<p>Would writing about my struggles with the SAT CR section be a valid topic or would that be looked down upon at MIT? It was honestly the most effort I had to put in for anything.</p>
<p>I dont rilly know.</p>
<p>I’m not entirely sure, but I think the question is more about your resilience rather than the difficulty of the task, so if you feel that your struggle with CR was a really significant struggle that you found extremely difficult to get through, you should definitely put it in. :)</p>
<p>And for clarification, I meant that if you feel it was significant enough to YOU, not just to anyone else :)</p>
<p>The answer is in your post. The most difficult thing that you’ve faced is MIT’s admission essays.</p>
<p>I see. Do you think this topic would make the people evaluating my application frown?</p>
<p>I mean, everyone has to take the SAT.</p>
<p>IMO, just the topic sounds boring, but I guess I should qualify that with the CC notion of “if you can do it very well, and you’re a strong writer, then you can follow your dreams”.</p>
<p>
I doubt it’s the most effort you’ve put into something. Think of a time when you failed, how did you get back on your feet? In general, writing about “hard time studying for test” or “taking many AP courses and risk getting B’s” make very bland essay</p>
<p>mathsciencedude: Excuse me, what do you exactly mean by “IMO, just the topic sounds boring…”?</p>
<p>It’s very important that you show in your essays that you are unique and interesting. If you can make a few quirks shine through or truly reflect your personality in that essay, go for it. However, you’re probably more likely to make an impression on the admissions staff if you write about something that is itself unique and interesting. The uniqueness and interestingness of the SAT critical reasoning exam is very limited.</p>
<p>When taking about being unique: Writing to MIT that you’re good at math doesn’t seem to be very interesting and unique. I expect many MIT applicants to be good at math so …yeah. That might work in some other universities though, but not MIT (which is a sad fact actually)</p>
<p>I agree that the topic sounds very boring. I also agree that unless you’re dyslexic, it’s probably not the biggest challenge you’ve overcome. </p>
<p>When I got to MIT this past Summer, I realized something: Aside from the SATs, and the grades, and all the other test scores, MIT kids are incredible. Not because “they are good at math”, they are incredible in their passion for living, in their search for truth and in their quest of endless possibilities for a better future. I can honestly say that in my entire life I have NEVER EVER met such an unbelievable amount of people SO WORTHY of admiration as the friends I’ve made at the Institvte. So having said that, MIT kids have incredible stories to tell. “That one time I took the SAT just like 4291489489 other kids” may not seem so interesting. My two cents is that you really look deep within yourself and find something unique to you. Hey, I have a friend who got in with an essay on how she taught herself the Hobbit tongue from Lord of the Rings because she was so fascinated with J.R.R Tolkien’s world…</p>
<p>So is it about doing different things, or things differently?</p>
<p>^both. If you can inject each of those elements into your essay, you may have yourself a winner. :)</p>
<p>
or different things differently ;)</p>
<p>Can this essay be about something quite unexpected? Such as asking a girl out?
I can’t really think of topics that stand out special</p>
<p>^Yea, it can be about asking a girl out. You probably will only take my advice with a grain of salt until you see Chris say its okay, but the truth is you can write about just about anything, so long as you make it interesting and memorable. </p>
<p>A lot of people face a challenge when asking someone out; don’t write anything generic about how you were “really nervous” and “didn’t know if she liked you back”. What makes it unique is how you handled the situation and what you learned from it.</p>
<p>The age old example that admissions reps seem to use is, “we get a thousand boring ‘why my grandmother had a significant influence on me’ essays, but we also get interesting ones. just make sure it’s an interesting read, and then you’re good to go”.</p>
<p>^Absolutely, it can! If done well, I can easily see that as an interesting essay topic that will reveal who you really are and what you stand for (or don’t stand for). “Unexpected” can equate to very good! :)</p>