But I digress...last Friday morning I was assigned to do the session. Now, I knew that the application was due to be go live this week but we hadn't announced yet precisely what day it would be. I did however get to give to those 250 lucky (?) people in my session a preview of what was to come. As I made my big announcement, the shock wave rolled across the room. There were looks of surprise, happiness, and even some frustration as those present absorbed what I had said. I watched in interest as potential applicants looked at their families and then looked at each other. It was an interesting thing to watch. For, as you see, we have made that most interesting of changes to this year's application...we have decided that for our purposes that the long essay is obsolete...

When you look at the new app (yes, I know, many of you already have) we really hope you'll like what you see. It will look familiar, obviously, but there are some interesting changes and we hope you'll like them. We spent a lot of time this spring thinking about how to make it more interesting for you and helpful to us. We understand that condensing your life onto just a few pages of paper is tough so we decided to try and make it easier for you to tell us, in your words, exactly who you are. Yes, the basic things are much the same: grades, scores, awards, activities, short answer questions. Those things are all there as they help us to understand who you are. But the exciting part is that there really is no long essay this year, nor is there the need to decide whether or not the "optional" essay is really optional. Instead what you will find are three short essays (200-250 words) which ask about a time you used your creativity, ask you to describe "your world", and a significant challenge you've faced. We're looking for honest answers, what first comes to your mind when you see the questions...we want to know who you are and your application to us is your chance to tell us.

So, if you haven't done so yet, now is the time to get your my.mit.edu account and get started! Oh, and by the way, don't forget to check your my.mit.edu account for your Educational Counselors name and contact information while you're at it. They are looking forward to meeting you so set up that interview soon. You'll be glad you did!

Last fall I moved into the MIT Alpha Phi sorority house with 60 MIT undergraduate woman as the Residential Advisor (RA). When I was an undergrad, sororities were just beginning to find their place at MIT so there were no women living in sorority houses although there were women living in one of several independent living groups. I lived in Baker House, often referred to in those days as the largest fraternity on campus, but without the ties of sisterhood that bind the women I now live with on our campus. According to the job description,

RAs serve as mentors, role models, guides, and resources for the students who live in the 36 fraternities, sororities and independent living groups

I've really had a good time living in the house this year. I have dinner whenever possible with the residents of the house enjoying the chance to hear about their classes, what professors they like the best, and which exams were the hardest as well as the last movie they saw. I ride the shuttle bus with them in the morning and Saferide at night but I like it best when the "girls" wave at me in the "infinite corridor" or in the Student Center. I look forward each evening to when I get to take a break and go down to the tv room and watch Gossip Girl, Gray's Anatomy, or an old episode of Friends enjoying the chance to spend a few minutes of downtime enjoying a snack (raw cookie dough from the freezer is my favorite). Everyone in the house has truly made me feel like a part of the family this year! But what impresses me the most is the way the girls work together. Responsibility for the house is shared by all and everyone is expected to do their part. A typical Saturday may require doing a bit of housework before settling in for a day of studying but will generally end with a group going out to get some dinner and then going to a movie or campus party. The fact that the girls live, study, play and eat together helps them to create bonds that will last a lifetime.

So that now brings me back to why I got up so early today. "Study breaks" are also a part of my "job" and mine tend to be more of the breakfast variety. Each semester during finals week I get up extra early for two mornings and make sure that there is a hot breakfast ready before the residents of the house go off to an exam or back to their studies. I love breakfast myself, and like it even better when someone else makes it. Plus, my mother always told me I needed a good breakfast to start the day. I guess this is my way of carrying on that tradition.

A colleague asked me the other day how I liked living in the house and I responded very quickly that it had surpassed all my expectations. Will I be returning for another year, you might ask. In truth, I wouldn't miss it for the world! And yes, I'll be making breakfast during finals week...

Parent’s Hospitality Lounge Grab a cup of coffee or tea and chat with current MIT parents as well as other parents of MIT prefrosh. Also, learn about the MIT Parents Association and the Parent Connector Network from current volunteers and staff.

