Hi everyone,
I'm taking a short break from reading applications today to answer the many questions that have been showing up in my blog comments. Hope these answers help!
Have a wonderful and safe thanksgiving.
-B
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Ron wrote: "hey i miss the october test for the SAT because of the department here in India. so they arrange make up test in october 28th but i could attend it for that. now i got a problem in november test due to clash of my exam and i couln't give it. in december i have my exam again for SAT. so i couldn't complete my test on time that had set up by the MIT. the latest for me to complete is on january test so pls advice how i could manage it."
Take the January test and make sure to send your scores to MIT. It should be okay.
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Michael Roberts wrote: "I was wondering why MIT does not recognise Chemistry A-Level. I find this baffling. Also, as my final grades come out in August 2007 will MIT make a conditional offer i.e. I will need to get three A's to gain entry to MIT."
I'm not sure of the answer to your first question, so I'll ask the international admissions guru. To answer your second question, we'll use your predicted scores to make our admissions decision.
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J.J. Minkoff wrote: "I gave my recommendation letter for social studies and English teachers to a teacher who no longer teaches at my school, and, as of today, he had not sent off the letter. Is this enough to invalidate my application?"
Definitely not. We will track it down if we need to. If it still appears to be missing, please try to have it faxed to our office - (617) 258-8304.
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'10 wrote: "I've heard rumors that current students can see their admissions files (teacher recs, admission's comments, etc...). Is this true? Where do we go to see them?"
No, admissions comments are destroyed after decisions are made. You can see the top part of your admissions summary card which contains a bunch of data that you already know anyway. Pretty boring, but you're welcome to come check it out.
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Shuja wrote: "Is it ok if my MV Cal and Physics C grade reports are in by the end of January to mid-February? They are online classes, so it takes some time to process the reports. Also, can I send in a research paper I did?"
My buddy Evan '10 actually answered this one in the thread. He wrote: "If you're applying EA, then the admissions staff aren't expecting to see senior year grades at all, and if you're applying RA, mid-February should leave them with plenty of time to make an informed decision. As for the research paper, Matt talks about that in his entry on supplemental materials." Quick answer: we prefer summaries or abstracts to big papers. :-)
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Ed wrote: "I was just curious if MIT recieved the scores of the October SAT II's. Also, though you don't set a cut off score, what is the average score of accepted students for the Math Level 2 or Physics Subject Test?"
First question: I think we have, but I'm not 100% sure. We'll definitely have them before we go into selection in December. Second question: I'm honestly not sure. I'll ask Matt what he thinks about adding it to the stats page.
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Kwan wrote: "Um, my chemistry teacher wrote my letter without having looked at the MIT evaluation A form. Would her letter be fine, or should she remail another letter, this time with the MIT evaluation A form filled out and attached?"
Her letter should be fine, no worries.
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Ying-Ying wrote: "If parts of my application (like transcript) are lost in the mail or through whatever other catastrophes, will I be informed of my file's incompleteness and allowed to send whatever is missing?"
We will track down any missing pieces that we need before reviewing an application.
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Arash wrote: "So are decisions going to be online in December? I'm trying to figure out how heavy-duty I need my F5 key to be..."
Our goal is to release decisions online at noon MIT-time (EST) on Saturday December 9th. Decisions will also be sent via postal mail around the same time. I won't be able to confirm 100% until we're a bit farther along in the process, but I'll let you know if anything changes.
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Anonymous wrote: "Hi, I just found out that there was a form that needed to be filled out for the interview. Where might one find such a form?"
I'm not sure; please check with the Educational Council office by writing to interview@mit.edu.
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a1228w wrote: "In my physics honors class last year, we only covered mechanics and waves; we never even mentioned E&M. If MIT demands the SAT physics, will they consider my situation when looking at my score?"
Context is always considered. The key is to make sure we have the context! So make sure to mention this somewhere in your application, in question 14 perhaps.
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Brandy wrote: "Is it acceptable to substitute a humanities/social science/language teacher recommendation for a guidance counselor recommendation?"
We recognize that not all guidance counselors submit recommendations. If you'd like to submit an additional recommendation you may, but it's not necessary.
