Matt McGann '00
Apr 30 2013
Decision Day Eve
Posted in: Miscellaneous
Tomorrow is May 1, otherwise known as the Common Reply Date. This is the day by which admitted students need to let colleges know their enrollment decision.
If you're still undecided: How can we help you make your decision? What more would you like to know about MIT? What are your lingering concerns? I am available, as are all of the bloggers, to field questions below in the comments, all the way through midnight tomorrow...
If you haven't yet replied: As soon as you've made up your mind for sure about whether or not to attend MIT, please let us know your decision through the online reply form at MyMIT. You can reply any time today (April 30) or tomorrow (May 1); the formal deadline is 11:59pm on May 1. You have three choices: tell us you're enrolling this fall (Yay! Welcome officially to the MIT Class of 2017!), that you're declining our offer of admission (it's okay, we know you're making the best choice for yourself), or to request a deferral/gap year(s) before enrolling at... read the post »
Apr 26 2013
Getting Back to Normal
Posted in: Life & Culture
It has been a rough couple of weeks in Boston and at MIT. Wednesday's memorial service for Officer Collier has helped us to heal. And tonight, we'll take another step in getting back to normal.
Tonight is the annual MIT Spring Concert. Every April, students bring a major musical act to campus for a huge concert. Going back half a century, the MIT Spring Concert has hosted some of the biggest bands ever, including the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, Aerosmith, R.E.M., and more.
This year's headliner is Macklemore. You know, this guy:
The concert will be in MIT's Johnson Athletic Center. The band Ra Ra Riot will open the show.
While the Spring Concert is not the only venue for major bands on campus (e.g. Nirvana played at the annual Steer Roast in 1990), it has quite a list of bands that have played it:
2013: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis / Ra Ra Riot
2012: The All-American Rejects
2011: Jason Derülo / Janelle Monáe
2010: N.E.R.D. / Super Mash Bros.
2009: Ben Folds /... read the post »
Apr 19 2013
Tragedy for MIT and Boston
Posted in: Miscellaneous
It has been a tragic week here.
On Monday, the Boston Marathon was bombed. Among the dead was 8-year old Martin Richard. Among the injured were Eric and Ann Whaley.
Last night, an MIT Police officer was killed on campus, apparently by one of the Marathon bombers.
As of the time I write this (8:15am on April 19), one of the bombers is reportedly dead, and another is reportedly on the run in Watertown, a city that borders Cambridge and Boston. MIT and Boston people are following the news on the local ABC affiliate, boston.com, and Reddit.
In light of these events, MIT has cancelled classes today, and is urging employees to stay home. The Office of Admissions is closed today, April 19, and our information sessions and campus tours are cancelled. You can read more on the MIT homepage.
There are some nice stories coming out of this. For example, MIT sophomore Emily TenCate almost immediately put together an initiative to buy all of the MIT Campus Police officers breakfast this... read the post »
Mar 15 2013
FAQ: Waitlist
Posted in: Miscellaneous
I know that students on the waitlist have lots of questions; hopefully this post will be helpful.
How does the waitlist work?
We are aiming for a class of about 1130 students this year. Based on our estimates of the percentage of admitted students who will attend (known as the "yield"), we admitted 1548 students. However, it isn't possible to exactly predict how many students will attend this year. To help with the uncertainties, we also keep a waitlist of students.
Is the waitlist ranked?
No.
How many people are on the waitlist?
We offered fewer than 4% of applicants a spot on the waitlist. Not all of those students will choose to remain on the waitlist.
Can you tell me where I am on the waitlist?
No, because it's not ranked. We will reconsider all of the waitlisted students again in May, when we know how many students remain on the waitlist, and how many we wish to take from the waitlist.
How many people will you admit from the waitlist this year?
It is... read the post »
Nov 21 2012
Turkey Time
Posted in: Miscellaneous
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Office of Admissions will be closed from Wednesday afternoon, November 21 through Monday morning, November 26 for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (see below if you'd like to learn more about one of MIT's Thanksgiving traditions).
So that you know: we are not receiving or responding to any e-mails or phone calls during this period; email or call us again after Monday morning, November 26 (I will do my best to answer questions in the comments of this blog entry in the meantime). We also will not have any information sessions or campus tours during this holiday.
If you are an Early Action applicant and your MyMIT tracking shows a missing component, please fax it to 617-687-9184. Note that documents received during the holiday will not be processed by the office until a few days after the holiday. Please do not send multiple copies of documents during this period.
If you are a Regular Action applicant and your MyMIT tracking shows a missing component,... read the post »