MIT FAQ for application year 2011-2012 (with answers by MITChris)

<p>If I self studied exams, should I put it in Section 4 of Part 2 of the application(even though it says list COURSES) or in the additional info section? I have taken 11 tests, and I plan to have done 11 courses when I graduate, so I want to use one of those 11’s on that section and use the 12th space to refer to the additional info section for more(if that’s allowed).</p>

<p>

Remember that the point of this section is to help standardize your transcript for the readers, but that the readers will also have your transcript while reading your application. So the point of this section is to make your transcript easier to understand for someone not familiar with your school.</p>

<p>If you can fit non-academic courses, feel free to include them. It could be helpful to add information about a class level, so if you can fit “gifted” on the line, then that’s great. I’m not sure about courses taken for multiple years.</p>

<p>

Applicants with waived interviews are treated the same as applicants who have interviews – it won’t hurt you to have your interview waived.</p>

<p>

There’s no intentional advantage to applying EA to MIT (which is to say that the admissions officers aren’t giving a break to/lowering the bar for EA applicants). But there are certainly advantages to applying EA, and we’ve discussed this complex issue on CC before – I’ll try to find a link.</p>

<p>

Scores don’t have a big impact, but you can leave the score off if you wish.</p>

<p>

Personally, I’d put self-studied courses in additional info and classes-leading-to-exams in courses. But doing it either way will not be a huge deal. (And there’s no need to use a space to refer to the additional info section – the additional info section will be seen regardless.)</p>

<p>hey guys i wanted to ask some questions …
First of all , Do i have to submit form part 1 and part 2 together or there can be a gap in their submission … and if yes will it affect the status of my application ??</p>

<p>Secondly , The part of the form asks about my academic distinctions and other achievements , So do i just have to list them ?? … will it be ok …??</p>

<p>Thirdly , When i m sending all the required documents like transcripts and other things … How do i have to send them ??</p>

<p>Fourth , The MIT site provides with Recommendation letters by themselves … but if the teacher have something else to say … do he/she have to do it on a school letterhead ?? … and again then how do i have to attach and send it ??</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure you can submit them separately with no effect on your admission, assuming you still submit both by the deadline.</p>

<p>Yeah, list them and fill in the accompanying information. I think there’s limited space, so only list the most important ones.</p>

<p>I think transcripts are sent with the Secondary School Report.</p>

<p>If your teacher wants to use their own format/papers, they can attach the MIT form as a cover sheet.</p>

<p>I have two questions about supplemental recommendations:</p>

<p>First: Do people writing supplemental recommendations fill out any type of form (like the teacher/counselor form) or is a regular old letter sufficient? Does the letter header need to include any particular information, other then the applicant’s name?</p>

<p>Second, my supplemental recommender is a researcher at MIT. Does he have to mail the letter, or can it be just dropped off at the admissions office? It seems like it would be a waste of postage to have the letter move a few thousand feet.</p>

<p>Most Universities have interdepartmental mail that is free.</p>

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A regular letter is fine. The supplemental letter needs to include a particular cover sheet, as explained on the admissions webpage:

</p>

<p>

He can put it into the white interdepartmental mailboxes addressed to the admissions office, room 3-108.</p>

<p>Is it alright to submit the application without scores in the SAT II subject test boxes? I am taking the October tests and will list MIT as one of the schools to send the scores directly to.</p>

<p>Also are we required to submit the SAT reasoning score if we have taken it? I would prefer to send only my ACT w/ writing and SAT II test scores</p>

<p>1) yes you can send it and have the scores sent later </p>

<p>2) you don’t have to send us the SAT</p>

<p>I have looked over MIT’s application…but why doesn’t MIT ask for a personal essay? (the 500 words long essay?)</p>

<p>On the application, it asks for Summer Activities and over the past few summers I have attended academic programs. I was wondering whether I should list this summer’s activities or the more notable activities over the past few summers (omit things like reading, etc.)</p>

<p>Thank you in advance!</p>

<p>Out of curiosity, for how many years has MyMIT been available? One of our schools counselors thought that MIT still requires a paper application.</p>

<p>MyMIT existed when I started blogging (2005), and I think it had been around for a couple of years before that. Actually, when I applied in 2001, I think it was possible to apply online, but a paper application was also available.</p>

<p>Was there a paper application last year(or this year, for that matter)? The person at my school said that everyone applied with a paper app last year and made fun of MIT for not living up to the “Technology” part of its name.</p>

<p>

MIT spends a lot of time each year putting together the application they feel is most helpful for them. Presumably they don’t feel that having a personal essay is as useful for them as the shorter essays are.</p>

<p>If you have a longer essay that you feel would be a positive addition to your application, you can put it in the space for “anything else you’d like to add”.</p>

<p>

I would list the activities most important to me from the past few summers. If the summer activities most important to you are the academic programs, then list them. But if the reading is important, then list it, by all means.</p>

<p>

Well, of course the counselor report and teacher letters have been and continue to be on paper. But as far as I’m aware, the vast majority of applicants have submitted the online application for at least the past five years.</p>

<p>Can a US citizen studying abroad apply EA to MIT?</p>

<p>My teachers and counselors already sent their recommendations and forms. I want to apply early action to MIT because it’s my first preference school. However, I checked Regular Action in the evaluation forms before giving them to my teachers because I thought I was going to be considered an international student.</p>

<p>Can I still apply EA if I’m eligible?</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>Yes, US citizens can apply EA, regardless of where they’re living or going to school. You will be considered a domestic student.</p>

<p>I have a question about counselor recommendations. My counselor has been different almost every year of high school for a few strange reasons. However, there is another counselor who was the counselor of the class who just graduated (2011) who I know a lot better and who has also helped me with issues such as scheduling, because of this, I was wondering if it would be possible to have him submit a counselor recommendation for me because I think that he knows me much better than the counselor who is actually assigned to my grade.</p>

<p>Does CS count as Math, Science, or an “Additional Class” on Section 7 in Part 2? My school/district considers it to be math, so I was planning to do that, but I wanted confirmation.</p>

<p>Thanks mollliebatmit.</p>

<p>Could you please answer the second question:</p>

<p>Can I still apply EA even though I’ve ticked RD on the teacher and counselor evaluation forms?</p>