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Worried Applicant wrote: "I thought I had submitted my application a couple of minutes before midnight, but apparently when I checked the application today, the last line said that I submitted it Nov. 2, 2006. Does this mean I will be automatically deferred?"
Definitely not! If we really cared, we'd just shut off the online app at exactly midnight. :-) You're fine.
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AnotherApplicant wrote: "I'm an applicant from Indonesia. If I had decided to send my application by mail, should I include my MyMIT account name inside so I can track it? What if my scores (SAT, TOEFL) arrived before my Part 1 applicaton? Will they be held or discarded?"
You will be able to track your application online whether you apply on paper or electronically. You don't need to do anything special to set it up, other than registering for a mymit account, which it sounds like you've already done. If your scores arrive before your application, a file will be started for you - the order in which we receive things doesn't matter at all.
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Reg wrote: "If you guys do use the predicted grade to see if you're accepting people, what's gonna happen if they get worse than predicted? Like a predicted A applicant got a C or something. The MIT admissions site says we need 4 years of English. For people in the UK system, would that mean 4 years from Year 10? or from Year 7? What if we don't take English for A-levels, does it make us have only 2 years of English? And does taking very specialized courses in A-levels (like all sciences and maths) affect admissions in MIT, or any US university, since US has more emphasis on broad education?"
We'd look at that on a case-by-case basis. I wouldn't recommend getting a C, however, if your predicted score is an A. :-) MIT doesn't require anything for admission; the "4 years of English" is a recommendation. We understand that there are exceptions, especially for international school systems which can be quite different. Courseloads that are heavy in science and math are definitely not a bad thing when applying to MIT, although I don't know enough to comment about other US colleges and universities.
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Jacqueline wrote: "I applied Early Action, and marked my physics subject test as the one I would like to use for my science. However, on a whim, I decided to also try at the chem and bio ones while I took my math one today. Will MIT admissions just consider my highest score?"
Yes, we'll receive all of your scores and only the highest will be considered.
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Mike wrote: "For the SATs, I took chem, math I, and math II today. On the app there was only room for two tests, so I marked math I, figuring it'd be the higher score. After walking out of there I am not so sure. Since my scores are automatically sent, you'll see that I took all three anyway, right? And scores are evalauated in context? Because I haven't had chem since last year and I forgot a few things!"
Yes, same answer as the previous question. :-)
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A Transfer Hopeful wrote: "I am trying to gain transfer admission to MIT (transferring from a 2 year school). I have filled out all the transfer information but never took an SAT II. How important is this for a transfer student to have if I have already taken Physics III and Calc III? Will they look at the grades for these courses instead of looking at an SAT II score?"
I'm not on the transfer admissions committee and I don't read transfer applications, so I'm not the best guy to ask. But I'd say yes, grades are most important, but you should still try to take the SAT II if you can. I don't think it's too late.
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Adam wrote: "I took the October SAT I and just recently took the SAT II (November 4th). I just got my scores back from the SAT I, and they were way below what I was expecting based on my other test scores and classroom performance. I have a bad feeling now about the physics and chemistry portions of the SAT II as well, as they contained a lot of material I had never been taught, even despite taking all of my school's offered physics and chemistry classes. I was just wondering how much a couple of poor test scores will detract from my application..."
It really depends on how "poor" they are and how they fit into the overall context of your application. Scores are important, but at the same time they're one of many components considered when making an admissions decision.
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srk wrote: "hey... i'm not able 2 log on 2 mymit or find my online app... or find info about my interviewer... please help."
You'll need to write to our office at admissions@mit.edu for help with logging into mymit.
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Leo wrote: "If I graduate one or two years early and attend the local university (Univ of British Columbia), can I still apply as a freshman when I am in the normal age group?"
If you are simply taking classes there, you may still apply for freshman admission to MIT. If you have enrolled in a degree-seeking program, however, you will be considered a transfer applicant.
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Rajko wrote: "Are science olympiads (like International olympiad in Informatics, International Mathematic Olympiad, etc.) important when deciding whether will someone be admitted or not?"
International Olympiads are of course very impressive. That said, they are one of many things that can impress an admissions committee. :-)
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Ruben wrote: "When should the checks next to the evaluations and transcripts appear?"
