<p>Haha yea mine was like the abstract of a research paper I wrote along with like a few brief, informal sentences with some background information..</p>
<p>Hmm. I liked my short answers.... but I'm worried that, once again, I didn't answer them literally enough. I love them, but it really just depends on who reads my application.</p>
<p>My "free time" essay is on how my friends and I like to make goofy (and sometimes, but rarely, serious) music videos.</p>
<p>Blahhhh. I feel as if my application shows too much of one of my sides (my quirky, creative side) and not enough of my scientific one.</p>
<p>AH. I NEED TO STOP NIT-PICKING.</p>
<p>Hahaha, my short answers were straight and to the point with nothing creative about them. When I read the prompt, the part about this not being a trick question stood out so I just told them what I liked to do and why. Same for the department one. Although if anything, both pieces showed my personality and set of ideals, so if by the end of my application, they cant figure out what I like, I fail at life =P</p>
<p>Lol Jags, that's how I took it too. I figured the easiest way to answer the question sincerely would be to just tell exactly what I liked and why.. Hopefully they get it.</p>
<p>Lesos, reallyyy I'm sure it's fine. Creative & quirky is a good thing! Don't worry about it :)</p>
<ol>
<li>Low SAT reasoning math score (710). Hopefully my 780 MII/5 Calc BC will offset it.</li>
<li>No real research experience.</li>
<li>No big science/math/research awards.</li>
</ol>
<p>I wrote about how I've been playing soccer since I could walk on the "free time" essay...and I feel like my other essays weren't as good as I usually make them =/</p>
<p>While we're talking about short answers...</p>
<p>So I wrote my "what you do for fun" essay on sailing. And for Number 14, I wrote a short essay about all the reasons I want to go to MIT, mentioning racing on the Charles. At the time, I hadn't actually gotten an email back from the sailing coach at MIT- it wasn't until a week after I submitted that I found out I was a formal recruit. How crazy is that? I unintentionally ended up with a really cohesive app.</p>
<p>My department one wasn't so much about what the department at MIT offers that I'd like (I talked about that in the Number 14 essay, too), but more about how I came to love biology in first grade when I peeled some dead skin off of my foot and looked at it under a microscope, and how that progressed to my research project last summer. It's sort of a coming-of-age essay. The closing line- "I've been a Course 7 major since the age of 6- who said young love never lasts?"</p>
<ol>
<li>my department short answer sucked</li>
<li>GPA</li>
<li>sub-2300 SAT I. I know, not bad, but visibly lower than the (many) other EA applicants from my school</li>
<li>I forgot to talk about my summer research/send in an abstract, although I did get a rec from my mentor</li>
<li>my awards were not very prestigious, and pretty random: creativity award @ FIRST Robotics, some national mythology exam, USAMTS, JETS, etc.</li>
<li>I didn't have room for either Science Bowl or Quiz Bowl in the extracurriculars section, and I kind of wish I'd included one of them now. It took forever to decide what to put there because I have about 8 extracurriculars that all mean a lot to me, and that I allocate nontrivial amounts of time to.</li>
<li>my college counselor thought that my "how has your world influenced your dreams/aspirations" essay didn't quite answer the prompt precisely...</li>
<li>my interview was rather ordinary
and probably more...</li>
</ol>
<p>I just keep reminding myself there's no need to be anxious because I'll get deferred. Erg. Time to stop worrying about this app and start working on the January round.</p>
<p>My department short answer was pretty corny... I wrote about how much I wanted to do research and I think I said something about how I hadn't had an opportunity in high school, and after I submitted it I realized that they might take that to mean that I hadn't had the initiative to pursue it...</p>
<p>Also, for my "what do you do for fun" short answer I wrote about playing Scrabble but it just sounds really nerdy. >.<</p>
<p>And I wish I hadn't done my interview so early... at the time I hadn't realized how much I love MIT so I wasn't able to give a good answer for that question and I wasn't as passionate as I could have been.</p>
<p>And my optional essay I wrote in half an hour. I didn't think it mattered much, and I wrote it on a novel I tried to write but failed and, upon reading it later, I realized it sounded pretty stupid. I want to submit another essay now about why I want to go to MIT but I don't think I can...</p>
<p>On the up side, I think my main essay was good. Or creative, at the very least. <em>hopeful/desperate smile</em></p>
<p>The closing line- "I've been a Course 7 major since the age of 6- who said young love never lasts?"
