I thought it was supposed to be about factors around you that made you want to do engineering but or is it supposed to be about your cultural background and how it shaped you? Should you talk about what you want to do after college?
Not everyone applying to MIT plans on becoming an engineer. Not everyone applying to MIT knows what they want to major in. In fact you are not asked to decide until the end of Freshman year.
There is no specific purpose to this essay besides that the admissions office wants to get to know you better and here is your chance to describe how the people, events, and/or places around you have shaped and helped you become the person you are. Answer the question anyway you’d like. If they wanted something more specific they would have explicitly asked.
Describe your cultural background, neighborhood, community. The admissions committee wants to know what resources or limitations you have.
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The admissions committee wants to know what resources or limitations you have.
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Can you expand on this?
Each applicant is judged based on how much he or she accomplished with what was available. A student coming from an affluent area of the country is expected to do much more than someone from a poor inner city. Applicants who don’t have access to the best teachers, mentors, test prep, etc won’t be held responsible for not achieving at the highest level. The admissions committee is trying to get the clearest picture of the student. Every question along with the interview is designed to get to know the student as well as possible. Just be honest in your answers. Your goal shouldn’t be getting into MIT, but attending the school that is best for you. Fit is very important because it will determine how happy you will be for 4 years.
^^agree with #4. Also, Admissions is looking to pull together a diverse community, so they don’t want everyone from the same background.
I am guessing it is a semi-disguised diversity essay. I would treat it as such.
And, at least partly, a Why Us.