At this point, if you have applied EA and are missing any evaluations, school report, etc., you should have them faxed to our office - (617) 258-8304.
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Kelly wrote: "Should I be worried that my secondary school report isn't processed yet? My school says they've sent it..."
Please see above.
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Anonymous wrote: "I'm curious, is the whole big envelope small envelope thing true, or just a myth?"
The package for admitted students will indeed be significantly larger than the deferred and denied letters.
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Stephan wrote: "Hi! Will you also review international transfer applications? Then you will read about me someday. I am from Germany and I'm so excited about applying to MIT!"
Unfortunately I don't review any transfer applications, whether domestic or international. :-(
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Anon wrote: "My second quarter only ends in late january - is that when i should send in my mid-year grade report?"
That is fine.
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Edward wrote: "Hello. Among those who give responses here, I think I must be a unique one. Because the purpose I came here is to make friends. Well,I am a freshman studying at DUT (Dalian University of Technology) China. MIT has been my dream since I was at middle school. And at the same time I think more communication with students abroad is necessary for us. So,can we make friends? My email address is napleonlew@yahoo.com.cn. My major is Electronic information engineering & English. Thank you."
I love it when people use my blog to connect and make friendships around the country and the world. Hope you get some great pen-pals Edward.
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Karen wrote: "There used to be another girl that blogged. Anne, I think. She was Asian... What happened to her?"
Anne is involved with many things at MIT and found that she simply didn't have enough time to keep up with her blog.
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Arash wrote: "You use a Mac? I'm disappointed in you, Ben! ;) Any stats you can give us, like maybe a target date for when decisions will be released?"
Macs rule my world. I've actually turned down job offers after finding out the offices were PC-based. There is simply no substitute for a Mac! :-) See answer above for decision release date info.
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David wrote: "How much are school grades considered for admission? The explanation of disciplinary action is supposed to be almost as long as the essay, can I use it for both? ;) Why is sec. 15 - affirmation of accuracy under the "Completely Optional heading" on the pdf?"
Grades are probably the single most important factor in any decision. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending how you look at it), most of our applicant pool has great grades, which is why admissions decisions are never driven by grades (or scores).
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Jane wrote: "Hi Ben, what do you think about the Jian Li's case against Princeton?"
I can't comment much on that because he applied to MIT last year and obviously I can't discuss any of our applicants, past or present. But I'll say this: from what I understand, the case depends heavily on numbers (scores/grades) to make its argument, which shows a woeful lack of understanding as to how decisions are actually made. Re-read this entry to see how numbers are used in our process (summary: grades/scores are very important but will never drive a final decision); that will hopefully help you to draw your own conclusions...
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Anu wrote: "I already know my interviewer. Will this be a problem during my interviews, or do I need to try and set one up with someone else? I've taken 3 college math courses so far and will have taken 4 by the time I graduate from high school. Would I still be able to get transfer credit for them even if I got credit for them on my high school transcript as well? I have official transcripts from the college, but I know some schools won't accept credit if my school gave me credit for it anyway, even if I didn't need it to graduate."
Great question about the interviewer - I'm not sure what our policy is on that. Please write to interview@mit.edu and explain your situation. I'm also not sure about the credit question, but I'll inquire and edit this when I get an answer.
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Anon wrote: "I took my SATs and ACTs in october and subject tests in november, and asked that all the scores be sent to you guys. However, on my application tracker, they say they haven't been received. should i panic?"
No, don't panic. We get them in bursts from the testing companies, sometimes only once a month. It should be fine by December when we go into selection.
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A wrote: "When do we get EA decisions?"
On December 9 if all goes according to plan. See above for details.
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Anonymous wrote: "When do Regular action applicants get to know ur decision...? And the ones on the waiting list?... When our tests on our complete course material are taken in jan... which would be after i've sent in my application... can we send our grade updates?... Email it or mail an official report?... And updates of other achievments?"
It's too early to predict RA decision release dates; the deadline to apply is still a month away! :-) I also have no idea if we'll go to the waiting list this year - that depends on many factors. You can always send in updates, grades or otherwise, to admissions@mit.edu or via postal mail at the usual address.
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I also want to publish some answers I gave on College Confidential here because I think they're important.
