Early Action Season

I submitted my application last night! But I made a mistake and selected Essay B when I actually wrote about Essay A. Who do I contact about this?

Posted by: Molly (13?) on October 30, 2008

Yay Parts 1 and 2 turned in!

Posted by: Karen on October 30, 2008

Yay, I was first!

Posted by: Molly (13?) on October 30, 2008

Wrapping up part two as I browse...the...blogs?

Posted by: 0 on October 30, 2008

@Molly: No need to contact anyone. We'll have figured it out. Have a great Halloween and a great weekend!

@Karen: Double yay!

Posted by: madmatt on October 30, 2008

Yesssss I submitted last week. Now I just have to finish my other EA app and I can rest for a little bit.

Posted by: Ilyanep on October 30, 2008

^ Thank you! I guess it's pretty obvious from my essay which topic I meant, anyway.

Posted by: Molly (13?) on October 30, 2008

Yes! I'm finally done with the application.
Now comes the hard part...waiting for the decision.

Posted by: Isadora on October 30, 2008

hahaha yayyy i submitted both parts, but this wait is so hard...ever since I submitted it, I've been having dreams about MIT. For some reason, Baker House and the movie 21 seem to prominent aspects of my nighttime fantasies...

Posted by: hamsi on October 30, 2008

One of my explanations for my activities is 43 words and it would be very difficult to cut it down to 40. Is this okay, or should I attempt to fix it?

Can I submit a resume in addition to filling out the awards/activities section on the application? If so, how?

Thanks so much! :D

Posted by: Mickey on October 30, 2008

All submitted! I'm so glad that's over with... now time to play the waiting game.
I keep on telling myself it's only a school, it's only a school... and then I laugh at myself because that's the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever said to me.
Can't wait 'til December...
Good luck everyone!

Posted by: Lexy on October 30, 2008

I plan on submitting both parts of my application at around 2am tonight/tomorrow morning. i'm just more of a night person that's all.

Posted by: 0 on October 30, 2008

wish I was doing ea.. I'm basically done with all my essays anyways... then I could know by december
but I still have to take SAT IIs in december.

Posted by: deng on October 30, 2008

"but really, if you're clicking submit at 11:59:59pm 11/01/08, you're doing it wrong."
Correct
It is really hard to know the exact server time at MIT. I have to have complete knowledge of the server time and has a machine can synchronize with it.
There are also internet delays one have to think of. A submitter should investigate the internet traffic data and come up with a model to predict the amount of time it would require for the submitting process.
If I submit at 11:59:59pm 11/01/08, there might be a possible delay, or my clock is 0.2 second too slow and other unpredictable making it actually get recorded in the database at 11/02/08.

I would suggest
11:59:50pm 11/01/08
for click the submit button.

Posted by: Mgccl on October 30, 2008

Oh man this is really sad. My essay blog will not make the EA deadline =(

Oh well it definitely will make the RA deadline!

boo to being hosed :(

Posted by: Oasis '11 on October 30, 2008

I submitted my application around October 10th and mailed my essay separately...so now all I can do is wait.

I'm pretty much at peace with it, though, although it is quite exciting that after so many years, MIT will send *me* a response to *my* application.

Exciting! Good luck to all my fellow applicants!

Posted by: Claire ('13?) on October 30, 2008

Yes, it's so good to be done with it. It's much less stress.

But I must laugh. Because I had already been 'harassing' my counselor to send in the recommendation, only to find that he had mailed it two days ago, oops.

Posted by: TBOL3 on October 30, 2008

Err... Hi Matt,
Can I (an international applicant) submit some extra material with my application?
Namely a participation com merit certificate from a regional science fair and such like.

Posted by: wesh m on October 30, 2008

Gah. I've finished part 2 but can't make myself click submit, just in case I come up with a better essay topic during school tomorrow.

Posted by: Kelly ('13 Hopeful) on October 30, 2008

I must say, it does feel quite rewarding. Now I just have to take the subject tests Saturday, my Halloween festivities will consist of some hard-core Biology studying, it is worth it though.

Now for the waiting part...oh the agony

Posted by: Coleen on October 30, 2008

Good luck everyone! This is so exciting!

Posted by: Aimon on October 30, 2008

out of curiosity, how many of you (anyone reading this) wrote both optional essays? or just one?

Posted by: rob on October 30, 2008

To Rob - I wrote both. I had come up with a few ideas for each one and I e-mailed my guidance counselor. She suggested I write both of them, so I did.

Posted by: Lexy on October 30, 2008

"out of curiosity, how many of you (anyone reading this) wrote both optional essays? or just one?

Posted by: rob on October 30, 2008 09:04 PM"

-I wrote the first one, about something I have created.

Posted by: Coleen on October 30, 2008

@wesh: Supplements are welcome, but you need not submit certificates.

@rob: There are not two optional essays. There is one optional essay. There is also a text box; it does not call for an additional essay. (It's fine if that's what you use it for, but that's not why we put the text box there)

Posted by: madmatt on October 30, 2008

reading blogs and wrapping up part 2 seem to compliment each other pretty well =]

@rob..i just wrote one optional essay, i just took the advice from the MIT Application Guide, "this essay really, truly is completely optional."

Posted by: barackthevote on October 30, 2008

I wrote the one optional essay. And for the second part, I actually split it into two short essays.