Financial Aid Appointments Have questions regarding your financial aid package or the financial aid process in general? Either get your questions answered immediately by the Financial Aid Counselor on-hand or schedule a 20-minute appointment to speak one-on-one with a Student Financial Services representative.

Events

Parent Welcome on Thursday night at 7:30 pm Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Donald Sadoway, John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry, will welcome the Class of 2013 parents to Campus Preview Weekend.

Parent Reception with Parent Connectors and Alumni on Friday night at 5:00 pm Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association and the MIT Club of Boston, this reception is your chance to meet and mingle with Parent Connectors, Educational Counselors and other MIT Alumni. Presenters include Phillip Clay, Chancellor and Professor of City Planning, and Kim Vandiver '75, Dean for Undergraduate Research.

Insight for Parents by Parents is Saturday morning at 8:30 am A panel of current MIT parents will be on hand to share their insights and answer your questions. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association.

Parent Connector Saturday Night Drop-In After the closing variety show join us “Under the Great Dome" for an informal gathering hosted by the Chair of the MIT Parent Connectors.

Panels & Sessions

Residential Life at MIT Our on-campus residential community boasts 12 residence halls, 38 fraternities, sororities and independent living groups as well as a wide variety of dining services. Karen Nilsson, Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life, will lead a discussion covering life in residences, residential support offerings, activities, dining options, roommate matching and more.

Come learn about all aspects of UROP at MIT, including how to participate, what type of research is appropriate, what to expect from the program, and more. Discussion will center on the experiences of the UROP student panel as moderated by UROP staff.

Financial Aid Presentation Parents and students are welcome to attend this program on the hows, whys and whens of financial aid at MIT -- how we determined your financial aid award, when your supplemental forms are due, how to pay your balance, how to find on-campus student employment, and how your online student account will work. Director of Student Financial Aid, Daniel Barkowitz, will address these issues and more, as well as answer your questions.

Four Panels for Parents Learn about the many kinds of interactions that occur between students and faculty at MIT, and the wonderful collaborative environment in which they work and study together. Find out about the many ways students get involved in and lead campus activities and athletics that help to enhance areas of intellectual, personal and social development. From MIT Medical to Student Support Services and safety, MIT's campus features a widespread and multi-layered care system for the mind, body and spirit. Discover more about each of these areas on Saturday afternoon.

Open Houses

Multiple open houses will be held over the weekend. These include areas relating to Medical Services, Careers Development, Hillel, Global Education (study abroad and more), Pre-Professional Advising (Pre-Med and more), departments, and housing.

And for the rest…

I’ve named just a handful of the events created with you in mind for CPW and I hope you’ll take advantage of as many of them as you can. But with so much to do how can you really get the most out of the experience?

I hope you’ll ask lots of questions. It’s the way our students learn and will work for you too. Current students are great resources so don’t be afraid to ask them about their experiences.

I hope you’ll be open-minded during your visit with us. While my parents did ultimately understand why I wanted to be at MIT, I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face when I told her I was moving into a co-ed dorm. I was, after all, her "little girl".

Pick an event where you can meet up with your student each day (perhaps the President's Welcome on Friday and the Closing Ceremony on Saturday) but mostly let them “do their own thing”. It’s the best way for them to figure out if they are comfortable and at home on our campus.

Bring comfortable shoes and a jacket or sweater. Evenings can be cool here in the spring and it will even occasionally rain (just like on Red Sox Opening Day last week).

Most importantly I hope you’ll take some time to explore Boston while you’re here! You could be making several visits to “our fair city” over the next few years and a beautiful spring day is a great time to discover Boston and Cambridge.

Let me know if you need a restaurant recommendation...

my.mit.edu

In a few days this year's applicants will find out if they have been Admitted, Not Admitted, or Waitlisted for the Class of 2013 and I know you all are waiting for the news with as much interest as your kids are. But getting the "answer" is not the end of the journey. The next couple of months will not be easy since there are many decisions still to be made. Before things get really complicated I thought it might be worthwhile to offer some of my thoughts on the subject...so these are my "two cents"...

