<p>As the title shows, I want to apply for MIT ( or CIT and the like ). It seems too ambitious, but people should have hope...
However I don't know what they want to see in their applicants. Do I really need to be extremely outstanding in certain areas, for example getting gold in USACO contests and some prizes in IOI. And what is the importance of leadership skills. Could somebody please help me figure it out. I will really appreciate your help!</p>
<p>You could look at the results threads from the past few admissions cycles:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/546625-consolidated-ea-rd-2012-results-thread.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/546625-consolidated-ea-rd-2012-results-thread.html</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/613232-official-early-action-results-thread-mit-class-2013-a.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/613232-official-early-action-results-thread-mit-class-2013-a.html</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/665292-official-mit-rd-decisions-class-2013-a.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/665292-official-mit-rd-decisions-class-2013-a.html</a></p>
<p>If you look through these threads, and the cognate Caltech threads, you will see htat MIT and Caltech accept a wide range of smart people who did interesting things. There's no formula for admissions to these schools.</p>
<p>Or you can go to MIT's admissions page too, you know</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Its a bit of a blood bath.</p>
<p>I think that MIT admissions might have been throwing darts. They have very many outstanding applicants. I think i remember reading that they value your personality actually more than your grades/test scores. Once you are past a certain point, I think it comes down to whether you fit into the colleges atmosphere.</p>
<p>If you go over to the MIT forum, people discuss this a lot.</p>
<p>Protip: you're not MIT material. You gotta be like me and be captain of 3 sports teams, valedictorian, and just a general bro.</p>
<p>cooldude, captainship means school level recognition (weak)</p>
<p>anyways, you can’t go wrong by making usamo/mop, usabo/usnco/usapho camp, intel/siemens, etc.</p>
<p>There are some interesting threads on the topic. Examples:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/823745-why-mit-accepts-students-accepts.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/823745-why-mit-accepts-students-accepts.html</a>
(Okay so I could only find one)</p>
<p>The MIT Admissions website has some relevant pages as well:
[MIT</a> Admissions: The Selection Process: Application Reading, Committee, And Decisions](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/index.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/index.shtml)
[MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/everything_you_ever_wanted_to.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/everything_you_ever_wanted_to.shtml)
[url=<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/the_match_between_you_and_mit/]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/the_match_between_you_and_mit/]MIT</a> Admissions: The Match Between You And MIT<a href=“very%20important”>/url</a>
Also, don’t take cooldude36 too seriously ;)</p>
<p>IMO this one outlines it the best: [MIT</a> Admissions: The Match Between You And MIT](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/the_match_between_you_and_mit/]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/the_match_between_you_and_mit/)</p>
<p>So essentially if you’re qualified, it’s a crapshoot. Important to keep your head up if you’re rejected.</p>
<p>people keep saying qualified, but rejected anyways. What do you guys mean exactly by qualified? Do you mean they can attend and not flunk out?</p>
<p>It’s not a crapshoot. It may be a simplifying term you can use to guard yourself and feel indignant, but it isn’t accurate.</p>