Anyway, I would like to know some of the cool things that you guys made. I wrote about an audiobook that I recorded for LibriVox.

Posted by: TBOL3 on October 30, 2008

Matt - I'm a little confused. Questions 13 and 14 were both marked completely optional and both had a prompt... I wrote an essay for both. Is this a problem?

Posted by: Lexy on October 30, 2008

Hi - just read your above comment again and realized that you already answered my question. Thanks

Posted by: Lexy on October 30, 2008

Haha, finally finished pt 1 and 2!

Time to relax!

Posted by: Vincent on October 30, 2008

Matt, I have a problem! I am a Questbridge applicant, but I can't apply EA because I can't take any SAT Subject Tests until December 6. When I got on my myMIT account, the tracking thing showed I was applied as Early Action...how do I fix it? I wanted to apply EA, but extenuating circumstances prevented that, :(. Also, since I got chosen as a Questbridge Finalist, can I still apply with the MIT application if I want to? or can I only forward the Questbridge app? Please let me know!

Posted by: Rebecca on October 30, 2008

Finished mine last week, it's going to be a long month and a half...

Posted by: Matt A. on October 30, 2008

Matt, I also have a problem. I was looking through the pdf file of part one of the application. Anyway, I noticed that it said that my mother was dead. But she is very much alive, and in college right now. Does this hurt me?

Thank you.

Posted by: TBOL3 on October 30, 2008

Is there any way that I can send in a supplmentary resume, in addition to filling out the activities/awards section on the part 2? Would that be okay?

Posted by: Mickey on October 30, 2008

@Mickey I'm no expert on the matter, but the application clearly wants you to choose your 5 most important activities

@TBOL3 I wrote about the computer I spent an entire summer building

Posted by: rob on October 30, 2008

I'm done! It's such a relief.
It's a little scary though to think that it's all out of our hands now.
Good luck everyone!

Posted by: Kasey on October 30, 2008

i sent my part 1 and 2 in last week.
i'm so excited/nervous! =D

Posted by: Katy on October 30, 2008

I just clicked the submit button and guess what??!!

"The MyMIT web site is down temporarily for extensive maintenance. It is scheduled to be back up at the end of today. We apologize for any inconvenience." !!!!!!!!

Ahhh! What do I do?

--also, is it ok if a science mentor sends in his recommendation later than Nov. 1st?

Posted by: Lin¬≤ on October 30, 2008

i almost forgot.

Good luck everyone, and congrats on beating procrastination!

Posted by: Lin¬≤ on October 30, 2008

AH! I am the epic fails! I haven't yet turned in my full application for EA!!!

Posted by: Ben on October 30, 2008

I finally hit the submit button last night and it is definitely a relief to finally be done. It is nice knowing that I won't have to revise the essay again.

At the same time, it is still a little nerve-racking waiting for December to come.

Posted by: EJ Bensing on October 30, 2008

WHY IS THE MYMIT SITE DOWN?!

Posted by: 0 on October 30, 2008

Rob - "out of curiosity, how many of you (anyone reading this) wrote both optional essays? or just one?"

I wrote the optional essay as well. I think I am the ultimate FAIL student as I forgot to set up an interview until today.... I believe I deserve the loser award for worst attempt at EA to MIT.

Posted by: Evan on October 30, 2008

@Lin¬≤ I know that guidance counselors get a few days leeway, so I'd assume (or hope) teachers get the same. After all, if you do your part, you shouldn't be held accountable if your teacher is a day or two late.

I'm in the same boat, my science recommendation comes from a teacher known for his procrastination with college recs..

Posted by: rob on October 30, 2008

I finally muster the courage to click the submit button- only to find that the site is down. Gahhh

Posted by: Nate on October 30, 2008

You'd think that with all of the money from tuition, the website would be stable enough to handle all of the applications. Ha!

Posted by: Evan on October 30, 2008

Why is the site down?! I am so ready to get this out of my hands and just wait :D

Posted by: Kelsey on October 30, 2008

Matt -- Do I have to rush my SAT scores for EA? Collegeboard says that it takes 2-3 weeks for my scores to reach the school without them being rushed.

Posted by: Megan on October 30, 2008

ahhh the site is down, I guess I'll try again tomorrow morning or something.
Definitely rockin the lab coat for Halloween tomorrow.

Posted by: Jon on October 30, 2008

Yes it feels so nice. For once in my life I didn't wait until the very last minute! Now I can study for my SAT subject tests haha. Anybody else taking them saturday?

Posted by: Bobbi on October 30, 2008

About supplementary materials... how can we confirm that they've been processed? And does the architecture faculty know which students are applying EA, so that those portfolios get reviewed on time?

On one hand, my nerves are as unstable as a rising thermal when the ELR > DALR (sorry, horrible meteorology joke

I just had to do it.)
On the other, it *is* really reassuring to know that everyone reading my app is nice and friendly and won't frown at the lack of tabs in my essay.

YAY.

Posted by: Reena on October 30, 2008

Bobbi-"Yes it feels so nice. For once in my life I didn't wait until the very last minute! Now I can study for my SAT subject tests haha. Anybody else taking them saturday?"

Yes, I am taking them as well! Oh what a fun morning after Halloween!

Posted by: Evan on October 30, 2008

Any info on when it'll be back up? Thanks to a project I won't be home tomorrow to finish, and I was RIGHT about to send it.

