What to do/redo after deferred?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>Hey, well, I was deferred EA, but the more I read, the more I love MIT. It seems that any research I read comes from an MIT prof./researcher... is there anything I can do to increase my chances? I've looked on the MIT site and the boards saying that I should just remember to send in the mid year report, but I can send in additional info if I wanted. Has anyone had any experience with this? Did anyone send in extra letters/essays/updates? If I really wanted, could I redo my essays? Now that I read them, I don't really like them... they were the first ones I wrote and I did spend a lot of time on them... but I don't think they say as much as they really could.</p>

<p>Any advice?</p>

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<p>From the [MIT</a> website](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/more_for_deferred_students.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/more_for_deferred_students.shtml): “You do not need to “improve” your application, or redo/edit/modify part or all of your application. You were deferred because your application was already strong enough to make you a contender in the Regular Action round. Let your application stand.”</p>

<p>I don’t think it would hurt to let them know about some new ECs on your midyear report though (like if you recently participated in a math/science competition, for example). I don’t know about sending in extra recommendations, but I doubt they would help unless they contained new information about you that was not already on your application.</p>

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<p>Well, the recommendation I have in mind, my guidance counselor really wanted to include in the initial application materials but didn’t because it was from a science teacher (which I already had a pretty good one from a different science teacher).</p>

<p>What kind of updates would be worth talking about? Would creating/holding a math competition for the middle schools in my school district count? or Starting a science olympiad team and entering my school in math competitions count? I started planning last semester but didn’t mention anything on my application b/c I didn’t know if everything was going to work out (teacher sponsors, participation, etc.), but now everything is running pretty smoothly</p>

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<p>I was also deferred EA, and I sent an additional recommendation… Don’t know if it will help, but I figure it can’t hurt.</p>

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<p>Starting a science olympiad team…I recently started one at my school, and you might want to check as to when your regional competition registration is due. Ours was due last week.
good luck!</p>

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<p>oh our team is already started</p>

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<p>I think extra recommendations / essays are overkill - everyone who I know who was deferred then admitted just sent in an update letter - like, ‘these are the things I’ve been doing, this is exciting news I got’ etc. etc. I waited until mid-February and sent mine, IIRC.</p>

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<p>How can MIT seriously think that 3500 people are competitive in the RD round when they will only accept less than a third of that, including the RD applicants? Methinks MIT didn’t even read all the EA applications and just deferred the ones they didn’t get to… </p>

<p>I was considering sending another essay since I don’t think I covered myself fully in the EA round. But apparently MIT doesn’t even consider essays to be important; they’re just “considered.” [MIT</a> Office of the Provost, Institutional Research](<a href=“MIT Institutional Research”>MIT Institutional Research) C7</p>

<p>RD is probably going to be one huge crapshootfest and I’ll just stop worrying about it and see what happens.</p>

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<p>If essays don’t get people in, then I don’t know why some people I know got in… unless it’s just quotas from schools/areas</p>

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<p>^^^ Well, the Tech headline did read “A Record 17% of EA Applicants Rejected: Less False Hope This Year” IIRC :P</p>

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<p>Correcting some misconceptions here:

No.</p>

<p>And

No.</p>

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<p>@feuxfollets The link also lists character/personal qualities as VERY important (in fact, the only item there under that category). I’m sure the interview and essays are very crucial towards showing character/personal qualities. Maybe the essay being “considered” doesn’t preclude the fact that the essay may show a great deal of personal qualities, which would then help in the other category?</p>

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<p>so essays = overkill
even if they emphasize my personal traits more than the other essays?</p>

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<p>I think that if you honestly feel that something - be it an essay, a rec, whatever - reveals a crucial and impressive side of you that wasn’t covered before, you should send it.
Regardless of what anyone says, I don’t think it can hurt you. If anything, MIT will decide that they don’t want extra info and ignore it.
And if sending something extra is what gets me rejected - well, then I’m not sure I want to go there.
So if it really reveals something important about you, I say go for it. It can only help, right?</p>

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<p>it should only help… but for many schools, they might just get annoyed and think that you are arrogant or insecure</p>

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<p>The thicker the file, the thicker the kid.</p>

<p>Send things in on the midyear report if you feel that you absolutely have to.</p>

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<p>That’s what I’m worried about. But then, when decisions come around, I think I might regret not sending more…</p>