They Already Decided In Or Not In!!!!!

Colleges & Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>Isn't that scary to think that if you stopped one of the readers as they headed out of the admissions office this afternoon and asked them if you were accepted early action or not, they might actually tell you</p>

<p>"Oh yeah, we just put your app in the accepted bin" </p>

<p>or </p>

<p>"Oh sorry, yeah you're the kid that had one too few ECs. Better luck next year maybe..."</p>

<p>At which moment you collapse on your knees and beg them to reconsider!!!!</p>

<p>Ha. By the way, early action applicants, don't stress out at all. :)</p>

2

<p>Yeah, I was thinking about that too. Each application doesn't take the entire six weeks to review, so there's a good chance that my fate is already decided.</p>

3

<p>Selection hasn't started yet, so no one is accepted or denied.</p>

<p>All the admissions officers are doing right now is reading and summarizing each application on a card. Selection won't begin for another few days.</p>

4

<p>thanks thats a little consolation i guess. So, when it's all said and done, will they have three piles of applications, big red "REJECT" and "DEFER" stamps, or just a list of names?</p>

<p>Actually, I heard that the adcoms just nail our applications to the wall and throw darts at them blindfolded. Whichever applications they hit are accepted.</p>

5

<p>oh really? I actually heard that they find a staircase (preferably a very large one), turn around, then throw all the applications up the stairs....the ones nearest the top get in.</p>

6

<p>^ Ha, better make sure you didn't mail them tons of extra stuff...</p>

7

<p>Or they could use the attic method; throw them out the attic window, and the ones that stay in the air are accepted.</p>

<p>Would suck for people who submitted their 20-page research papers, though...</p>

8

<p>my hook is skydiving, so I included a parachute. Seeya in Cambridge, guys</p>

9

<p>
[quote]

oh really? I actually heard that they find a staircase (preferably a very large one), turn around, then throw all the applications up the stairs....the ones nearest the top get in.

[/quote]

I believe last year we determined that the stair method was the preferred and superior method for admissions. As I recall, Timur (Olo) has a good .bmp figure illustrating this procedure.</p>

<p>EDIT: Aha, found</a> it! Start somewhere around post #14. :D</p>

10

<p>Hehe, indeed. I simply stated that the best way to guarantee admission was to equip your application with gyros and altitude-sensitive rockets packs.</p>

<p>I wish I still had that BMP. Oh well. I guess these days I could work it up in photoshop...</p>

<p>Hrmm....</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
^ Ha, better make sure you didn't mail them tons of extra stuff...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Actually, adding more stuff would give the packages more momentum to counteract air resistance.
(okay, don't start...)</p>

12

<p>Hrm... I did indeed mean gyroscopic feedback mechanisms, however the thought of someone mailing in an actual [url="<a href="http://www.propertiesinparadisevi.com/shared/genericrestaurant/gyro.jpg%22%5Dgyros%5B/url"&gt;http://www.propertiesinparadisevi.com/shared/genericrestaurant/gyro.jpg"]gyros[/url&lt;/a&gt;] attached to their application makes me much happier.</p>

<p>The way to an adcom's heart is through his stomach?</p>

13

<p>According to this,</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/its_more_than_a_job.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/its_more_than_a_job.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>this first thing they do is eliminate non-qualifiers (ie, "deal-breakers"). I would assume the "reject" pile for EA is already done; 218 last year, 7%.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Approximately 12 people (give or take) will significantly discuss and debate your application before you're admitted.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It's hard to believe they haven't started EA selection yet, but last year they only chose 377 (12.7%) for EA admission.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/admissions_statistics/index.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/admissions_statistics/index.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

14

<p>

How much do you want to bet someone will see this post and think it's true and completely freak? :p :)</p>

15

<p>I was bored so....</p>

<p>from ben's</a> post #17</p>

<p>For EA last year:</p>

<p>218 * 10 ~ 2180 man-minutes were spent on rejectees
2747 * 10 ~ 27470 man-minutes were spent on acceptees and deferrees (lol)</p>

<p>2747 * (25-45) ~ 2747 * 35 * 2 readers ~ 192290 man-minutes were spent reading and summarizing
2747 * (2-4) ~ 2747 * 3 groups * 10 ~ 82410 man-minutes were spent by selection commettees</p>

<p>377 * 10 ~ 3770 Marilee-minutes were spent reviewing and approving each admit (assuming, of course, that she did not reject anyone)</p>

<p>So, to sum up, approximately 300,000 man-minutes = 5,000 man-hours ~ 210 man-days were spent on EA applicants last year...That's a lot
Imagine what happened during Regular...</p>

<p>I would like to thank adcoms for all the work they are doing for us :)
Thank you! :)</p>

16

<p>210 man-days in 2 weeks... that is some intense stuff right there. Hoo.</p>

17

<p>Are u serious that they spend about 10 mins on our apps in the selection process? That's sorta scary to think about...our fates are sealed (or almost sealed until Marilee Jones approve or deny) in about 10 mins!! =|</p>

18

<p>the initial 10 minutes is just for the first round. From what I've read they use this process to weed out applicants that don't have ANY chance of getting in so that the readers later won't have to waste 30-40 minutes summarizing the application.</p>

19

<p>ok...but that's still pretty scary though...our fates are sealed after the 30-40 minutes of debate or discussion during the selection process</p>

20

<p>Umm...isn't that slightly melodramatic? :p "Our fates are sealed!" I really, really, really, really want to get into MIT and not getting in would be incredibly saddening, but that doesn't mean I'm doomed for life. :)</p>