Posted by: Emilia on October 30, 2008

Procrastinate? ME?! I'd NEVER! Of COURSE I have my essay done. Yessss...

(frenzied typing and much tearing out hair ensues)

Posted by: Hilary on October 30, 2008

Bobbi: I, too, am taking them on Saturday. Taking both Physics and Math Level 2. It was rather humorous watching my Physics Teacher's face go white when she realized how much I had to learn on my own.

Note: We only learned kinematics in physics because of time constraints.

Posted by: Colton on October 30, 2008

Evan: My hometown held our Halloween celebration on Wednesday. No problems here!

Am I the only one that barely had time to work on the application between work, school, and athletics? It's always fun to finally get a chance to finish the application and find that the site is down.

Posted by: Colton on October 30, 2008

Colton: I too had trouble finding a chance to finish it with work, school, and homework

Posted by: Evan on October 30, 2008

I'm pulling an all-nighter so I can go trick-or-treating tomorrow. It's gonna be painful (my eyes) but when I think about all that candy...

Posted by: Tiffany on October 30, 2008

@ Colton: I sort of have no life, my problem is I've been so busy stressing over it and trying to figure out what to say that I boxed myself into a narrow space of time. I JUST finished. But now I have the common application to fill out.

I wish the site were up again, there are a bunch of things I really need to change now that I've done a bit of soul searching.

Posted by: Hilary on October 30, 2008

@ Tiffany: Same here!

Posted by: Hilary on October 30, 2008

Evan: Aye, homework does indeed make the situation of time much worse.

Hilary: I also couldn't figure out what to say. Now that the site is back up, I'm just going to write as I would write essays, blog posts, articles, and etc. normally.

Posted by: Colton on October 30, 2008

Is anyone else having trouble paying? The payment site won't accept ANY of the five or six cards I tried to pay with.

Posted by: Emilia Amalfitano on October 30, 2008

Hmmm... to hit submit now... or to print it out and have someone review it and hit submit tomorrow...

Posted by: Matt Musselman on October 30, 2008

Just a note. My school, John Foster Dulles high school, in Sugar Land, Texas includes test scores on the back of the transcript. My tracker said the transcript was received but not the scores. Do the admissions officers check the back? Just a possibly unnecessary heads up to the admissions staff.

Posted by: 0 on October 31, 2008

Matt: I'd recommend having someone check over for spelling errors and just to see if they can make sense of your application.

Posted by: Colton on October 31, 2008

@ Emilia: Same thing happened to my dad's discover card. Try using a mastercard.

Posted by: Tiffany on October 31, 2008

Tifany/Emily: MasterCard should work. I used my mother's for my payment. Heck, I have the card memorized.

Posted by: Colton on October 31, 2008

just clicked submit

good luck to all whom have submitted and more luck to those still working

Whatever happens happens, but success will find those who find it

Posted by: Rhymo on October 31, 2008

I'll have three essays this year:

1 about my personal perspective
1 about my research experience
and 1 about my passion and future plans

Posted by: Yangrui on October 31, 2008

hmmm...most of the ppl are done with their applications...and still a large no. of ppl(international applicants) are waiting..i think MIT chould open EA for international students as well...

Posted by: International applicant on October 31, 2008

YIPEE!

I clicked the submit button, ZOOM!! it goes into the Black hole.
I feel so so so so so so... excited.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE (of course EA applicants).
We will all share pictures of our MIT tubes with each other in December.

Posted by: Navdeep on October 31, 2008

Remember all International Students that we cant do early action!

Posted by: Ehsan on October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Posted by: Banerjee on October 31, 2008

@Anonymous: You need to have official test scores sent from the testing agency. The ones schools send don't count.

Posted by: Becca '12 on October 31, 2008

DONE!!!... actually I sent in everything like a week ago

... Worked on this application for over a month... I don't know if I can work this hard on any other app.

Posted by: Kiran on October 31, 2008

wht if we send scores from 2 different test administrations(for example: one test was in june and the other one was in october)for SAT1 then which score will be considered by the admission council.

Posted by: anonymous on October 31, 2008

guyz im not a US resident...can i apply EA?

Posted by: Ahmad on October 31, 2008

I previewed my application, and some punctuation stuff is missing from my uploaded main essay. Um, anyone else finding this?

Posted by: Alice on October 31, 2008

i am an international student. i haven't submitted the application yet.

Posted by: 0 on October 31, 2008

the above 1 is me.

Posted by: hiral patel on October 31, 2008

Hey, I wanted to apply Early Action, but I am neither a citizen nor a permanent resident. But my guidance counselor mailed my recommendations and all that good stuff already.
Is there a way that you can put those things on hold until the Regular Deadline?
P.S. I am not done with my application yet.

Posted by: Sravya on October 31, 2008

Hi Matt! Glad you're back at MIT

-Fiona from Singapore

Posted by: Fiona on October 31, 2008

@Sravya: Internationals cant apply EA. Most of my stuff's done,tho. I'm yet to click submit on part 2 altho I've done it.
I used both the optional text boxes for essay. The thing I wrote abt in the 2nd essay is pretty important to me, and I had to put it in somewhere.
I gotta wait till end of march. I will check admissions only after my 12th board exams are over( maybe by 30th march/1st april or something) as I don't want a possible rejection to upset my exams. I'm sensible.

