Did you ever get the feeling that the Internet is full of nonsense? Well, you're not alone.
Tomorrow is the second annual Blog Action Day, when thousands of bloggers dedicate their blogs to talking about one important topic to drive the popular discourse towards more important topic than lolcats...hopefully.
This year's theme is poverty, and a couple of MIT bloggers are planning to participate. If you have a blog, you should too! Check out the website above.
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Responses to questions:
BrittanyL, a '13 hopeful asked a really good question: Wow, great examples, Cristen and Laura, thanks so much for posting those. I visited MIT last month, and since then (even more than before), it's become the greatest center of my hopes for my future. Your essays provide great examples--and for students as anxious about the outcome of their apps as I am, that's wonderful.
I have to ask, though... (despite not wanting to acknowledge it as a possibility) I know that a percentage of this years' applicants (as with every year) simply won't get accepted.
So, when you were applying, what other colleges had you picked out as secondary options? I have some in mind, but none of them seem to match up to the great style and culture I see at MIT. Did any of you find other places with similar spirit during your application season?
Thanks for your help, and the great insight you provide to those of us looking in from the outside (though hopefully not for long!) :D
This is an excellent question. Just to give you a few ideas: if MIT hadn't admitted me, I think I probably would have ended up at Case Western Reserve University. Stevens Institute of Technology is another good technology school in Hoboken, New Jersey, but it was way too small for my own personal tastes.
For another perspective on this question, we can turn to the one and only Matt McGann. Starting with this entry (published on October 17, 2004) and this entry (published on November 14, 2004), Matt takes a minute at the end of each blog entry to mention a great school that often gets overlooked by students because it doesn't have the name recognition that people sometimes get too caught up in. Definitely worth a look, even if it's from back in the day. ;-)
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
Posted by: 0 on October 14, 2008
Posted by: Piper on October 14, 2008
Re: colleges, my other choices were:
1) University of Michigan (being from MI myself, this would have been a fantastic deal paying in-state tuition because they have one of the highest in-state/out-of-state differentials, and who doesn't like feeling like they're getting a great deal?!)
or
2) January admission to Cornell. But once they asked for a $200 deposit, I decided to stick with MIT.
Posted by: Mikey on October 14, 2008
And NOBODY likes traitors! It's even worse if you apply to Caltech, get accepted, become a hacker and commit hacks that are competing against MIT.
Posted by: Ehsan on October 14, 2008
Posted by: Laura on October 14, 2008
"A few prestigious schools that cost $50,000 or more a year have made more aid available to families earning well into six figures. At Princeton, for instance, virtually all families earning as much as $200,000 qualify for grants covering half of tuition or more." (Yahoo News)
Do you think MIT will be one of the few "prestigious" schools not to offer such a package?
Posted by: 0 on October 14, 2008
Posted by: Ehsan on October 14, 2008
Posted by: 0 on October 14, 2008
Posted by: 0 on October 15, 2008
Posted by: Monorina on October 15, 2008
I just do not understand all that hype – but I do not mind to participate, not in the least. Although I do believe that “writing about poverty” is not the same as “fighting poverty itself”.
And even though I believe that poverty of mind (if I use the terms correctly) is way worse – since this is the only reason there is technical, monetary poverty in the world.
Posted by: ioni on October 15, 2008
Scholarships (financial aid) are need-based at MIT. There are no merit-based scholarships. There are plenty of students who have been accepted to MIT and attend here, but do not receive any scholarships (from MIT) because they do not demonstrate any financial need. Those students are wise to apply to outside scholarships that are offered in their community and nationally to help with the cost. It is a common misperception that smart students receive merit-based college-funded scholarships and it is simply not true at most selective universities.
That said, the level at which financial need is determined varies. At MIT, a family income below $75,000 will allow a student to attend tuition-free. At Princeton, a student may receive financial aid of some sort if there family income is below $200,000.
The internet is a great resource for finding scholarships. Your local newspaper will also feature press releases for local scholarships. Do not overlook the many community organizations and businesses that offer scholarships such as the Elks, American Association of University Women, Optimists, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Kohls, Burger King, etc. Most of these local chains award scholarships to local students. The list goes on and on. Start looking now as some are due in the next few months. A $1000 scholarship here and there ads up. My student was awarded over $10,000 from local scholarship opportunities. You can't receive scholarship money if you don't apply.
Posted by: anonymous on October 15, 2008
I just want a look at it
Posted by: Monorina on October 15, 2008
Posted by: Laura on October 15, 2008
My Caltech/MIT story kind of resembles Laura's EC/BC story...I went into REX (or rather its equivalent, the month of April) with my mind made up, was surprised by how much I liked Caltech, did a minor bit of soul-searching, and didn't change my mind. It just jumped from fifth or sixth on my list of colleges to second. I'm really glad I'm where I am now, but I'm sure there are many other schools where I would thrive.
Their admissions websites just don't compare, though.
Posted by: Lainers '12 on October 16, 2008
Posted by: Brittany '13 Hopeful on October 24, 2008
I created this blog about that subject:
at http://tinyurl.com/6p6lb8
Posted by: cheritycall on October 27, 2008
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