My thoughts on Acceptance

Colleges & Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>I'm just another student, and i hope to go to MIT when i graduate high school, come 2013. When i was a freshman, i thought that college admissions was pretty much a formula. I assumed great colleges expected great grades and test scores, and that ECs and Essays were ways to push u into acceptance. But no, admissions to MIT, or for that matter any other competitive university, is not a simple formula. Are we all robots, living the same lives, facing the same conflicts and being offered the same opportunities? NO!</p>

<p>I can however confidently say that there is one thing you can do for yourself, though it may not increase your chances of getting, but will certainly change the way you see your future, and allow you to succeed regardless of where you go. We all love something. For me personally, these things are math and physics. A year ago, my mind was set on making USAMO and possibly MOP, thinking that would get me into MIT. But now, my mind is set on solving a number theory question that's been bothering me for the past few days. </p>

<p>Personally, i believe colleges (especially schools like MIT) look for students who are explorers, who are creative, and like to ask questions for themselves, and perhaps even find the answers to said questions. I find it hard to believe that they would accept a student who worked hard on something for 4 years just to get into MIT, rather than for their own personal development.</p>

<p>My point is, do what you want. Find your passion, the one thing that drives you more than all else, and immerse yourself in it. You will soon find that whether or not you get accepted to MIT (or wherever else you'd like to go), won't be as significant as continuing to work on your passion. </p>

<p>Likith Govindaiah</p>

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<p>Well said. In my opinion, <em>that</em> philosophy, if you can direct it and live it, will take you a long way toward the things that places like MIT are <em>really</em> looking for when they evaluate applications. Intrinsic rewards are what keep people working on those hard problems and challenging goals long after they enter and leave college. Schools like MIT are particularly keen on being catalysts in the lives of people who will be successful regardless of where they go to school. If you can show that you’re that type of person, that will help your application tremendously.</p>

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<p>This distinction is too black and white. People tend to push themselves a lot when they have a barometer for excellence. Otherwise, why not live on an island by oneself? Working with the goal of getting into MIT is fine as long as one does things with an idea that it is intrinsically valuable, and remember there are schools other than MIT</p>