Admitted: Obviously this is the answer that all our applicants want to see when the decisions go live. If this is the message that your student receives I hope you'll enjoy the moment. I certainly would were I in your place. Revel in it a bit, knowing that you can be very proud of your child. When I got my letter many years ago, I wasn’t certain who was more excited about it — my grandfather or me. When the dust settles, you'll need to help your child make some tough decisions. But first, for a few days, just enjoy it.

Not Admitted: To get this answer will be difficult and perhaps a bit frustrating, but at least you will know that the wait is over. The first question students ask if they call our office after they have not been admitted is “what did I do wrong?” It tears at my heart to hear this because I know that they didn’t do anything wrong and have done so many things right that it’s easy to lose count of them all. Sadly we will ultimately say "no" to an amazing bunch of applicants. But those that we don’t admit will find they have great opportunities elsewhere. For that brief moment it may seem like the “end of the world” to them (and fodder for yet another college essay) but we hope they will quickly realize that they will be offered a place at another great school.

Waitlisted: In some ways this one is the most difficult answer to get. Every student on the waitlist is one that we know would be really great on our campus but just don’t have room for. It’s not something we do lightly but it can be very tough for the student. They are in a sort of limbo. This one requires a couple of choices, first accepting an offer of admission elsewhere — which all who are waitlisted should do — then deciding whether or not to stay on the waitlist. Remaining on a waitlist can be hard, giving your heart fully to one school, while still hoping to get in elsewhere and with really long odds. Waitlist variation from year to year (in this decade, one year we took more than 100 students from our waitlist, but three other years we took no one) makes it even more difficult to make the decision. Your support of your children through this period will be invaluable.

Helping your kids through this process, no matter what answer they get, has been a huge task. You’ve gotten them this far and you are to be congratulated for that. With your help they are ready to enter college in the fall and just in case they forget to tell you…thanks for all you’ve done!

From there it was natural that I would learn that a great way to spend an hour and delay doing a problem set was to go watch my friends from Baker House play intramural hockey. They played on the D-league team so it wasn't as much about scoring as it was just getting across the blue line before the puck went back the other way. And then occasionally, for a real thrill, we'd go watch the B-league team play. That group could actually skate and check; it was amazing to watch, but I decided playing wasn't for me since I seemed to have two left feet on the ice.

Now hockey may not seem that foreign to many of you, but remember, I was from California at the time. Hockey was something that was really only discussed every four years during the Olympics. Sure I knew about the "Miracle on Ice" but hockey was for Canadians, Russians, and those hardy souls who came from really cold places like Minnesota and North Dakota. I knew lots about swimming and water polo (and snow skiing, I admit) but not hockey.

But that has all changed. The enjoyment derived from sitting in a cold place, watching a group of people throw each other into walls, "slashing" each other with long sticks, and hitting that little round puck is tremendous. It's become my "guilty pleasure" and it all started at MIT.

****Time Passes****

I decided the holidays were a good time to return home and recharge before Regular Action reading begins next week. So, my vacation started with a blizzard-be damned drive home to New Hampshire for a hockey game. My brother and I were part of a select group of the hardy, devoted, and some might say foolish, fans who ventured to Manchester in the storm for the Monarch's game on December 19th. During the second intermission we threw teddy bears onto the ice that were given to local kids this holiday. Normally, we worry about things flying off the ice but this time we threw them on and for a great cause. We lost the game, that was sad, but we survived the storm and brought home our holiday "schwag" from the game. Over the last few months, I've amassed quite a collection, a bobblehead of the mascot Max, a puck, a plastic hockey stick, a miniature sized jersey on a plastic form, Atlantic Division champion pennant, and now a "Max" Christmas ornament, also of the bobblehead variety, creating what my brother refers to as "the shrine" on my office shelf. He shakes his head all the more when he hears me yell, "come on guys, convert the power play this time," calling the players by name as if I actually know them. I send him email messages that say things like, "Zeiler's back, Westgarth has another black eye, Boyle has been called up again, and Gabe's out this week with an injury." He looks at me with an expression that asks, "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

So thus far this holiday, I've been to two games in Manchester. Today my brother and I will head to "The Gahden" for a Bruins game where they will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The tickets were his Christmas gift from me, with the string, of course, that I got to go to the game too. One of the benefits of being at MIT is access to the MITAC. They buy blocks of tickets for events in the Boston area and offer them at a discount to MIT students and staff. Previously I've bought discounted movie tickets, and gotten a membership to Costco but until I go to the Nutcracker next year the hockey tickets are the best thing so far. Yes, I'll head to a Monarchs game once more before I end my time off, so it will be a total of four within two weeks. A heck of a way to spend the holidays, if I do say so myself. This winter, you'll probably find me some night at Johnson Ice Arena (HoJo's) watching the men's or women's team play. I'll be the one with the huge grin on her face.

