<p>Will this look bad/do they collect any data on who actually showed up to these info sessions at particular high schools? MIT is currently right near the top of my college list, but I already have a meeting for an extracurricular I cannot miss at the same time. Will this affect me in any way shape or form? I've been to the campus, gone on a tour and info session already anyways...</p>
<p>Thanks for the help and responses, and for the time you took in reading up to this!</p>
<p>The person visiting may very well be the person reading your application this fall.</p>
<p>Find a way to attend.</p>
<p>I cannot miss the meeting taking place at the same time, and I unfortunately do not possess a time-turner. I was given notice of MIT’s visit today and had until the end of the school day to sign up. I signed up but then remembered my commitment and I have to go forward with that meeting.</p>
<p>I would consider it rather unfair for a school to negatively judge an applicant because he could not attend something with very little notice and with prior engagements. It’s hard to reconcile that with the importance MIT places on one’s extracurriculars, when that is what is getting in the way.</p>
<p>They won’t negatively judge you. It’s that you will miss the opportunity to meet them and possibly create a positive impression. If you can, pop your head in, intro yourself, and briefly explain the conflict. If not, consider writing a brief note for the GC to pass along.</p>
<p>Sounds to me like your priorities aren’t straight. </p>
<p>They won’t negatively judge you, but an opportunity to make an impression is gone.</p>
<p>I apologize if this comes off as impertinent, but I do not see how you can judge my “priorities” when you do not even know the activity I am engaging in during the time MIT will be at my school.</p>
<p>I may consider the note, or at the very least talking to my guidance counselor. I can’t just pop in: we have strict rules for these college info sessions–we have to sign up two days in advance, hand in a ticket as we go in, etc. Today was my only opportunity to sign up.</p>
<p>Calm down Anthro. I know it is very easy to get in a tizzy about these details. What is done is done. As an adult you will be making many, many decisions. You made the right decision for you at the time. </p>
<p>Try to get the name and contact info of the MIT visitor and send him/her a brief email saying that you were looking forward to going to the session, but other commitments precluded you from doing so. You might want to ask if he/she will be at a college fair or other local session you can attend.</p>
<p>Put together a great application and then pray luck is on your side. MIT gets so many stellar applications that a no from them does not mean you are any less qualified than another applicant. Good luck and try to enjoy the process.</p>
<p>FLMathmom, I’ll talk to my guidance counselor about that tomorrow. If I get any info, I will email. That definitely sounds like the best option for me now, and I hadn’t even considered it. Thanks a ton.</p>
<p>Anthro - You sound like a kid with a good head on his shoulders and I am sure everything will turn out just fine. I like the idea of having the GC mention that interested student X had a prior commitment, but otherwise would have attended. I know my son would be sick to his stomach for having to miss an MIT visit, but like you he would honor his commitment and let the chips fall where they may.</p>
<p>Wow, all of you calm down. It’s fine to miss the meeting - maybe send the representative a note saying that you really want to come but you have a conflict at that particular time and ask if you could chat with them later / earlier in the day. MIT doesn’t record attendance at info sessions anyway, so if don’t have any questions to ask, don’t worry too much about missing it.</p>
<p>@Anthroponomist:
Calm down. You’re fine. Despite what others have posted, you really really really do not have to write an excuse to MIT for missing an admissions session. MIT does not consider the applicant’s level of interest in the school when making admissions decisions, as stated in the school’s Common Data Set report here: [MIT</a> Office of the Provost, Institutional Research](<a href=“MIT Institutional Research”>MIT Institutional Research). It won’t help if you attend 15 admissions sessions and it won’t hurt if you attend zero. You can find out all the information you need from the admissions website and the blogs, and you can learn even more from the interview with your MIT EC.</p>
<p>Hey, I think I crossposted with k4r3n2.</p>
<p>CalAlum, that is incredibly helpful. I never knew level of interest was not considered, which removes my doubts then. Including a reference is great and I really appreciate that you would post that. </p>
<p>I’m just surprised I got so many replies within one afternoon–all of your responses have been helpful, even if some potentially increased my heart rate a bit. Thanks a lot for taking your time to give me advice. I’ll definitely use this forum as a resource if I have any other pressing questions any time.</p>
<p>Just another CC regular who agrees with Karen and CalAlum. I don’t know what’s in the rest of your heads, or what the purpose of stressing this kid for no reason is O.o</p>
<p>All I was saying is that admissions likes to put a “name to a face”. </p>
<p>Sorry if I scared you or judged you. I’m sure your meeting has great importance to you and that you have a legitimate reason for attending it. Do what you need to do and good luck in the future.</p>
<p>No worries, NewAccount. The main thing is that I got the info needed to help me out of this problem. And I can’t get mad at a guy that’s 1337 for long, right? (Check your post count…)</p>
<p>HE IS 1337!!!</p>
<p>WE ARE ALL n00bs!</p>
<p>8)</p>
<p>NewAccount, that may be true for some schools…but not MIT, as we’ve explicitly stated.</p>
<p>Maybe MITChris can back us up on this one?</p>
<p>I understand, but admissions representatives are only human. There will be innate bias only because every human being has bias.</p>
<p>If someone who has met the applicant and had a positive experience is reading their application, they naturally will have a inclination toward that applicant.</p>
<p>But it’s unlikely that the admissions officer who gives a particular talk at a particular school will be the one reading that application – there are a large number of readers. (Given the number of applicants they meet each year, I think it’s also unlikely that they remember a large number of the people they meet, although I’ll admit that I’ve been continually impressed by the MIT admissions officers’ memories.)</p>
<p>It’s true that all human beings are biased. But the admissions officers make concerted efforts to identify and eradicate sources of bias in their dealings with applicants. It’s not worth trying to game the system by taking heroic measures to suck up to one particular admissions officer.</p>
<p>I like your style Anthro! You are showing that you take your commitments seriously. It would be selfish if you didn’t attend your prior commitment. I think you are showing one of the qualities MIT is looking for!</p>