Although I don't know if I'll be able to stick to that. I must. I must. I'm already training myself by foregoing temptations.
Good Luck to all EA applicants.

Posted by: Monorina on October 31, 2008

I'm a bit worried by the large amount of people who wrote the secondary essays. If I don't write them, will that negatively affect my application?

I want to tell the admissions committee everything they need to know about me, but at the same time I don't want to overkill. Is there such a thing with the optional essay(s)?

Posted by: 0 on October 31, 2008

For the EA ,I got everything done but the Standard TestÔºéI will stil take them on Nov..Do I have any disadvantage?

Posted by: Tina Wang on October 31, 2008

If i mail something after the nov.1st deadline,would my application be denied or simply deferred? Does anyone know? :(

Posted by: Sahk on October 31, 2008

about mit tubes... do you only get that if you're accepted? is it just a letter if you're denied?

Posted by: deng on October 31, 2008

early action is for those who live in the u.s ... right?

Posted by: Ala on October 31, 2008

Parts 1 and 2 = done baby!

Posted by: Alim on October 31, 2008

Tubes have been sent traditionally to EA acceptees only (not for RA). Don't know why, except there were twice as many accepted RA as EA last year.

Posted by: 0 on October 31, 2008

The scariest thing about this whole admissions process was re looking over part 1 and realizing I had spelled business wrong...twice.

I've gone over my part 2 application literally about 8 times - every sentence, every word, every comma..it's been quite hectic and stressful haha.

But from what I've read, I don't think the admissions people at MIT are the type of people to deny me because of ..two.. misspelled words? hopefully? :/

Posted by: Andrew on October 31, 2008

so uh, what's the purpose of listing your vacations in your summer activities section? could it really help/hurt?

Posted by: 0 on October 31, 2008

Just submitted Pt. 2. After freaking out over the still-empty checkbox and a strange error message, I logged out and came back a few minutes later to be greeted by a big row of check marks. It feels wonderful.

Posted by: Sam R on October 31, 2008

Hurray for procrastination! Meh, panic is my muse. Finished part one and supplements in September, finished everything but the essay by October 10th, now it's October 31st and I'm only 200 words in.

On a completely unrelated note, what are people dressing up as? I had trouble deciding between Frankenstein or his monster. Finally went with the monster (it helps being 6'4" with a bass voice).

Posted by: Eric Carlson on October 31, 2008

Finishing up last minute details tonight since I spent my day at the Phillies parade lol =D GO PHILLLIESSS!!!

Posted by: Tom L on October 31, 2008

I'm half done with my essays here, but should probably worry about the SAT Physics and Math Level 2 tests here. It's a pain to only have learned kinematics in my school's physics courses. Ah well, I'll just have to try my best. I'd like to make it in on EA, but the SAT Physics might be the only thing that will kill that.

Posted by: Colton on October 31, 2008

I got this error when submitting my application.

An application error occured at approximately Fri Oct 31 21:25:58 EDT 2008 (...UnresolvableForwardException).

Anyone else have this error?

Posted by: D on October 31, 2008

Isn't it a little late to be reminding people not to procrastinate?

Posted by: Chris on October 31, 2008

Turned in my application this morning!
Best of Luck to everyone else! Although once you click submit, Fate will no longer be in our hands.

Posted by: David on October 31, 2008

Just submitted! It feels so good! Thanks for all your help through this process Matt-your blogs really make it easier.

Posted by: 0 on October 31, 2008

I submitted a week ago...Yay! G'luck to all!

Posted by: KZ on October 31, 2008

Hmph. Do the admissions board see the time/date of the submitted application, and by this i mean, will submitting an application in late will an automatic procrastinator flag go up when they see the application? I mean, I am not a procrastinator, but I like editing things until the deadline, because essays can always be improved. (I pretty much finished everything else a while ago)

Posted by: Phil on October 31, 2008

Sent in 11:59 yesterday. pure relief.

Posted by: Haleluja on October 31, 2008

Matt, can we call in and ask to see if you guys got a supplementary stack of evaluations (the MITES ones) for our application, or do we just trust the USPS did it's job?

Posted by: Ester on November 1, 2008

Yeah! Submitted parts 1 and 2 after trick or treating!!! (^_^)

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

Matt,does taking the SAT 2 too many times look bad on the app. I took my Maths 2 thrice. First time, I didnt know what the SAT was about and just signed up because someone told me to take it( I know, I was pretty ignorant back then.Plus, no one from my town has ever gone to college in the US for undergrad). Second time, I was sick due to food poisoning(I was taking three tests, and the vomitting started right after the 1st one:Chem). Third time, I did okay. So, difference between 1st and 2nd time is 60 pts and difference between 2nd and 3rd time is 100 pts. Does this make me look inconsistent or something? Is anyone going to think that I might just have gotten lucky third time around?
Sorry, but this is stressing me out. And since I have a test on modern physics( nuclear physics,semiconductors and logic circuits) on Monday, the worry isn't healthy. So, I need some help with clearing this up.
Please respond.