Can you find a quote from an adcom at an elite college saying that "we do not distinguish between a 2400 and a 2250"?
No problem. In most cases we do not distinguish between a 2400 and a 2250. The exception would be a breakdown of 800/800/650 with the 650 being in math; obviously we'll consider if the 150 point difference is entirely in one of the three scores. But we don't distinguish between a 750 and an 800 on any single test. Period.
...even if one adcom at MIT says a 760 is the same as an 800, it is impossible to get the opinions of every adcom on the matter.
Not true - at least at MIT. Any of my colleagues would tell you the same thing, including the Dean, Marilee Jones. One of her favorite quotes is "we're looking for excellence, not perfection." And 750 is excellent.
The directive from the top down is to use scores solely to measure our confidence in an applicant's ability to thrive academically at MIT. A "7" at the beginning of any score makes us plenty confident assuming the rest of the app is solid. Even scores with a "6" at the beginning can be fine in many cases. Once you've demonstrated that you can thrive academically at MIT, it's everything else that actually gets you admitted - what you will bring to the community, whether you're a good match, etc.
How these things correlate with the various graphs and curves of "successful" SAT scores that people like to publish and reference I couldn't tell you. This sort of hair splitting is certainly not on our minds when we're deciding whether or not to admit someone.
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
Have a good Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Daniel on November 22, 2006
Also, Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Benjamin on November 22, 2006
Posted by: Dan S. on November 22, 2006
And Dan, yes, I didn't mean to imply that there was any kind of cutoff. One score in the 500's isn't going to keep someone out of MIT if the rest of the application is exceptional.
Posted by: Ben on November 22, 2006
Thanks Ben for answering all of our questions.
Posted by: Brandy on November 22, 2006
1) Would it be inappropriate/discouraged to get a recommendation letter from a current MIT undergrad student? (not just because he/she is at MIT, of course...)
2) Do you remember specifically (or can you imagine) admitting anyone... (I'm wondering. This isn't necessarily true)
(a) with a 3.5 gpa (including several B's in math/science).
(b)without special accomplishments (such as high school research, or competition in science olympiad, etc., even though the applicant is from a region where such oppurtunities are available)
(c)who has been suspended (for a computer related, non-academic violation)
(d) a + b + c + with a passion for math/science
Thanks for your response, and for your time!... (yes or no answers are perfectly fine)
Posted by: NoOneInParticular on November 22, 2006
Posted by: glairflair17 on November 22, 2006
A also have a question. How bounding is one's choice about the department and program one points in his/her application? Is it possible for example (in case one is admitted at all) to have pointed School of Engineering in one's application and decide to go to School of Management?
Posted by: Mihaela on November 22, 2006
I am not an admissions staff representative, but I'm fairly certain they will tell you that decisions about department and program are NOT made on the application, but rather at the end of your freshman year. They know that it would be ridiculous to make such a binding decision before you've even seen what each program has to offer!
Posted by: Daniel on November 22, 2006
Daniel is correct. MIT does not admit at all based on expected major and students don't declare a major until the end of their freshman year, or even the middle of sophomore year if they want to stretch it out.
Also, Macs are amazing. Period. I had to send mine in for service and I've been using all Windows and Linux machines, and it's very, very painful. And no, I don't just use Macs because they're pretty. BSD underpinnings rock at least as much as the eye candy. If you look around most college campuses today, you'll find that college students as a whole agree.
Check out this article from some other Cambridge school for example.
Posted by: Evan Broder '10 on November 22, 2006
Posted by: Olivia on November 23, 2006
The New York City Dept. of Education internet filters automatically blocked this website (www.mitadmissions.org) from being viewed on all school computers. Reason why? The filters detected the word "hack" and labeled this site as off-limits.
Other than that, Happy Turkey Day.
Posted by: Sampson on November 23, 2006
but say we push it further, would a 2100 (690 800 600) be considered the same as the (750 750 750) 2250 which would be considered the same as 2400?
Posted by: anonymous on November 23, 2006
I'm an early applicant for the class of '11, and I've been lurking around here for a while - (since I'm finally speaking up) I'd like to say thank you for all your hard work. You've made me appreciate how much heart really goes into this process.
