<p>hey guys! I didn’t do MITES last year, but I did do E2! 
I know you guys all want MITES, haha, but E2 was pretty awesome too… If you have any questions, let me know. :)</p>
<p>Does anyone know how much % or how much better of a chance i have at MIT if I’m 1st generation + Qualify for federal reduced lunch (I’m not Latino though).</p>
<p>I’m apply though! I wish everyone the best of luck (:</p>
<p>From a 2012 E2er:</p>
<p>First gen and <50K definitely helps, but it depends on a lot of other factors too…</p>
<p>Factors they list on their website: </p>
<p>1•the individual would be the first in the family to attend college;
2•there is an absence in the individual’s family of science and engineering backgrounds;
3•the individual’s high school has historically sent less than 50% of its graduates to four-year colleges;
4•the applicant attends a school that presents challenges for success at an urban elite university (e.g., rural or predominantly minority); and/or
5•the individual is a member of a group that is under-represented in the study and fields of science and engineering (African American, Latino or Native American).</p>
<p>I met 2, 3, 5, and kiiiiind of 4; my school is in NY, but it’s in upstate NY and it’s in a rural-urban finge, so idk if that really counts, and we’re 30% hispanic and 4% african american. hahah.</p>
<p>Plus, my parents make <50K.</p>
<p>Take that with a grain of salt though; there were others there who weren’t low-income, who weren’t a URM (no caucasians at E2 though, but there were asians; last year people were worried they wouldn’t get in because they were asian), who went to REALLY good schools (lol, stuyvesant. xD), or who weren’t first-gen.</p>
<p>Hi everyone … I forgot my password and had to create another account. LOL</p>
<p>@lesleyclovesyou13 (and any other alums) … what if I don’t have any of the 5 things listed above? Should I not bother applying?</p>
<p>Hmm, depends… If you’re low-income, I would still try. :)</p>
<p>…and if I’m being honest, there was not even one full-Caucasian person at E2. Idk if the same held true for MITES and MOSTEC, but that’s what happened for E2. :/</p>
<p>Hi lesleyclovesyou13 … thanks for the reply. I’ll give it a shot!</p>
<p>I don’t think I’ve done any EC’S(or enough EC’s to be exact: Orchestra, Tennis, Chess Club; our school doesn’t have much EC’s excluding sports) to qualify for this program :(. Right now i’m working so I can provide an income for my mom, so that we can have a good Christmas this year; last year we barely had any presents. That reminds me what qualifies as low income? I am in a single parent household(4 people= me, mom, brother, and grandmother) and I think our income is $35000. My mom works 2 jobs I also have free lunch.</p>
<p>@roinujo1 As far as income, anything below 50K for this program works, so you’re fine in that area. The fact that you have free lunch helps too… As far as EC’s go, if your school doesn’t offer many EC’s in science, you can’t help that! In fact, if it’s in your secondary school report, it might even help you, so don’t worry… I would still apply. Your essays are also very important; write about all these challenges you’ve had </p>
<p>Btw, guys, I got into E2 with a really low ACT score, so if your scores are low, don’t let that discourage you too much!</p>
<p>Hi guys. I have a few questions.</p>
<p>First, I’m trying to disclose as little information about my background as possible (since I’m fairly well off and I’m acting under the assumption that the worse one’s background is, the higher chance one has of getting accepted). So for household information, I’ve checked the box for living with both parents, but it only requires me to fill out information for one parent. So does this mean that I can just leave the second parent blank, or is it best to still fill out info for the second parent?</p>
<p>Also, I’m kinda new to writing application essays. Are they supposed to be serious or should I insert some humor? Am I supposed to tell stories? How much do they have to be about science (for example in the question about extracurricular activities)? Or should I avoid talking too much about science in order to stand out? Other suggestions?</p>
<p>Aww Lesley! You’re so helpful! I was going to try to answer some potential MITES questions / plug <a href=“mailto:E2@MIT”>E2@MIT</a>. It’s Sam (:</p>
<p>Like Lesley I didn’t go to MITES but E2. </p>
<p>But forgetfulme & any other prospective kids, I don’t have most of those things. Just one of them. Also I’m Asian (which is certainly VERY represented in science/engineering)! I wouldn’t rule yourself out if you don’t have those 5 recommended requirements.</p>
<p>@2chainzswag I would give them information about BOTH parents, especially if there’s an absence of science in your background or you’re first generation… As far as essays go, I was fairly straightforward, but I thiiiink most people weren’t. I don’t think it really matters what format you use… For the EC’s, it can be about any EC, but it IS a STEM program, so I’d consider writing about an EC that relates to STEM. </p>
<p>And Sam :’) <3 Haha. Maybe you can help out with the essay question from 2chainzswag… Mine were really straightforward, but I feel like most people’s essays weren’t. .-. What’d you do?</p>
<p>There was a full Caucasian in MITES. Also, the five things that are considered “edges” are by NO MEANS a requirement.</p>
<p>@roinujo: having a job kind of counts as an EC, especially if you need it for support, etc. I think they more want to see that you’re doing something. I’m not doing tons of ECs, but I’m really passionate about the ones I do (also schools generally understand if scheduling presents problems such as in my case).</p>
<p>Writing essays… a little humor can be good if it’s a big part of your life, but it’s (generally speaking) not recommended. I tried to write in a somewhat conversational tone, but not too informal. The one essay that generally best fits being told as a story is the challenge you’ve overcome. The EC I wrote about is science-based, but not sure if that knowledge helps. Overall, just write a first draft and work from there. Your essay should sound like you, however that may be. Good luck!</p>