Posted by: Monorina on November 1, 2008

Matt,does taking the SAT 2 too many times look bad on the app. I took my Maths 2 thrice. First time, I didnt know what the SAT was about and just signed up because someone told me to take it( I know, I was pretty ignorant back then.Plus, no one from my town has ever gone to college in the US for undergrad). Second time, I was sick due to food poisoning(I was taking three tests, and the vomitting started right after the 1st one:Chem). Third time, I did okay. So, difference between 1st and 2nd time is 60 pts and difference between 2nd and 3rd time is 100 pts.Total difference is 160 pts. Does this make me look inconsistent or something? Is anyone going to think that I might just have gotten lucky third time around?
Sorry, but this is stressing me out. And since I have a test on modern physics( nuclear physics,semiconductors and logic circuits) on Monday, the worry isn't healthy. So, I need some help with clearing this up.
Please respond.

Posted by: Monorina on November 1, 2008

Sorry for the double post. I still live in Dial Up mode.And the connection works at 10kbps. We are going to get BroadBand next month.

Posted by: Monorina on November 1, 2008

@ Monorina -
I wouldn't worry. Being a person who constantly gets bad migraines, I've had a bunch of my tests, particulary in school, messed up too. There are a lot of things that can lower a test grade, but it's extremely rare that something will make your test grade higher than it should be. The highest score is what counts, because it really does reflect your best ability, and not luck. Because of the wrong answer penalty, getting a high score by guessing is extremely, extremely improbable.

Thankfully my SAT II's this morning went great (:D), because had anything happened I would have no chance to try again!

Also, the repeated effort and improvement each time shows dedication and determination. Kudos to you, because I'm really not a fan of standardized tests and have only taken everything once (today).
Good luck!

Posted by: Reena on November 1, 2008

110th

Posted by: Ehsan on November 1, 2008

Reena: SAT IIs went well for me, too. Although, a few students in the room decided to cancel their scores. Apparently the Chemistry and Physics tests were the real killers today. I think I did well on Physics and Math Level 2, though. I could do better now that I know what the test covers, but at this point there is no time left.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

Monorina-- That sounds like the 12th grade syllabus in India. That means you are also juggling the boards alongwith these standardized tests...tough isn't it? Thank god I'm done with my SATs. Best of luck to you!

Posted by: Mohit on November 1, 2008

Anyone know if the 11:59pm deadline is EST? I doubt I'm the only one out here applying from the West Coast, and since it's 2pm PST right now I could use the extra 3 hours (if it's based on your local time).

On the flip side, it better not be GMT.

Posted by: Nick on November 1, 2008

@Nick:

I'm applying from California, but the deadline is 11:59 EST. (well, I'm basing that from the post times)

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

Heh, Colton, did you take the same ones I did? (math II, chem, physics)?

None of them were nearly as bad as I expected. I think math was the easiest, chem the hardest. But that's just me.

*prays that the site stays functional until 9 PM* (when I'm submitting)

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

Oh no, I waited 'til the last minute to ask my question!!

I took the SATs back in March and made an acceptable score (but not what I would have preferred). I just took them again today, but I obviously can't receive my scores yet. For Part 2, Section 5 of the application, would I just put my March scores as my highest? Would I make a note in the Extra Info section that the current ones might be higher?

Thanks in advance!

Posted by: Rebeca on November 1, 2008

YAYYYYYYYYYY!

i clicked the submit button!!!!!!!

:D

just wanted to tell the world... (:

Posted by: June on November 1, 2008

Just wanted to say this is my favorite blog to read

Posted by: Anonymous on November 1, 2008

What happens if my EC name has been changed? I already had my interview earlier this month and it just changed today to another name, but it says its been processed? Is this just a typo?

Posted by: John on November 1, 2008

It appears that the UnresolvableForwardException appears when going back to review of an application immediately after submission. Might be a small concern, but chances are the applications are submitted and procsessing, the web interface just isn't redirecting correctly.

Also, Anonymous, if that's your real name, I took only Math Level 2 and Physics. I didn't take Chemistry, although I might take it next time around.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

Okay, too all of you are hitting the UnresolvableForwardException message, don't worry. Your application has been submitted and should be processed quickly. Just go back to your dashboard and hit the detail link. Now you can relax.

Good luck to everyone!

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

DONE. Biggest burden off my shoulders. Now I'm relatively stress-free until December 15 and/or January 1

Posted by: rob on November 1, 2008

@ Evan and Colton and anyone else who took SAT's today : did you guys celebrate halloween or study for SAT's on friday night?
I studied, but I didn't mind. I actually find SAT's kind of fun haha.

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

That last post was me...keep forgetting to put my name lol.

Posted by: Bobbi Surette on November 1, 2008

I went to my girlfriend's house last night and passed candy out to the little kids since no one comes to my house. I went home at 9 and did a practice chemistry test and looked over my notes, etc. I felt like the actual test was harder than the practice tests I've taken, but the Lit test was easier this time around. (I think it really depends on the stories/poems) Also the proctor had the thermostat turned up to like 100 degrees and it was humid because it is pouring outside; I was so unbelievably uncomfortable. Good news: I got my new exhaust installed today =]

Posted by: Evan on November 1, 2008

I submitted my application in parts, but I got everything in early this week which felt great! Only part I'm having problems with is contacting my EC...

@Bobbi- I took the SATs today, and studied a little on Halloween, but I didn't mind it too much.

Posted by: Kamila M. on November 1, 2008

Bobbi: My hometown celebrates Halloween on the final Wednesday of October. Thus, I spent the actual Halloween night studying for SAT Subject Tests.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

Submitted! /stress, at least until December

I also took the SAT II's today. I spent Thursday and the first half of Friday studying for them, so I had time to hang out with friends for the rest of Halloween. I'm glad I did that instead of pulling an all-nighter, because it really relieved a lot of stress.