Just out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on (I guess particularly on the assumptions/judgments made in) this NY Magazine article?
Thanks - and happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Yuri on November 23, 2006
And i agree! Mac's Rule! Enjoy reading my app!
Posted by: Sarab on November 23, 2006
and happy Thanksgiving over there!
Posted by: AnotherApplicant on November 23, 2006
another question: from what i remember, you need a science/math teacher rec and a humanities/language teacher rec. do they have to be a teacher teaching you currently? i haven't taken a humanities or language subject for A levels, can i ask my GCSE teachers? or is that too long ago to count?
many thanks!
Posted by: Reg on November 23, 2006
i just wanted to ask if we have to send our tofel scores before the application deadline to be considered for admission.
Posted by: muneeb on November 23, 2006
This sounds totally strange coming from me, the ultimate worrier O.o Maybe 'cause it's Thanksgiving and I know I get to pig out on stuffing soon =)
Happy turkey day everyone!
Posted by: Melissa on November 23, 2006
How can we make sure that supplementary materials were received? I sent in some music clips to the auditions e-mail on the website and never got confirmation. Should I just assume it went through?
Thanks,
Michelle
Posted by: Michelle on November 23, 2006
The recommendations do not have to come from a teacher who is currently teaching you. I did not have either of the teachers that wrote my rec letters senior year. What's important is that they can help to build the picture of who you are as a person, not just as a collection of grades numbers.
- Evan
Posted by: Evan '10 on November 23, 2006
Many schools will also tell you that you should have had the teacher junior year or later so that they've had recent experiences, but I don't think that's a hard and fast rule at most schools of MIT's caliber.
Posted by: Evan '10 on November 23, 2006
Thanks!
Sarab
Posted by: Sarab on November 23, 2006
on that same note, how would a 720 on CR on the SAT I be percieved?
Posted by: 0 on November 24, 2006
Posted by: Dan S. on November 24, 2006
Posted by: Samiue on November 24, 2006
Is there an acceptable way of adding updated information to the already submitted EA application, such as recent participation in Intel, and another competition that was not mentioned on the application?
Thank you,
Mark
Posted by: Mark on November 24, 2006
Posted by: Chaitanya Ambati on November 25, 2006
quick question. how holistically would you say MIT reviews applications?
i have been talking to my guidance counselor quite a bit lately and just by some of the things she is telling me, i have come to be quite nervous about applying to MIT. i know that my test scores do not fall in those middle 50% ranges, and i really do not know where i would stand.
now, i don't believe MIT has a cutoff test score, so i guess what i am asking is if MIT will still seriously consider the rest of an application even if the numbers are not quite there.
Posted by: Joshua Villanueva on November 25, 2006
...and i just read that response about the big/small envelope thing. oooohhhh man. that makes me very anxious/nervous.
Posted by: Joshua Villanueva on November 25, 2006
Posted by: Saurav on November 25, 2006
Posted by: Saurav on November 25, 2006
Posted by: Fahad on November 25, 2006
QUESTION: Once I submit Part 1 of the application, is a file created for me to recieve the paper mails that are sent by my school, or must I complete part 2 as well?(because my school has an internal deadline of Dec. 1, on which it will send out the all the mail parts of the app. but I want more time to work on my essays in part 2)
Posted by: anonymous who hasn't had a turkey dinner for 8 yea on November 25, 2006
I have been sometimes visiting this blog from the time i read ur entry following last years decisions, which was actually quite moving...
anyway, the main reason i post is that i am in a spot of bother! My interviewer according to the MyMIT profile is in another city (which happens to be my bithplace) but i reside in another one. So i e-mailed admissions@mit.edu so they might help me out here, but have not got a reply as yet. i am going to mail interview@mit.edu right now about the problem, but i think it would be great if u can tell me exactly what to do.
I know, it might be a little late, but i really want to go for the interview because of obvious reasons...An immediate reply would be most appreciated
Posted by: Jawwad on November 25, 2006
Did the admission office get my TOEFL scores?
I requested them to be sent to MIT like a month ago but it seems like you guys haven’t received yet.
I’m being worried because I have applied to EA and the decision will be made soon.
I really want my TOEFL scores to be considered for the decision.