<p>In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I don’t know how I was chosen for MITES, maybe it was the essays and maybe it wasn’t, but I’m grateful for the experience and all the people I met. At that time in my life, it was exactly what I needed.</p>
<p>@liveforscience: Thanks for the response. How was Mites? Was it really fun and did you enjoy the people you were with?</p>
<p>Hi guys I’m willing to share my MITES essays if you guys want to read them. I was in MITES 2012. Just hit me up with a pm and I’ll try to get to you.</p>
<p>Guys I’ve had a really lucky life. The “challenge you’ve overcome” essay is quite a challenge for me to write… I kinda wrote an essay mocking the topic for it, and the other essay is the one horrible challenge I did have, but I don’t like to speak about that in any way shape or form. Not only because it scared me, but also because it happened at point of my life where I could say I had “no conscience.” Meaning I don’t want to use something from my early/mid childhood since I wasn’t as mature or prepared as I have been these passed five years. What should I do? is anyone willing to read to “mock?” if so please send me a private message with your e-mail s p a c e d out so that CC doesn’t cover it with asterisks.</p>
<p>I LOVED MITES, I met awesome people (Hey Dang! It’s Katie) and really changed as a result. I was my happiest at MITES, although I’m not sure if I truly realized until it was nearing its end. We all cried when it was over because it was over. I still talk to a lot of my MITES family through family meetings on Sunday nights or impromptu google plus hangouts. I have never been as inspired, honestly. It’s not even just the students, although I miss the collaboration and exploring Cambridge on the weekends (I’m into crochet and there are 2 yarn stores really close by, as an example), the staff were also beyond amazing.</p>
<p>Since I am reusing aspects of my MITES essays, I would not be willing to send some of them out as samples (sorry!). If you PM me, I can send one or two, but keep in mind they are NOT perfect and had definite faults. Be true to yourself and don’t take too much stock in a prior student’s essay. </p>
<p>I will, however, say that the challenge I wrote about was not anything big. I used to have a fear of public speaking, which is admittedly very common. I still dislike speaking in front of a group, even my peers. I faced my fear through giving an impromptu presentation in front of an auditorium full of middle-schoolers and parents about my high school. Since I wrote my essay, I have even offered to read a poem for Memorial Day on the town green. Basically, the little ongoing struggles are important too. I have subsequently changed this essay for college applications.</p>
<p>Also, some of the MITES 2012 students blog every once in a while about life after MITES, you can check it out at mites12atmit.blogspot.com</p>
<p>This is late, but @basicspace, maybe apply to MITES and send them an e-mail or otherwise notify them that you have a previous commitment and only want to be considered for E2 or MOSTEC? Even though everyone applies for MITES, the application goes to all three, so if you don’t apply to MITES you can’t be considered for the other two programs. I’m in MOSTEC 2012 and it’s great (online community + week long conference in the summer) and from what I hear the other two programs were great as well. If anyone has any questions about MOSTEC feel free to ask!</p>
<p>(also as I complete my college applications and look back at my MITES essays, I realize they were just awful. I’m cringing rereading them).</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, it seems like MITES picked a very diverse group of students from all kinds of backgrounds and qualities. I know that race was definitely mixed among the students, but how was the income distribution? Personally, I have never been very well off, and I think this is the first year my household takes in >50k (dad got a new job, don’t live with mom.) Were there a good portion of students from all income ranges? </p>
<p>What about test scores? Were there people from all score ranges (for example, from maybe 15 or 1600s - ~2300-2400 SAT, or from maybe 150-160 to 230+ PSAT)? Although this might sound a little weird, are higher end scores (2300+) at a disadvantage?</p>
<p>@ilikecrab: Seriously consider if you will benefit from the type of experience that MITES has to offer. Then you’ll answer your own question.</p>
<p>@run1116: I honestly don’t think you can predict the likelihood of you getting in from your race or your income bracket. I’m not saying it’s random or somewhat slanted toward a specific bracket, but we aren’t the people who are looking at the applicant pool. Those readers have a certain goal in mind when selecting each individual for the program.</p>
<p>There really isn’t an income bracket you have to fall under; nor did I ask my mites family what their parents make in a year, so I have no idea. Your likelihood of getting accepted to MITES or E2 or MOSTEC is truly a function of how the admission people feel like you would benefit from the said program.</p>
<p>That being said, even though there’s a bunch of alumni monitoring this CC thread in the hopes of clarifying worries and concerns about the application (some are even willing to share/read personal statements) so that all you Juniors aren’t going into the application process completely blind (we were all there last year, trust me). However, We are ONLY limited to the scope of being alumni. We applied, not knowing for sure what the decision may be, and we met our fates (to either E2 or MITES, etc) so we can’t honestly tell you why you’re going to or not going to get in. Just submit the best application that is the best representation of YOU as possible and hope for the best.</p>
<p>*This is my best advice to everyone, honestly. And, it’s pretty much the same for college applications in the fall for MIT itself hearing it time and time again from the admissions officers.</p>