See you near the blue line!

So what will we see then? We'll see more detail about various projects you worked on or groups you belonged to and worked with. The reports will discuss in depth those activities that were most important to you and why. They will also talk about what you added to the project, how you helped overcome a difficulty encountered by the group, or what you learned from the experience. The report will also talk about why you would be a good addition to the MIT community. ECs know MIT, went to school here, know what it was like and what kind of people and personalities enjoyed their experiences as a student here. They tell us how you would fit into the lifestyle, culture and community here at MIT. Sometimes they'll say they would love to be your lab partner or roommate if they were to be a student at MIT today. While they don't compare you to themselves or to their friends, they do try to envision you here on the campus, walking down the infinite corridor, going to classes, swimming at the Z-center, working in the labs or playing ultimate frisbee in the Great Court. It's pretty cool, actually.

What the reports also don't say is if you should or shouldn't be admitted to MIT. ECs know that they don't have enough information to tell the Admissions Office what to do. Nor can they tell you if you will be admitted so please don't ask them what they think your chances are. Getting admitted is not like handicapping a horse race or buying a ticket for the lottery. The only similarity to a game of chance is that you "have to play, to win". ECs can't tell you your chances because they don't have all the details about you when they write their reports or meet with you. The interview is just one piece of the puzzle that shows us who you are during the selection process.

And now for today's helpful hint :-) Regular Action applications are due on January 1. The deadline to contact your EC for an interview for Regular Action is December 10th, but I'd recommend you contact your EC much sooner than that and try to have completed your interview by December 10th if possible. You'll be glad you did!

The best way to find out the name and contact information for your EC is to log in to your my.mit.edu account. There you will see the name of your EC and the best means to contact them (usually via email or telephone). Each year we match up prospective applicants to the ECs in their area. Some ECs interview for just one school so you and several of your friends may get the same EC while in really large schools, more than one EC may be assigned. But most ECs are assigned to you simply because they are the closest one to where you live. We want to make this as easy as possible although in some cases the EC may be some distance away. In a case like this it’s great if you are able to still set up a meeting, perhaps by each agreeing to drive a distance and meeting somewhere in the middle.

Once you know who your EC is, get in touch with them via email or by phone. If you email them include a subject field in the email that says something like “Request for MIT Interview” That will help ECs find your request if it should end up in their spam folder. If you’re calling them and leave a message, give your full name and phone number if you are asking them to call you back. Try to speak slowly and clearly. If you talk too fast they won’t get the whole number and won’t be able to return your call. One year when I was interviewing students I had two people on my list with the same first and last name and when the first one didn’t leave his phone number I had no idea who I should call back. It was quite a comical at the time but still frustrating.

When you contact your EC give them a little time to get back to you--a couple of days at least before you begin to worry. They are busy too so may not be able to respond right away. After a couple of days, it’s fine to contact them again. It you don’t hear back after the second call, consider contacting the EC office at interview@mit.edu and we’ll see what we can do to help you get in contact with them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help but do give them a little time to respond.

It’s not necessary for you to have completed your application before you contact your EC. Waiting until you have may mean that the EC doesn’t have time to interview you before the deadline so please don’t wait. They are able to see if you have submitted portions of your application on the EC website during this process but they are NOT ever able to see your actual application. They only things know about you when they meet you is your name and your school. If you have a particular question about the application I know they would be happy to offer advice but do not feel that you need to share it with them. Your application does not provide the basis for your interview, you and your interests do.

For those of you who are applying for Early Action, keep in mind that your deadline to contact your interviewer (and preferably have had your interview:-) is October 20. You and your EC both have a deadline of November 1 to submit materials to us so if you haven’t yet contacted your EC about an interview I suggest you do it right away!

