<p>@cornetking
You should put your 5 most important one in the box. If you need more space for your activities, use the “Supplement” section to describe your activities. But usually the 5 are the most important.</p>
<p>Hey MITChris!</p>
<p>If we have won awards related to our extracurricular activities (for example, a robotics team winning regional/int’l awards) where should we note that? (Scholastic Distinctions, Non-Scholastic Distinctions, or in our description of the activity?)</p>
<p>Thank you and thanks for answering these endless questions, you are a saint!!</p>
<p>As far as extracurriculars go, if we have not currently but plan on doing an extracurricular as a senior, should we mark it or leave it blank if said activity has not started by the time we apply?</p>
<p>@hockey - </p>
<p>either of the distinction sections. </p>
<p>@cornetking - </p>
<p>you should be able to put it all in there, but if you need more space, we have a supplement section as resilient described. </p>
<p>@whoever asked about self-study on the last page: </p>
<ul>
<li>yes just include self study with the other AP scores</li>
</ul>
<p>@ILoveBurritos - </p>
<p>Just leave it off. To be perfectly honest, in 99.99% of situations if you haven’t begun an extracurricular til the second semester of your senior year it’s not going to be a big help to you getting in. We prefer depth to breadth in ECAs because they tell us more about you. </p>
<p>If you still want to include it, just throw it into the midyear grade report we request in the winter/spring - there’s a whole space to update us on new things you’re involved with.</p>
<p>I was actually asking more like…
Say I put varsity soccer on an application, and I’ve currently done it for my 10th and 11th grade years. But since soccer doesn’t start till after I apply, I cannot know for sure if I’m on the team again. Do I assume I will be on varsity again, and put it for 12th grade, or do I leave it blank since it isn’t set in stone?</p>
<p>Just put it on your app who the heck cares if you might not be on the team again.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Now that is rare. It does occassionally happen, but it is extremely unusual. When you say that you are assigned to an EC a long way away, I’m thinking that you are talking in terms of hours. At which point a couple of questions arise:</p>
<p>1) Are you in the US? The assignment system has some glitches overseas occasionally. Contact your EC, you may get reassigned to someone closer. Last season I swapped one interview with another EC in a different city after I got assigned an applicant in his city, and he got assigned one in mine. Glitches don’t happen often, but they are not unheard of, and the local EC’s can usually sort it out. Within the US, the system works much much better.</p>
<p>2) How far away is far away? We only have EC’s where we have alumni, and most alumni go to where they have jobs. I have certainly had applications from some folks who are four or five hours away from any of the EC’s in my region. I have had applicants come by long-distance train to the interview, and one who flew in. If there really is no interviewer nearby, then in those rare cases we will sometimes arrange a phone interview, but I do not know any EC who enjoys those, or we will talk to the Admissions office and see if we can get your interview waived. I have never had a situation where the interview was held at a spot say 3 hours from each of the two parties.</p>
<p>3) Have you asked MIT about it? If you have a problem with your assigned EC, for whatever reason, either its a plane flight away, or there is no contact information for your EC, or you were assigned to be interviewed by your uncle Bob, and are worried about the appearance of a confllict of interest, then do write to <a href=“mailto:interview@mit.edu”>interview@mit.edu</a> with your questions. They really are very good.</p>
<p>@Mikalye & MITChris:</p>
<p>It’s kind of a stupid question but are international ECs able to speak English fluently? I have problems speaking in my “native” tongue and would much rather prefer English over Korean any day. I’m just afraid that my EC might not be able to speak fluently in English, which in that case, the interview would end up in flames… ><</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Wow, I really hate to be obnoxious, but omg! Chandler moment.</p>
<p>My question:</p>
<p>This was briefly discussed I think, but what is the best time to ask for your interview? I imagine right now would be too early and they wouldn’t be in the flow of the admissions season, but I also know that later on they get really bogged down with many interviews, and someone mentioned it’s harder for them to give every applicant a lot of attention at that time. Would around late-September be a good time to ask for an interview?</p>
<p>Sorry in advance if my question has already been answered or if it’s just plain dumb. :)</p>
<p>scratchthat - now is not too early. go ahead. :)</p>
<p>@Burritos - </p>
<p>Just put 9-12. </p>
<p>@Wheezy - </p>
<p>They <em>should</em> be able to speak English. I make no promises as to quality though. </p>
<p>@scratchy - </p>
<p>Yeah, go ahead now.</p>
<p>Not only can any international EC speak English, but I can assure you that the interview will be conducted in English. One of the traits that an international EC needs to assess is competence in spoken English (which is kind of important given that the overwhelming majority of MIT classes are taught in English). This is stressed in the international EC training. You will definitely have an interview in English.</p>
<p>As to the quality of the English of the interviewer, it should be excellent. It was certainly good enough to get the EC through MIT, however, there are 2300 of us, and your mileage may vary.</p>
<p>Will good English and an American accent get us bonus points? :D</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to the interview. Should be enlightening [in regards to the college].
Will the EC be taken aback if I ask for something like personal memories of MIT? Like what drew him/her there over a college in the country, for example, and what became of that, or best memories at MIT…? I think I’ll have a lot of questions to ask…</p>
<p>Jimmy797, nope. Good English is presumed.
It is absolutely fine to ask about personal memories of MIT. Most EC’s enjoy talking about their times at MIT. That’s one of the reasons they became EC’s in the first place.</p>
<p>Please, I have a question about the interview. What is exactly “the area” MIT means when referring to the location of the EC’s? For example I am an applicant from Albania and my mail address is my albanian address. However as of this year I am in Germany (taking a gap year to study the language). The only part of the account in which i was able to portray this was the permanent address (wrote my dormitory’s address in Germany).
In my account it says the interview has been waved because of lack of EC. Now does MIT consider EC’s only in your home country? If so, do you think I should e-mail them to check whether they have EC’s here in Germany?</p>
<p>Yes, absolutely send an email to interview at mit dot edu and ask if you can be assigned an interviewer in the vicinity of your school.</p>
<p>Mollie,</p>
<p>How’s the field you majored in, brain and cognitive sciences, any links to specifics? I’m wondering what a highly competitive kid (academic-wise) can get from that major if he/she also has an extensive music background.</p>
<p>How specific should our mother and father occupations be? Do you prefer “General Internist Practitioner” to “doctor”?</p>
<p>Mikalye-</p>
<p>I am in the US but I live in a small town so it does not surprise me that an EC does not live close by.
It would be about a four hour drive from where I live to get to my EC’s city, is this something I just have to deal with because of my location or should I contact MIT?</p>