Thanks
Posted by: Rebecca on November 25, 2006
These replies are really useful, thanks!
Posted by: Keshav Raghavan on November 25, 2006
Posted by: Ziyue Wang on November 26, 2006
Posted by: Melissa on November 26, 2006
Your application will be read by a committee of experienced MIT admissions officers. We are familiar with many international school systems, including, but not limited to, the IB, A Levels, the French Baccalaureat, and CBSE, and we assure you that we will understand your curriculum and your context.
..and CBSE...
that's the Central Board of Secondary Education(India)..right?
Posted by: Saurav on November 26, 2006
I'm an international applicant.My predicted grades for the A Levels are not as good(probably) as the rest of the applicants because my school's exams were really tough.My school also follows the policy of predicting the same grades as the school preliminary exams.Would you advise on still applying to MIT?
Also, in my country the SAT2 subject tests is only offered in january. should i just apply to sit for it and will MIT take into consideration my scores?
Thank you (:
Posted by: international applicant on November 26, 2006
1)TOEFL
2)SAT Maths Level 1 and Biology.
Do you discriminate betwenn Maths Level 1 and Level 2?between sat reasoning and TOEFL?
would that affect my application
Many of the topics in SAT maths level 2 and biology,chem,phy r those that we havent covered in class in our school system.Would that affect my chances?
Also, nowhere near the 450 km radius of where I live is any kind of GCSE,IB or AP offered.I only do what is taught in the school though my performance here is really impressive,would that affect my application.
should i mention all these point on my application.if yes,where?
Would extra curricular activities like rigrous quizzing help my application?
What should i do.pls help me.
thanks.
Yours,
Ranjodh
Posted by: Ranjodh Dhaliwal on November 26, 2006
I attend a university for 3 classes and high school for 5 classes. My high school is not affiliated with the university and will not receive my college grades. What should I do for the mid-year grade report?
Thanks,
EA applicant
Posted by: 112358132134 on November 26, 2006
Could you give us an update on how the admissions process is going? Are you still reading applications individually, or are you now officially admitting/denying/deffering people?
Also, what sort of things are people denied for in EA?
Thanks!
Posted by: Melissa on November 26, 2006
I forgot to put on my self reported course work that I am taking AP Psych, but I did list it in the AP Test section and it will be on my transcript. Hopefully this doesn't affect my application.
Posted by: Tom on November 26, 2006
My name is Adelin Miloslavov and I am applying to MIT. I am orignally a Bulgarian citizen but I am also a U.S. permanent resident. I need some help with a problem in my application. The MIT application requires a copy of my green card to be sent along with it. Since I'm applying online I don't have a way of sending the copy with the rest of the documents. Therefore, I want to know if it would be a problem if I give a copy of my green card to the college counselor in my school to send it along with my secondary school report? If this is a problem can you please explain to me in what other ways I can get the document to the university. Thank you.
Posted by: Adelin Miloslavov on November 26, 2006
two quick questions. does the admission's office review the additional materials sent even after the application has been reviewed already? and is there a way for me to know if they have even arrived?
Posted by: lucy on November 27, 2006
i'm siva,from india.i have been trying 2 contact my interviewer by phone, for the last couple of days,but am not able to get through.please tell me what to do,as i have mailed him as well & have not received a reply, so far.
Posted by: siva on November 27, 2006
Posted by: Hammad on November 27, 2006
I'm just a sophomore right now but with my brother applying to college I've been swept up in the frenzy. MIT seems somewhat surreal- I've talked to some alumni, and it got me wondering, do the people there get as big a kick out of simply learning and applying their knowledge as it seems like they do? Also, I know you keep stressing the idea of competitive grades- hypothetically will a sprinkling (say 3 or 4) of B+s in AP classes throw one out of the loop?
Posted by: Kiran on November 27, 2006
Posted by: Willy on November 27, 2006
Posted by: Chris on November 27, 2006
Posted by: Tomo on November 27, 2006
I'm an 08 student here at MIT! I actually was interested in blogging as well for the admissions office, where can I get more information on it? I totally think this is a great idea, and would love to help share the awesome-ness of MIT.
thanks!
