What a weekend. From reading comments on Matt and Ben's blogs as well as posts on collegeconfidential, I've been pretty wrapped up in the excitement surrounding the release of decisions. It seems like everyone's going crazy in one way or another, so I thought I'd sit down and reflect a little.
Now, I'll be the first person to admit that I have quite a temper. I get angry pretty easily, so you can imagine that some of the comments that have been floating around lately made me pretty unhappy. I was ranting and raving inside my own head, and had to exercise serious self-control to stop from ranting and raving here on my blog. I forced myself to focus on the positive, and it overwhelmed me. I was blown away by the maturity with which so many rejected students faced their decisions. Please read on, I have important stuff to say to you later on in the post.
In the end, I can't help myself from making just a few small comments, k? Bear with me here, it leads into some good stuff. Promise.
To everyone who posted offensive comments: You need to understand that getting a 2400 on the SATs does not guarantee you everything you want in life. It simply does not work that way- and it shouldn't! To those of you who have lamented the fact that certain others got in over you: you have some learning to do. You can be disappointed all you want, but taking out your frustration on others by expressing some self-indulgent sense of superiority is not the way to go. To those of you who think that MIT "thinks you aren't good enough" or is trying to laugh in your face or tell you that you're the spawn of Satan or whatever else, I will say this: The Earth is a nice place, you should come visit it sometime. Do you really think getting rejected from MIT means you are doomed to be a failure in life? Do you really think MIT laughs in the face of your brilliance? I don't doubt that you're brilliant, it just makes me sad that your brilliance is accompanied by such bitterness. Failure is part of life, and learning to deal with it maturely will get you much farther in life than your 4.0 GPA ever will.
I understand that you are hurt, upset, and angry. But you need to take a hard look at your reactions. Look at the majority of the people around you who handled the same news with grace and humor.
No, I really mean that. Take a look. OK, so you're lazy? Well, I compiled a bunch of high points below.
...we're all disappointed we didnt get in but, hey, we realise that life goes on and we need to work hard to make that life a success. You win some and you lose some...you just have to make well do with what you won, and what you already have.
Thank you for reading about my dreams, goals and aspirations. I believed we all appreciate the dedication of you and other admission staffs.
REJECTION, though strange to us, can be molded into a powerful LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
at least I tried
Even though I'm in the 87% who didn't get in, life moves on and I'll do well wherever I go.
If anything, I've learned to resist my urge to be a workaholic and enjoy the journey more.
Anyway, rejection has not shattered my dreams & aspirations. And I will continue, work hard, study hard.
Its sad but I'm not giving up.
But I assure you that MIT will receive an application for grad studies from me ;).
Still, applying to MIT has been one of the most worthwhile experiences for me.
One rejection doesn't mean our lives are over. There're still many chances as long as we don't relinquish our dreams and hopes!!!
I have been rejected... :-) (Yes, I always smile!)
Now to work on making MIT regret rejecting me :)
To those who were accepted, CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm truly happy for all of you. It was an honour to be able to compete with you guys for a spot in MIT 2010.
What's important now I believe is to keep moving on, and to keep trying my best, and at the same time enjoy what's out there. With that said, congratulations to all who were accepted, and to all the rejectees, let's keep our heads high and go on with our lives.
...a bunch of eassys or a couple of stupid test not gonna decide what i am or what have i got.
Wow. You guys rock. You made me feel like some kind of selfish brat, and all I've done this weekend was hang out with a friend from high school, clean my room, and read a couple of chapters from Uncle Tom's Cabin. Your grace, resilience, humor and determination in the face of extreme dissapointment are truly inspiring.
You expressed disappointment- of course. But you immediately followed with words of wisdom and maturity. You told us and the world that you will continue to work hard wherever life takes you. That you aren't going to let this stand in the way of continuing to rock at life. That you are going to keep your head up and carry on with dignity. That you are going to make MIT regret it and feel really dumb when they review your grad school app in a few years. That you are going to keep smiling. You thanked admissions for reading your app, you acknowledged that this journey has taught you and changed you, you graciously congratulated those who were admitted instead of you.
I don't even know what to say. Just from these past two days I can see that you're all awesome people. I'm already sad that you won't be coming here, so I can't even begin to imagine how Matt and Ben and Co. must feel about having to turn you away.
All I can say is this: your grace and determination in the face of rejection tell something very important about you and your characters. 10 years from now it won't matter that MIT didn't accept you. You'll be a success story anyway. Best of luck to all.
Four Final Thoughts:
1) To those of you who were admitted: Awesome! Go party! Comment me! Email me! Introduce yourselves! Come to CPW! Be excited!
2) By the way, I do agree with whoever said that the SATs are a huge ripoff. I personally despise the Collegeboard, but I don't make the decisions around here. =)
3) So now I guess the real question is: did anyone decide to wait for the mail?
4) And finally, I told myself that I wasn't going to respond to any specific comments. But this one's classic, and I couldn't resist. (you guys will forgive me, right?)
Someone said: I am disgusted and appalled that MIT is taking anything with two X chromosomes, and directly discriminating against asians. The fact that I was rejected for factors that I could not control infuriates me. And for what? For the sake of "diversity?" So some course 6 nerd can have a girlfriend?
I don't think I've ever used this acronym on my blog before, but now is the time for a hearty "LOL." MIT does not discriminate against Asians, so relax. As for us "things" with those darn multiple X-chromosomes, most of us are doing pretty well here at MIT. I probably shouldn't speak for all of us, but I'd say that for the average MIT girl, being a girlfriend is not her primary identity. Besides, what do you have against Course Sixers? Are they not allowed to have girlfriends? I'll have you know that there are plenty of cute/hot guys in Course 6! (Surprising but true.) Come on, I think programming is sexy, don't you?
