll matriculate, if accepted. Same goes for HYPS, which also have yields hovering around 70-80%.
MIT could just add a box to check if MIT is your first choice. And if it isn’t, just don’t bother to apply. That would really cut down the numbers of applications!!!
Coloradomama, This is incorrect “The acceptance rate for EA is about the same at RD…” The admission rate for EA is higher-and I can’t remember by how much but I recall it being considerably so-But you have to calculate it by considering the % of students who applied EA and eventually were admitted-often after being deferred and then admitted during the regular process. So that extra time for RA does not work against the EA at all. The EA do have a greater chance of being admitted but many are admitted after being deferred.