Stephanie
Posted by: Stephanie on November 27, 2006
Posted by: LHS on November 27, 2006
Thanks a lottt for those answers!!! Umm...one more question, apart from all those physics and math intl olympiads, would an intl robotics olympiad look good on the app???!!...pls...pls do reply!!
Happy Blogging!!
Posted by: Shashank Sheshadri on November 28, 2006
i'm an international applicant..so i dont have to submit the midyear grade report...but canthe secondary school report and transcript be submitted around the beginning of feb?
..if not...if my grades improve..and i send the updates...will they be considered?...and do i email them or mail an official grade report from the school?
Posted by: indian '11 hopeful... on November 28, 2006
Posted by: Guyomar on November 28, 2006
In my online application, there is space for only 2 SAT Subject Scores. I took 3 and got the same number of points on each, how can I include all three scores? BTW College board has sent MIT all 3 scores. Is that enough?
In the online application, if I cannot find my school, does it automatically give me a code of 6999999? Should I put in the name of my school, or leave it as 'NO SCHOOL AVAILABLE'?
Posted by: Manu Hegde on November 28, 2006
I am an international student, therefore I wrote 'SAT Subject Tests' [Math Level 2 = 800, Physics=800, Chemistry=770]. I will write SAT Reasoning and TOEFL. Which one of the two, SAT Reasoning or TOEFL, would you consider during the admission process; moreover what if there is a big difference in SAT score and TOEFL score? For instance: if I get 2000 in SAT and 110+ [out of 120] in iBT TOEFL, would the low score in SAT decrease the chances of my admission to MIT despite a relatively much better TOEFL score; please note that English isn't my first language, so while I am sure I'll score 800 in Maths in the SAT Reasoning Test, I won't be able to score equally high in Critical Reasoning and Writing Section. I have written a paper; might I submit the paper or should I submit a summary of paper?
Posted by: International on November 28, 2006
Posted by: Hopeful on November 28, 2006
For the SAT II Math, I took it twice and the score went down from 700 to 610(I was sick on this day). I'm sure I'll be able to raise it up to above 750 if I take it one more time. Does MIT consider all the test scores or just the best one?? Is it bad to take the same test three times??
Posted by: freaked out on November 28, 2006
I wrote it in javascript and PHP, so the clock is synced with my server's clock and should be accurate within a second no matter what time zone you live in. If you find any errors in the code, or just wanna chat, e-mail me at dryawgmoth_at_gmail.com
Anywho, december 9th is just around the corner, so good luck everyone!
Posted by: Dan Beard on November 28, 2006
I want to send in some certificates that relate to my extra curiicular activities and I feel will shed some light into my overall personality helping you in your admissions process.I know you dont need certificates but I feel those will give you a broader look about me.
should I send those in?
Atually,
I am very nervous because i dont have a plan B.If i get into MIT,good,if i dont ,i would try again next year but not join any other institution.Its been my dream to be in MIT since long.
pls help me.......
Thanks.
Ranjodh.
Posted by: Ranjodh Dhaliwal on November 28, 2006
I was wondering what exactly the policy is for standardized testing from January.
I ask because of some poor planning on my part (a good excuse, I know). I had not planned on applying to MIT until Thanksgiving break due to my opting for a senior year with three foreign languages in place of a senior year with chemistry. I regret not taking chemistry now, but as an applicant to mostly UK schools (where one specializes immediately), I wanted to branch out in a subjec I'm interested in before focusing entirely on my chosen subject, economics.
As a result, I have no SAT 2 Science tests. After finding out I needed on last friday I immediately bought the Princeton Review's study book and read about 120 pages, before realizing that in no way will I achieve an adequate score (I have not taken physics since 10th grade...last year I took robotics and electronics). And a bad score would be seen by all my other schools (which might admit me, as compared to the likelihood of MIT admitting me given my school's admission statistics at your institution and my lack of chemistry courses).
I am very interested in your institution, but there is no way I can take the test this month (poor choices on my part, I know). Is there anyway that I can take it in January?
Posted by: Robertson on November 29, 2006
i recently came to hear that mit and other ivy league universities do not take more than one international student fromt the same school!!!!
i want to know whether this is true or not....
can somebody please answer my query???
