<p>Ya MIT will take into account your schooling system, ofcourse this has to be properly explained in the school-profile written by the counsellor or the principal. Don't worry.</p>
<p>From Matt's blog, here:</a>
[quote]
I get lots of questions along the lines of, "In my country/school, things work like this. [insert explanation of unique circumstance] Will MIT understand and take that into consideration?"</p>
<p>As professional admissions officers, we have a wide knowledge base and are pretty good at figuring out things we don't know from your application. Usually, we'll be aware of your situation and if we're not, we'll do some information gathering using the internet or the phone or email. The only way to be 100% sure, though, that we are completely knowledgeable of your situation is to tell us about it in your application.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Question: If I have a distinction or ability that is definitely important for the admissions people to know about, but isn't addressed anywhere in the application, is it something that should be worked into the essays? I'm sure the EC/interviewer would include what we talk about in his report. </p>
<p>It doesn't fit in with the main essay or the "something you made" one, and I know I could put it in the extra essay, but what if I have more than one thing that I want to address? Should the extra info essay include several completely different topics, or is it supposed to be a cohesive thought?</p>
<p>S had an Additional Information sheet where he listed other courses that he sent as a hard copy with other misc. parts of his application. It was important to him because he had a number of courses in one of his intended majors that was not a designated category on the MIT app. </p>
<p>No worries, folks -- S sent extra info via hard copy about particular courses or activities and it all worked out fine. Just don't bombard them with paper. And before someone asks about research papers...follow Matt's advice and write about what you got from the experience. MIT was actually the ONLY school where S did not send his research paper!</p>
<p>The additional information section isn't necessarily an essay -- it's just a spot for you to write anything you feel MIT's admissions officers need to know about you. So it certainly doesn't have to make up some cohesive whole.</p>
<p>And I agree with CountingDown that sending extra information via fax or postal mail is great if the online app doesn't give you enough space to say what needs to be said.</p>
<p>For extra information, do you mean that if there isn't enough info on the online app to list all 32 courses and grades I'll have taken, I should send it in separately, even though all of this info will be on the transcript?</p>
<p>I would not include a list of your courses in my category of "things that need to be said" -- fit the courses you can fit on the self-reported coursework form, but the admissions office will be able to figure out the rest from your transcript.</p>
<p>For the "something you created" essay, I'm assuming it doesn't have to be one particular thing, right? Like if you paint paintings, can you write about several of them and painting in general, or should it be about one in particular? I'm guessing the answer is that it doesn't matter.</p>
<p>Doesn't matter -- whatever works best for you.</p>
<p>What about writing a significant experience I have had in the past? I lived in India without my parents for two years from 3rd to 5th grade. Can I write about that in the "optional essay" section?
Or must I write about some experience I have had in high school only?</p>
<p>@ashwin
I'm sure that that would fit under the optional essay, since it asks for any additional information. I was just about to ask the same thing, though. Is it bad to focus on your past/history? Should you keep all of your essays on the 'present' you?</p>
<p>Did you learn something from your past/history? What have those past experiences done to shape the present and future you? That's what you might want to concentrate on in essays triggered by past events.</p>
<p>Side note: I know that it isn't a big deal to have 550 words or so on the main essay, but the other essays say 'x words or less.' I realize that they don't count the words, but forgive me for being so OCD. Does that mean that 550 words on the optional essays could bother the admissions people? Or 150 words when it says '100 or less?'</p>
<p>I think 150 words on the 100 word essays would bother them more than 550 words on the 500 word essays, since 50 words is a smaller percentage of 500.</p>
<p>For the 100 word essays, the point seems to be testing your ability to really condense your love for something into a small paragraph and taking out the fluff.</p>
<p>They're certainly not going to count words, and 10-15% more or less than the limits is probably not noticeable. 50% is noticeable, and I would really try to condense it to 115-120 words max. The admissions officers won't get "mad", but the word limit is purposeful, so try to stick to it.</p>
<p>"Did you learn something from your past/history? What have those past experiences done to shape the present and future you? That's what you might want to concentrate on in essays triggered by past events."</p>
<p>About my past essay. Wouldn't it be rather dull if I stated "I am more diverse because of this past experience . . ."
Wouldn't it be better if I just describe a day of my past that i remember vividly and let the adcoms infer whatever they want to infer? So I'm not sure how to say I "learned something from the past, blah blah blah. . . "
Anyone get what I mean?
It sort of follows the "showing is better than telling" concept</p>
<ul>
<li>I abuse quotation marks</li>
</ul>
<p>
[quote]
Wouldn't it be rather dull if I stated "I am more diverse because of this past experience . . ."
[/quote]
Yes, that would be rather dull.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wouldn't it be better if I just describe a day of my past that i remember vividly
[/quote]
Aren't there other alternatives besides just these two?</p>
<p>
[quote]
It sort of follows the "showing is better than telling" concept
[/quote]
Showing is better than telling, and offers more opportunity for demonstrating creativity. </p>
<p>
[quote]
let the adcoms infer whatever they want to infer
[/quote]
This might be a risky strategy. Remember, this is not a creative writing assignment, it is an opportunity for you to tell the adcom important things about yourself which will help them make a decision about your fit at MIT. There are ways to draw parallels and show how you have been shaped by your past without including cliched statements.</p>
<p>And if you don't feel you can make that work for you, send what you feel best about!</p>
<p>For the "something you created essay," I seem to focus a lot on how I learned to make the thing I created, leaving only a paragraph on the product itself. Should I focus more on the particular product, or is it probably okay as is?</p>
<p>I guess your excitement in doing the thing and what you learned through the process counts more. You could have created a normal motor, simple but if your excitement comes out and you can show what you learned, you can hit the bull's-eye!</p>
<p>They are mostly looking for the 'experience'. Technical details could be summarised in a paragraph.</p>