MIT staff blogger Chris LaBounty

Mandatory: MIT Mid Year Report by Chris LaBounty

What you need to know.

[Editor’s note in 2023: This post contains outdated information. The Midyear Grade Report is intended for students who have indicated on the February Updates & Notes Form that their semester/trimester grades were not available. We will reach out to these students with instructions on how to submit their latest grades.]

 

 

Hi Everyone,

The MIT Midyear Report is now available on MyMIT. Wait! Don’t fill it out yet – you need to read some important info below.

What is it?

  •  The MIT Midyear Report is an online form that is required of all students (including those admitted or deferred in Early Action), and is to be completed by you, the applicant. The MYR serves two purposes: to share your newest grades, and give you an opportunity to mention other updates since you submitted your application.

 

Biggest issue we have?

  • Students often get excited and fill out the form before their grades are released, which defeats at least half the purpose of the whole form. And, since you only get to submit this form ONCE, this causes problems. So what we really want is to get the MYR as soon as possible when your grades are released, OR by February 15th, whichever is earlier. We absolutely need it no later that February 15th.

 

Who should fill it out?

  • Everyone! Even those already accepted in Early Action.

 

When should I fill it out?

  • As soon as possible after completion of the fall semester or second quarter. (If your school uses a trimester schedule, please use your first trimester grades, even if we already have them.)

 

Wait?! I won’t have any grades before February 15th and Labs said MIT needs it by February 15th!

  • We do. Even if you have no midyear grades to report, you should still complete the Midyear Report. Your school should then submit your midyear grades to us as soon as they’re available. Note that there is also an option in the Report for students whose schools do not provide any midyear grades, homeschooled students, and students already out of school.

 

I think my counselor already did that.

  • Nope. Your counselor probably filled out your Common App MYR for schools that follow the common application. The MIT MYR is different, it’s in your MyMIT tracking and you’re the one that needs to submit it. Even if your school has its own MYR process, you still need to submit the MIT Midyear Report.

 

Got it. Ok, how do I fill this thing out?

  • The form has fields for you to report your coursework and grades. This is similar to the Self-Reported Coursework Form from the Part 2 of the application, except that we’re only looking for current-year courses and grades. And we’re only looking for this from students with something to report — so if you’re in a school that doesn’t have midyear grades, or you’ve already graduated, don’t worry, you’re all set – just skip this section.
  • Next, there is a simple text box. This is the best place for any new updates you want us to know about. Feel free to write in bullet points or more casual language. We’re really not looking for another essay here. The Midyear Update has a maximum of 250 words. I know that’s not a lot, but do your best. We like brevity.

Remember, the final date to submit the MYR is February 15th.

How do I fill out the grades section?

 

  • Make it clean please. Like this:
Biology A+
AP Calculus A-

Or… if you have quarter grades

English A, B+
Japanese 95,88

Or.. if you feel like you need to
explain something – put it only in
the subject section like this:

Java I (taken at B.C.C.) A+
Multivariable Calc (Online) Pass

 

  • In the “Grades” box, please list only grades, no text. For example, it is sufficient to write “B+” rather than “B+ (Final grade)” or “B+ (online course).”
  • If your transcript provides quarter grades and a midterm exam grade but no semester grade, you should list the quarter grades and the midterm exam grade. Don’t create your own average, or report some “expected” grade.
  • If your school uses a trimester schedule, please use your first trimester grades.

 

Other special circumstances?

  • Some schools — including many international schools — have no concept of “midyear grades.” This is okay. You can ignore the text boxes and simply choose the option, “I attend a school that does not provide midyear grades.”
  • Report your grades just the way they would appear on your transcript. No need to convert them to a letter system for example. If you need to explain your school’s grading system, just put it in the updates section.
  • Some schools will not release midyear grades until after the Midyear Report deadline of February 15th. This is okay. You should choose the option “Semester grades will be available on ______________________ and I will mail or fax them to you at that time.” (Don’t forget to actually do that once they’re available too.)
  • Some of you have graduated already and have no new grades to report. You should choose the option, “I’m not currently attending school; MIT has all of my grades.”

Great, thanks for reading through that. Whenever you have your mid-year grades you will now be prepared to complete your Midyear Update. Like I said before, some students won’t have grades released, but still need to submit the form before February 15th. Just login to your MyMIT account when you’re ready.

One more thing. If you still see something missing on your MyMIT Application Tracking, don’t worry – we’re continuing to process thousands of documents coming in. Once we’re caught up, if we’re still missing something, we’ll send you another email in the next week or so to let you know.

Thanks!