Good luck to all you procrastinators out there. Give it you're all, and show MIT why you deserve to be here!

Posted by: Peter O. on November 1, 2008

*your
Wow, what an unfortunate time to make a grammar error :(

Posted by: Peter O. on November 1, 2008

Peter O.: It's better to get all of the grammatical errors out of your system now instead of earlier on your application.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

liek i do tihs fro fnu dnot yuo?

Posted by: Evan on November 1, 2008

To the few of you who are reading this comment instead of working on that essay on part B:

Stop reading this and get back to work! You only have about an hour and ten minutes left!

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

That is a HUGE relief.

Posted by: Steve on November 1, 2008

WOOT WOOT I'M FREEEEEEE
with 40 mins to spare
I have a feeling i was pushing it with the word limits but my fate is sealed so time to wait lol

Posted by: Tom on November 1, 2008

Try 7 minutes to spare

Posted by: Nick on November 1, 2008

holy i cut that so damn close it's not even funny. i got to the end and clicked the submit button only to find that basically all of my answers exceeded the word limit. that was 30min before the deadline...

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

^sorry for the language lol. i was just so freaked out.

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

i figured that since you could save it even if it exceeded the word limit and because it looked fine on the PDF preview that submitting it would be no problem. boy was i in for an unpleasant surprise.

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

DINGDING 12:01!

Posted by: Tom on November 1, 2008

Time to get some ZZZ lol

Posted by: Tom on November 1, 2008

So, my computer was having issues and being finicky. It kept running really slowly and wanting to freeze on me as I was trying to send things out. So, I wasn't able to submit it until exactly 12:00, but it registered as Nov.2.
Is this going to hurt my application? Will it still be considered for Early?

- Freaking out here....

P.S. I suppose that's what I get for being so indecisive. I kept on wanting to change little things at the last minute.

Posted by: AAAAAHHHHH....... on November 1, 2008

Congratulations to my fellow applicants! I hope to meet you all infront of the great dome.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

So can people in time zones other than the Eastern still apply? I'm in California but still submitted before 8:59 PST to be safe. I know at least for postmarking us Californians technically have 3 extra hours.

Posted by: Chris on November 1, 2008

mine got through at 12:00 too..apparently i hadnt clicked the thing that confirmed that i finished it...omg omg >.mine got through at 12:00 too..apparently i hadnt clicked the thing that confirmed that i finished it...omg omg >.< /dies...

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

mine got through at 12:00 too..apparently i hadnt clicked the thing that confirmed that i finished it...omg omg >.mine got through at 12:00 too..apparently i hadnt clicked the thing that confirmed that i finished it...omg omg >.< /dies...

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

sorry for posting twice.. the post thing got stuck

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

Chris: I think the closing time is Eastern Time. This would mean that the closing would be 9:00 PST. Luckily, you made it.

AAAAAHHHHH.......: Unfortunately, I think the system may automatically close the submissions for Early Action. If this is the case, just try for regular action. Consider yourself a little bit ahead of the game on the regular action application.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

To all of those who submitted at midnight and are worried about if they made the deadline, calm down. Somebody will probably inform you soon of the definitive fate of your application. Just keep your fingers crossed.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

Wow, I reallllllly cut it close. My brother reminded me about the time zone issue under an hour before it was due, and I was still revising my essay with the intent of finishing around 10 PST (an hour after the deadline). Upon hearing it I rushed my butt and finished everything up, submitting like 5 minutes before the deadline.

I need to buy my brother a cake or something.

Colton, I hope to see you in front of the dome as well, because that would me I got in!

Posted by: Chris on November 1, 2008

The only thing that worries me about the application is that my Evaluation B has not yet processed when Evaluation A was done on the 21st and the Secondary School Report was done on the 24th. Take note that all three were sent simultaneously. I'll give it another week maximum before contacting the admissions office to check on the situation, though.

Posted by: Colton on November 1, 2008

can i cancel an application if im not satisfied? and if i can , can i still apply for regular action?

Posted by: 0 on November 1, 2008

How bad is it if my main essay was just under 700 words? I'm pretty sure that's pushing it, but there was no way I could have conveyed the entire idea if I cut any more. Will this really hurt me?

Posted by: Eek on November 2, 2008

Anonymous: If you are not satisfied with your application, try firing off an email to admissions@mit.edu. They should be able to inform you of the possibility of canceling a submitted and processed application.

Posted by: Colton on November 2, 2008

SUBMITTED...(what a relief)

Posted by: Anonymous on November 2, 2008

ur fast

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

Anonymous: Nah, I just like helping people. Either way, I'll be getting off my computers soon for a rare period of sleep. Just been watching this blog since I submitted my application so I could quickly help people through the process.

Posted by: Colton on November 2, 2008

sleep well =) nite

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

"i figured that since you could save it even if it exceeded the word limit and because it looked fine on the PDF preview that submitting it would be no problem. boy was i in for an unpleasant surprise."

What? Which sections hold you to a strict word limit? I went over, granted only on the Essay A, but it didn't seem to me like there were strict limits for anything?

Posted by: rob on November 2, 2008

Anonymous: I probably won't be getting off until at least 1:30 AM EST. Want to help out with any problems that surface immediately after the deadline passes.