Most of the comments/questions I received last time had to do with what the ECs look for, what questions they ask and how they evaluate the student. I can’t cover all of it at once 'cuz it would just be too long but I’ll try to make a start here.

There isn’t any one piece of your folder that will cause us to admit or not admit you. Instead it’s about the complete picture of who you are as a student, as an individual, and as a citizen of your world. You don’t make up for one part of the application with another but each adds another piece to the puzzle which when completed is the picture of you. There is no bad essay or bad interview report for as long as they are honest and reflective of who you are they are of value to us in the process. A number of students called me last year because they were afraid they had had a bad interview so wanted another one. Sadly, we don’t have enough ECs to allow everyone to try again but I do know that every time I checked with the EC about the interview they didn’t feel the interview had been bad at all and each one had great things to say about the student.

During the interview ECs will ask you a serious of questions and most you will not be able to answer with a simple yes and no, but that’s a good thing. The more descriptive and complete your answer, the more fun the interview will be. They won’t ask you about your scores and grades but they will ask you about things you like about school or different activities and then they’ll ask you to tell them more about what you like best about the things you do. An EC told me recently that she was always looking for that subject that made the student’s eyes light up when they talk because that showed her what they found most interesting. I’m not saying we expect you to light up a room (although perhaps we could solve the energy crisis that way:-). Instead, just talk about those things that are of greatest interest to you—the things you’d miss doing the most if you had to give them up.

The downside of the admissions process is that we don’t as admissions officers get to meet each of you personally but instead only get to know you by what you and others write about you. The interview is one of the ways that we can personalize the information. ECs don’t make decisions about whether or not you are admitted to MIT nor do they tell us who we should and shouldn’t admit. Fortunately for them (and sometimes unfortunately for my colleagues and me) admissions officers have to do that. In fact, when you ask them what your chances of being admitted is, they just can’t tell you because all they know about you is what you tell them. We DON’T tell them anything else.

So the best way to prepare for your interview is to plan to talk about yourself and the things you like. The EC will like you and you will like them. You already have lots in common. They love MIT as much as you do, or they wouldn’t be sitting there.

I left Boston on Wednesday last week to head for the West Coast. After an early morning trip to the Manchester, NH airport (that 4:00 am alarm seemed just way to early) I arrived in Seattle in time to go to our Central Meeting there hosted by Dean of Admissions, Stuart Schmill ’86. We had a great group of students and families who attended (one young woman came all the way from Hawaii) and a terrific group of Educational Counselors (ECs) too. The Seattle/Tacoma group of ECs obviously enjoy their interviews each year and they were out in force that night working with the staff members in attendance to check in the students, answer questions and just generally be helpful. One of the ECs, Gregg Lobdell also took some great pictures that night, but I can't share them until I figure out to upload them to the blog :-(

On Saturday (yesterday) those same ECs spent their afternoon finding out how to be even more effective as ECs on behalf of the Admissions Office and of course, the students they meet. To give up a gorgeous weekend afternoon to sit in a meeting room in a library says a lot about their commitment to the process and what being an EC means to them.

So, I’ve spent the last several days in Seattle, WA at a national conference for admissions officers and high school counselors among others. I’ve learned from those at other schools about their experiences and tried to talk especially to those who run alumni programs within their offices like I do. Not all schools use their alumni/ae volunteers the same way we do but I’m proud of our program and feel it works well for us. One by one I’ve said goodbye to colleagues as we’ve gone our separate ways to continue our travels to meet all of you on the road as well as old friends who were at the conference too.

So now I find myself on an airplane in the early morning heading to Sacramento for the first central meeting of my California trip. Over the next ten days I’ll be in Sacramento, San Francisco, Lafayette, and San Jose doing public meetings. I’ll also be stopping in to visit high schools in those same cities as well as in Stockton, Modesto, and Palo Alto to name a few. It’s kind of a whirlwind tour but I’m excited about my trip because I’ll get to meet lots of you in the process. I know I’m going to enjoy being in California and I look forward to seeing you there!