Aww, that was quite possibly one of the best closing lines I've ever read =)</p>
<p>My EC never asked me why I wanted to go to MIT. He said that it was pretty obvious from our conversation... which is a good thing, I think/hope???</p>
<p>Well, this was my short answer:
"My new favorite number is seven.
I want to hear lectures on the “Protein Folding Problem.” I want to beg professors to adopt me. I want to UROP, and I want to be able to get away with using UROP as a verb. I want to look around an auditorium and see goofy smiles on every face—the dreamy grin that appears whenever 1,4 glycosidic linkages are mentioned. I want to titrate, I want to calibrate, I want to calculate, and I want to do all of the other nerdy “-ate” verbs that exist.
(I want to major in Biology)."</p>
<p>Whooo.</p>
<p>Lesos, that's amazing.. WHY WAS I BORN WITH NO CREATIVITY?</p>
<p>^ seconded D:
My EC didn't ask me why I wanted to attend MIT either =/</p>
<p>Neither did mine.. :( </p>
<p>And I agree with montagne, my interview was wayyy too early for my own good. I didn't even realize then how badly I wanted to be at MIT. I mean, of course I knew I would like to go there but I didn't realize it would be my first choice and so far ahead of the rest.</p>
<p>Lol, that was like... the first question, and I responded with my generic "uh... well... I like science." But I think it was clear that I was just really nervous, and I loosened up later... :/. And LesOs, that's REALLY cool. :)</p>
<p>:) You summarized my feelings exactly, iPut. At that time I didn't there was a school out there perfect enough to be my first choice. Then I started reading the blogs (after Nov 1, and after my September 6 interview) and now I'm TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY hooked.</p>
<p>Me too! Haha I refresh the MIT site like 23084723 times a day to see if any new bloggers post anything. I like dream about all the colors on the website, just seeing it makes me excited. I know I'm not gonna get accepted EA but it's gonna be so depressing when I get the letter bc then it'll be confirmed. :(</p>
<p>
[quote]
I want to beg professors to adopt me.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>LesOs, THANK YOU FOR KILLING MY SELF ESTEEM. Good god. That shoots mine down in a flaming ball of cheesiness. I love that line.</p>
<p>My interview actually rocked, probably because I know too much about the school for my own good. I'm uber nervous for decision day, now. You guys are too good for your own goods.</p>
<p>Similar feelings, ducktape. Looking at the people on this board isn't a vote of confidence. Granted, I really liked my "What do you do for fun?" answer, but I doubt it holds a candle to recruited athletes, URMs, Olympiad winners, Siemens finalists, etc. The list goes on. There's nothing outrageously wrong with my app, I have great scores and grades, decent ECs. But compared to everyone else...well... better finish my other apps.</p>
<p>Haha! I second the "better finish my other apps"...</p>
<p>Yeah, I wish they'd set a date already - I'm pretty sure I'll be deferred EA, but that doesn't stop the nervousness from building..</p>
<p>As far as my app goes:</p>
<p>My SAT's and etc. Test scores are fine, my essays (I absolutely stand behind my "End of the World" one!) were pretty good, IMO
Short Answers: Ehhh, decent, not great (grrrr, darn you LesOs)
My grades are okay, not straight A's by any means
My activities and Research are pretty unique, i think...</p>
<p>I think the biggest problem in my app is my lack of "real" Awards - like, I have a lot of activities and such, but none that really produce national/awesome awards...</p>
<p>Oh well, I guess we'll find out within 2 weeks regardless...Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins app, here I come :)</p>
<p>Thanks! I'm glad that you guys liked my answer... hopefully admissions feels the same way!</p>
<p>And ducktape, don't be silly. I think that we've all collectively agreed that "I've been a Course 7 major since the age of 6- who said young love never lasts?" puts all other closing lines to shame.</p>
<p>I've accepted the fact that I'm being deferred. I'll be happy as long as I can have another agonizing four months of knowing that there's a ~9% chance I could be going to MIT.</p>