Posted by: Colton on November 2, 2008

i'm so hyper now that i submitted lol..

Posted by: Saku on November 2, 2008

Saku, congratulations! I hope to pass you in the infinite corridor at this time next year.

Posted by: Colton on November 2, 2008

i didn't seem to run into any problems with word limits either. did anyone else?

Posted by: David on November 2, 2008

@rob
no it doesn't limit you on the essay submission but it does limit you to like 10-15% over the word limits on all the other sections (2 short answers at the beginning, activities, optional essays, etc). i really wish they wouldn't let you save it over the limit if they're not going to accept it when it comes time to click submit.

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

btw ..saku = anonymous lol

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

i was way over the limits though. are you serious no one else experienced this problem?

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

@saku Ah okay, thanks. I stuck to the limit on everything but the essay because the limits were small enough to force me to deliberate over every word, so I didn't have too much trouble trimming.

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

David and rob: I experienced no problems with word limits. Then again, I kept a close eye on the word count to make sure I met the requirements.

Saku/Anonymous: I didn't realize there was no restriction on the essay. Then again, I don't think MIT wants to read a novel for every applicant.

Posted by: Colton on November 2, 2008

no lol i meant i was the same as anonymous from before... was talking to rob. didnt mean i went over.

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

^touche. thank god there was no limit on the essay because then i would have been really screwed.

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

i meant colton >i meant colton >< darn.

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

Anonymous seems to be a popular name tonight.

Posted by: Colton on November 2, 2008

lol yup

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

@colton. how come i can click on ur name, and not other ppl's?

Posted by: saku on November 2, 2008

saku: It is because I fill in the URL field when I post comments. I'm kind of used to filling in the URL with my own blog and the other fields appropriately. Develops out of habit from commenting on other blogs.

Posted by: Colton on November 2, 2008

Alright, now that my comment won't end up before comments that were posted later (lol @ DST?), time to repeat myself.

How bad is it if my main essay was just under 700 words? I'm pretty sure that's pushing it, but there was no way I could have conveyed the entire idea if I cut any more. Will this really hurt me?

Posted by: Eek on November 2, 2008

I just found out that my school doesn't send in the official SAT scores as most schools around where I live does..
I sent in the scores just now. (I sent in everything else before November 1st)..

Is that bad?

Posted by: juneey on November 2, 2008

I missed the deadline for getting Part 2 done. Will the application rollover to RA? Or will I have to resubmit and start completely over including scheduling another interview?

Posted by: MikeA on November 2, 2008

juneey, as far as I know you should be fine.

I completing this app along with another ES Common App of mine, and looking at the UC app, I get the feeling that the MIT app has the least amount of writing of any I've seen. What do you guys think about this, I knidof liked it

Eek, I would imagine that's pushing it, at about 40% over o_O. It's not like they won't read it though. I wonder exactly what they do with long essays.

Posted by: Chris on November 2, 2008

Hi, I sent in my arts supplement via e-mail (like the instructions said) on Friday night. How do I know that they received it?? I'm asking mainly because they asked to attach 10 minutes of mp3's to it... so I'm a little worried that it may be rejected due to size.

Posted by: Devon on November 2, 2008

I submitted my part 1 application on oct. 19 but my part 2 app on nov 2 central time (at about 11:00). Will this affect whether I am considered for early action or regular admission?

Posted by: Vikas on November 2, 2008

Wait im sorry......i meant I submitted it Nov. 1 centrak time at 11:00 ish

Posted by: Vikas on November 2, 2008

It feels outstanding. Now just to start counting off the days...

Posted by: Aditya on November 2, 2008

Ah! We have to wait a month and a half now? Oh dear god...

Posted by: 0 on November 2, 2008

@ Reena: I hope you are right

Actually,the first time was just to "see what it looks like" as I didn't have all that good an idea of what the SAT was. The second time was the real try. Unfortunately, food poisoning kicked in. Chem went okay,tho( raised score by 170 pts: I know, first time I got even simple stuff wrong, as I was so worked up). Next time, I gave Maths 2, Maths 1( I don't know why). Second time, maths 2 was terrible( physics wasn't so bad, coz I had medication in between maths and physics and the stuff was working) and that drove me so mad that I studied hard for it.

@Mohit: Yep, juggling boards with app.Which board are you in? I'm I.S.C SAT's done, though.
Only 6 essay questions left now( including short essays and everything)!! MIT done,tho. I heart MIT. It had great essays which suited me. Now, with the modern physics done, I feel better.

Posted by: Monorina on November 2, 2008

wow, it's been a year already? Man, time flies!

Posted by: Chris M. on November 2, 2008

Do you think 555 words for the essay is "flexible"?

Posted by: Oscular on November 2, 2008

@Oscular: 555 might be pushing it. I had 510. And worried over that for a MONTH. I finally cut it down to 505.

Posted by: Monorina on November 3, 2008

@Oscular & Monorina: I think 555 is fine. Right on the app is says that the limits are flexible, citing 550 as okay but 1000 as overboard. I think you had to click on one of the little hands to see this

Posted by: 0 on November 3, 2008

I had 528 words. I can say with 99.9% certainty that that will not not impact my application in any way. 550 would also be no problem. It's the 700+ word essays that I would be worried about.

