We are in the thick of preparing letters for our mailing coming up this weekend. As a peek into our process, I thought I would share the matrix we use to determine that we have letters for all of our populations.
When Admissions stuffs and readies your packets, they divide the population of admitted students into 3 groups: Early Action admits (who get a smaller packet), International students, and domestic students. We deliver letters to Admissions in these three groups so that our letter can be matched up with your packet, inserted into your customized booklet (wait until you see these, I think they are cool), and then inserted into your packet.
But not everyone gets a financial aid decision, so we have to do a little bit of tweaking to get our letters to Admissions in the groups that they need. We print one of 5 types of letters, depending upon your financial aid application status, either a missing information letter (identifiying what you are missing in your application), a financial aid award letter (two types here - one listing MIT scholarship for those who qualify, and one without), a complete letter (for the few of you whose applications completed but for whom we have not yet had a chance to prepare a financial aid award), and a "placeholder" for those students who are not applying for financial aid. Each of these letters is run in a separate batch process from our system, and run using a different selection criteria based on whether you are an EA, International or RD Domestic. So once we have run all fifteen selection critera (5 letter types across 3 population sets), we spend time collating these letters into the three groups required by the Admissions office.
Today we started the process by printing placeholder letters and missing information letters. Tomorrow we begin running financial aid packages for those of you who will be admitted, and we will continue running letters up until Admissions actually seal the packets and delivers them to the post office. We'll replace missing information letters with complete letters and/or complete letters with financial aid awards up until the last minute.
Now, don't call or email me and ask me if we printed your letter (you know I can't say) and decisions aren't finalized until the packet hits the mail (or in this case, until the code hits the website on Saturday).
Once we do send out our first batch of letters (with the admit packs) we will begin to send new financial aid decisions out on a bi-weekly basis as we have them. So don't panic if your decision is not in your envelope.
But for those of you missing forms, please get them in!
Thinking of all of you!!! -- Daniel
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
Posted by: 0 on March 12, 2008
Posted by: woo on March 12, 2008
i don't need a cool packet, just let me in please
Posted by: dan on March 12, 2008
Pleeeease give me money MIT
Posted by: 0 on March 12, 2008
it'd be really sad if i didn't get enough fin aid so that i could come since i've already been accepted.
Posted by: 0 on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Collin on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Abdullah on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Vytautas on March 12, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Laser on March 12, 2008
For Daniel or any other Admissions/Financial Aid person: I don't recall; if we are admitted, will the website on Saturday also show Financial Aid awards or must we wait for the letters? Thanks
Posted by: AwayfromHome on March 12, 2008
Thank you sooooooo much! :D...
Posted by: Apoorva Sachdev on March 12, 2008
Thank you sooooooo much! :D...
Posted by: Apoorva Sachdev on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Anon on March 12, 2008
thank you!
btw, for a EA packet, we would basically only get the financial aid decision and that's it right? Nothing more interesting?
Posted by: carmen on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Emily on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Katrina Biele on March 12, 2008
17 = 2^3 + 3^2 = 3^4 - 4^3
Posted by: Katrina Biele on March 12, 2008
Good Luck everyone!
Posted by: Ben on March 12, 2008
Posted by: anon on March 12, 2008
@Emily: I have to say that no matter what you do, there is no guarantee of getting in (but I'm sure you know that). I'm not sure what your SAT's are going to look like, or how many activities you participate in, or more importantly, how dedicated you are to them, but aside from activities, the essays and interview are what I believe helped me stand out the most. Remember that it is the essays and interview that give the most insight into your personality. Use these to maximize what you get across to admissions. Also, keep in mind that admissions personnel are probably looking at your application and asking "what does she contribute to the diversity of MIT, and what traits does she have that will positively affect the school and the people around her?"
Wow that was long. By the way, when you said "the best science school in the country" you better have been talking about MIT!
Posted by: Jeremy on March 12, 2008
If you mean MIT as the best science university you are kind of wrong
Stanford University is the best school, MIT would be in top 5.
for getting in in either of these schools there is no formula, there are too many good students. After you meet the "minimum eligibility" which is your SAT,... grades, then they'll see whether you are a good match for them and MIT is a good match for you. Still everyone says admission is such a mystery you never know!
good luck though
Posted by: Manou on March 12, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 12, 2008
Posted by: asmeurer on March 12, 2008
(As a student in a Number Theory course, I'm rather anal about that >.Anonymous, it would be 3≡15≡1 (mod 2).
(As a student in a Number Theory course, I'm rather anal about that >.<)
Posted by: Laser on March 12, 2008
I have a similar situation...i called and the office asked me to send in a "letter of income certificiation" from my dads employer (basically its just a letter from your dads employer that states his anual salary and it should also have the conversion rate between USD and yemani real)....with this, send a letter explaining your situation...hope this helps and good luck this saterday!!
Posted by: Kal on March 12, 2008
Posted by: Muz on March 12, 2008
just hope i get in then only i can hope for any kind of fin aid...
btw GOOD LUCK to everyone...
two days........
Posted by: Rohail on March 13, 2008
Posted by: Q on March 13, 2008
You dont have to care what U.S. News says because MIT is currently the crown jewel resting atop nearly EVERY Engineering Overall/Specialties ranking list....even according to the U.S News
Posted by: Nihar on March 13, 2008
Laser, yes we do need anything listed as missing on the portal.
Katrina, IDOC can take up to a week from the time they receive it, so no worries. We do keep on reveiwing aid applicants after the first mailing, so no worries about being "late". The only caveat is if you are admitted, you may not get your aid award prior to the time you need to make an enrollment decision if your forms are, as we like to say in "B-ah-ston", wicked late.
Ben, we update everyone's tracking. So if we show it as not received, it means it is not received. No clues as to admission from me...
Kal, I don't have your contact info, so I can't look up your case. Email me and I will.
Muz, same deal. Email me with your contact info and I can try to help in your situation.
Posted by: Daniel Barkowitz on March 13, 2008
Financial aid awards WILL NOT be online on Saturday. You will need to wait for the packet.
Posted by: Daniel Barkowitz on March 13, 2008
Posted by: Abdullah on March 13, 2008
Posted by: BInga on March 13, 2008
Posted by: Talal Saleem Almani on March 13, 2008
At what time is the admission desition is going to be at MyMIT??
Posted by: Al on March 13, 2008
Saturday at noon.
Posted by: 0 on March 13, 2008
Admissions Bulletins
Admissions Decisions To Be Released On Saturday, March 15 @ Noon Eastern Time
Posted by: Sumaiya on March 13, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 13, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 13, 2008
Posted by: :D on March 14, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 14, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 14, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 15, 2008
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