<p>On the optional essays, can I send in stuff to the admissions office via mail and submit my application online?</p>
<p>What should I write to tell them I'm going to submit the optional essays by mail?</p>
<p>You're fine either way. I submitted optional information via mail without mentioning it on the online application, and I'm assuming it made it there okay.</p>
<p>How long should they be?</p>
<p>The app says <500 words.</p>
<p>Is it okay if its around 600</p>
<p>^^You should probably not exceed word limits. I know there are people who get in who go over the limit, but it really is not a good habit to start. Who knows, maybe they may have two equally good applicants on the fence and they need any possible way to weed out who gets in and who does not. Applicant A's essay is 494 words and applicant B's essay is 628 words. They may decide to go with applicant A because his/her's essay was under the word limit. (My history teacher used to read for a scholarship company and she told the class that they used to weed out applicants who did not follow directions...a very important skill needed for college.)</p>
<p>Does it need to be an essay? It's kind of hard to explain, but I'm planning on just writing about different subjects and pointing out a couple things, so I don't think it'll be an actual essay</p>
<p>^
I wanna do the same thing and have also been wondering if thats ok</p>
<p>My son sent something he wrote that was not an essay (more like a comic book or something), complete with photos. I have no idea if it helped or hurt, but he was admitted EA.</p>
<p>The optional section is not required to be an essay. It can be a place for any information you'd like MIT to know that isn't covered adequately elsewhere in the application.</p>