Posted by: adnan on November 30, 2006
Posted by: j on November 30, 2006
Posted by: Shana F. on November 30, 2006
i am an international student(india) and plan to apply to mit in future. i was wondering if you considered ALL school grades for international students...for eg. would a 'd' in vernacular(hindi, bengali) be a problem. I haven't got a 'd', but it isn't unlikely...
what grades do we need to send in...as in, how many years(11 & 12, or 9 to 12)?
also, mit is probably not familiar to our board of education(cisce/isc)...is that a problem?
Posted by: aroy on December 1, 2006
Posted by: Andre on December 1, 2006
I heard that MIT especially looks for kids who show extraordinary curiosity in a certain field. Mine would be assembling electronics.
I have a pretty impressive school project and I wanted to send the report to MIT.
I ran this by my counselor and she said, "When a college recieves 20000 applications, do not add much extra unasked stuff".
What are your thoughts? Should I send it? Should I carry it to my interview.
Yours faithfully,
mh
Posted by: Manu on December 1, 2006
I'm very impressed that you took the time to answer all the small picky questions that we as applicants constantly run into. Thank you!
Oh and I want to give props to the people who wrote the MIT application; it's alot more relaxed than other schools' applications! I wasn't quite sure whether I should apply because I my test scores aren't up to par at all (my chemistry and math 2 scores are start with 6's!) It's somewhat comforting to know that it still doesn't hurt to try.
Thanks for the time you put into helping out the applicants because we really appreciate it!
-Sonhee
Posted by: Sonhee on December 2, 2006
Thanx
Posted by: Zhexi on December 2, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving.
Dear Ben,
You replied to Dan's query that SATs in 500s do not matter, i have my CR score in 400s and all maths tests ie, Ic,IIc and SAT 1 maths in 600s and physics in 700s. The point here is that my app otherwise is best you can probably can get from my country, the only downfall seems to be SAT scores.
Iam a school topper from 2 years. Have some exceptional talents and researches which even an undergrad will feel hard to dream of.
But here people say that as my SAT is not enough, it will become a deal-breaker and MIT and i will not even qualify the app gateway and will br rejected rightaway, is that true?
and yes,
i have toefl of 263 (CBT), will that substitute enough for CR section, plz help!
Posted by: 0 on December 3, 2006
I am an international applicant. Let me explain you my case,, SAT math: 600s,SAT Cr/V : high 300s. And i am going to do the SAT subject test of Physics/Chemistry/MathIC. Most likely ill get 600+ in these 3 subjects espacially math and chemistry. And i got in TOEFL ibt 93. Since i got what MIT requires for TOEFL, will this TOEFL grade cover my SAT CR/V grades. Also, my grade in english in school is in the mid-high 80s. Also i have won two national awards in math and chemistry. And many academic awards. I ranked #1 in class with an average of 95.4 in grade11. So basically I only have the problem of the SAT CR/V.
Posted by: International app.. on December 3, 2006
Posted by: Steve on December 4, 2006
Posted by: International app.. on December 4, 2006
who is 'they' in yer last reply?
and 93 in iBT is a req., not competitive!
Posted by: 0 on December 4, 2006
How are you,, They: admissions office. Since I am an international app.. they look at whatever is higher either SAT or TOEFL.. FROM WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?? Have a nice day..
Posted by: International app.. on December 5, 2006
Posted by: Stenburgen Ruwa on December 6, 2006
Posted by: Arvind Ragunathan on December 6, 2006
So the question is whether to contact by phone to check on status. When to do it? How often?
My son tells me that he can check status online and assumes that you will let him know if something is missing. However, With the work load, will anyone at admissions really be able to let an applicant know if info is missing or needed? If an applicant's admissions is in the balance, would missing pieces of info tilt the balance towards rejection? But then might pestering not do the same?
On the other hand, conventional wisdom seems to suggest regular contact with your office show stong interest. [My son's response: I applied, didn't I?] It would also allow applicants gain insight as to what else to send in to strengthen his or her application.
So how and where do you draw the line?
Posted by: Wendy on December 9, 2006
Posted by: Rob on December 10, 2006
Posted by: John on December 15, 2006
Posted by: Anonymous on December 18, 2006
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