Posted by: rob on November 3, 2008

Hey Matt! I am a high school student in America but I am applying to MIT as an international student. This is because I am neither a US citizen nor a permanent resident. I am on my H4 dependent visa. I am also a Quest Bridge finalist but I was informed that MIT does not consider me as one because of my above mentioned citizenship status. Yet, I am very happy that MIT accepts my Quest Bridge application and also considers me for other financial aid opportunities. I want to submit an art supplement for dance! I read your blog about art supplement but I could not find anything regarding dance. Can I mail you a hard copy of my Art Resume? Do you need a teacher recommendation? Is there anyway I can give you a link to my dance video or do you want a dvd? Can you please help me figure out what to do? Thankz!

P.S - Love your blog!!!

Posted by: 0 on November 3, 2008

Sorry!(LOL!) I forgot to type in my name and email address! The previous comment was made by me! :D

Posted by: Pushkara Chaganti on November 3, 2008

It feels great to have it done. I submitted it halfway through the final day deadline! I didn't actually procrastinate, but I like to have as long as possible to make finishing touches.

... but even though I say that, with that 7-award mentioning limit, I somehow forgot to mention National Merit Semifinalist and Nation Hispanic Scholar. Would those be... important enough to send in a proper resume if I don't get accepted Early Action? Or since that's public information, do you already have that?

Posted by: Narce on November 3, 2008

Do you think it's that big of a deal to accidentally put in 1 hr/week when I meant 4 hrs/week for one of my activities?

(I was thinking 1 hr per day when I typed it in)

Posted by: justina on November 3, 2008

Out of curiosity, are we going on hitting an all-time record with the number of comments on this post?

Posted by: Reena on November 3, 2008

Is it too late to send some clarification info to serve as the additional comments section on Part 2?
(I really need to explain something about my application)

Posted by: 0 on November 3, 2008

Ok I'm getting worried... I sent in two emails, but just wondeirng if anyone can give me some info/advice (hopefully an admissions officer).

I tried submitting part II of my app on saturday, but it said I didn't turn in part I, even though I did 3-5 days before, and even received a confirmation email AND had $65 taken out of my bank account. So I'm just wondering what's going on. Probably just an error or something, but still, I'd like to get it sorted out ASAP. Also, will the officers know that it wasn't my fault that the app will be late or will they just look at my application and see that it was turned in about 3 days after the deadline?

Posted by: Oscular on November 3, 2008

@ Oscular
Email them!

Posted by: Ehsan on November 4, 2008

I did...twice

Posted by: Oscular on November 4, 2008

Check your application tracking again. I also got a message after part 2 that said "Don't forget that part 1 must be turned in as well, etc, etc", but after checking, it already had part 1 in the system.

You might have just misunderstood.

Posted by: Narce on November 4, 2008

But Matt, I know this has to be one of the longest comment sections you've seen in a long time, and you must be busy reviewing apps, but I'd really appreciate it if you could answer most of these questions in some great big lollapalooza of enlightenment!

(especially mine, about whether you automatically have records of national merit/hispanic merit status, even though everyone here will also be thinking "especially mine" T.T)

Posted by: Narce on November 4, 2008

Yeah!!! GO NARCE for putting in that comment! :D

Posted by: Pushkara Chaganti on November 4, 2008

Well, everyone's powerful interest in MIT is obvious, so it's not like this is his fault, but he's really let a lot of questions pile up, and with any more than five days of straight inactivity our hopes of getting answered will slowly become impossible dreams ^.^" I originally figured he would begin to answer questions again once the weekend was over.

I hope I'm not annoying him with something like that....

Posted by: Narce on November 4, 2008

@Narce: No, I can't even press submit for part II, there's no button, it just says I need to turn in part I first, but I already did

Posted by: Oscular on November 4, 2008

Ah never mind, I just got an email and they fixed it

Posted by: Oscular on November 4, 2008

Hahahah, I'm sorry I wasn't of any help, but it's good that the situation was resolved!

I... spend a lot of time on message boards, I hope this doesn't seem like spam to Matt.

Posted by: Narce on November 5, 2008

Sorry for THIS post, but I got tired of seeing all 3 recent entries on your blog be multiples of five.

Posted by: Narce on November 6, 2008

I'm surprised comments aren't closed yet

Posted by: Ehsan on November 8, 2008

I don't think comments would be manually closed unless a group of people got into a really controversial discussion that became overly negative. It says (at the top of the comments section) and means that comments will be closed 30 days after posting to reduce spam, so comments will be closed on the 29th.

But... we aren't spamming! Some of us have genuine questions.

Posted by: Narce on November 8, 2008

38 days

Posted by: Anonymous on November 8, 2008

39 DAYS!!

Posted by: 0 on November 9, 2008

Excuse me, but this was opened near the end of October, not September. The entire point of a 30 day time limit is to reduce spam; if all you do is spam once every day until the comments section is automatically closed, they might close it manually, and I really don't want that, in case Matt comes back to answer our questions.

Posted by: Narce on November 9, 2008

i dont have my 11th reports coz my col doesnt issue them(im frm india) will my case be considered i have my 8th 9th nd 10th grades though along with sat nd toefl

Posted by: 0 on November 12, 2008

Don't u have the state board exams conducted in India in 11th grade? I my state they used to call it intermediate exams. I am sure they issue some kind of transcript. Do u have anything like that?

P.S - I am from India too! :D

Posted by: 0 on November 12, 2008

MIT Admissions

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Matt McGann '00

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