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
And that's exactly why I'm not writing my course 11 paper!
Posted by: Ruth on March 19, 2006
Posted by: Tom C. (future Rice student =) on March 19, 2006
Applying here was such a great experience, and when I visited I absolutely loved it. Just having lived through that was something I'll never forget.
Thanks for all the advice and comfort you've given all of us applicants Laura.
Good luck!
Posted by: Emi on March 19, 2006
But let's all think about this for a minute. If there's about a 1:1 male:female ratio at MIT, and there's about a 3:1 male:female applicant ratio, then that would make sense, no?
I still feel like there's a glaring error in there somewhere, whether it be ethical or mathematical, but I'm not going to go into that. I'll only end up ranting, I'm sure.
Posted by: thekeri on March 19, 2006
And actually, almost every person I regularly communicate with from my town applying RD is waiting for the mail. So they'll be finding out Monday/Tuesday, I guess, depending on how fast the post-people drive.
Posted by: mugho pine on March 20, 2006
To all the rejectee whose maturity isn't equal to their intelligence, stop making immature statements! Even though you can't make it this year, but if MIT is truly your dream school, you should now start to plan and think how to make it one day instead of going to various forums and blogs, saying all the destructive criticisms. If all you said was true, I wonder why you even attempt to apply to MIT.
Posted by: Rosa on March 20, 2006
Posted by: thekeri on March 20, 2006
Posted by: parent of a waitlisted on March 20, 2006
And since I'll never be able to meet you (or maybe I will? Who knows?), I just want to let you and all the other bloggers know that you are great people. Really.
Farewell, MIT.
Posted by: jbl on March 20, 2006
Posted by: Alan on March 20, 2006
Posted by: Leah on March 20, 2006
Posted by: Mushal on March 20, 2006
Posted by: aRdho on March 20, 2006
Posted by: michelle on March 20, 2006
Nonetheless, I have to move on. Living in a world of pity won't help me solve those double and triple integrals that are coming up in Calc III.
Posted by: Mike W on March 20, 2006
"We know what we are, but know not what we may be." (Ophelia) -Hamlet, Act IV, Scene V
Posted by: Dani on March 20, 2006
On the other hand, the Course 6 males are probably much, much happier with the current system.
Posted by: Kathleen on March 20, 2006
Woo, I was ok during the day, but by the time I got home, I was a nervous wreck (reading the rejection/waitlisted blogs at 3 am didn't help...so many amazing people got rejected, and I honestly thought I had no chance). I got in though!!! The shock is slowly beginning to wear off, and I'm getting more and more excited as the evening goes on (perfect for giving me energy to stay up late and finish homework).
Question: How much do you suggest we go to CPW? I'm playing at Carnegie Hall the weekend before, and I'm missing 3 days of school because of that, so if I miss 5 straight days, my teachers are liable to send me a low-scholarship =/ I was at one of the summer programs, but my RA said that MIT in the summer is very different from MIT during the school year.
Posted by: Melodie on March 21, 2006
"According to Mr. Nance, everyone who is accepted is qualified, and I'm sure that that's true. However, the disparity between those numbers is a little odd [27% acceptance rate females, 12% males], and I find it hard to believe that girls are that much more qualified than guys. This is not an accusation or an excuse for myself, but merely a curious inquiry. "
I found the source by the way, it was
http://web.mit.edu/ir/cds/2005/c.html
I want to say that I have the same feeling that Kathleen has when it comes to the MIT Admissions swaying decisions based on gender. Like Nance once said, MIT is a meritocracy, and thus I don't think that gender ought to be an issue when evaluating applicants. I mean, I fully support women in the engineering world, more than anything I can assure you, especially after that ridiculous article posted by the Harvard president several years back. However, to give someone weight (as it SEEMS, I don't know if that is true, it is entirely possible that the women applying are more than twice as competitive as the guys!) seems a little unfair, especially at a place trying to build leaders in the sciences out of the absolute best. And perhaps it is just my environment, but I don't see very much active discrimination against women becoming scientists or engineers, I think it's a choice, and that we all have equal opportunites. Because of that, women are really just as qualified as the guys to get in and shouldn't get a handicap when it comes to applications. Of course, I am not saying that if this were so, I would have gotten in, the applicant pool was very competitive and qualified, but it's just something I believe that should be discussed anyway. What do you think?
Man I wish other schools had admissions blogs... I have nowhere else to waste my time!
Posted by: Wenhao Sun on March 21, 2006
Thanks for this wonderful post, Laura.
Best wishes
Posted by: Amit on March 21, 2006
hope you have a great college experience all the same - i for instance certainly will try to use the "erasmus"-program of the EC to see different universities during my studies.
Posted by: Dinyar on March 21, 2006
Posted by: April(out) on March 21, 2006
"I am disgusted and appalled that MIT is taking anything with two X chromosomes, and directly discriminating against asians. The fact that I was rejected for factors that I could not control infuriates me. And for what? For the sake of 'diversity?' So some course 6 nerd can have a girlfriend?"
In not so many words, you've said that you are more qualified than EVERY woman who was accepted to MIT. How else is it an injustice that MIT took "anything with two X chromosomes"? I seriously doubt that you are that qualified. If you were, you would have been accepted.
Honestly, MIT can be a rough place. Every student faces some concept, project, or problem set that they just can't tackle on their own. A large part of being successful at MIT is understanding your own limitations and being humble enough to ask for help. If this is how you handle adversity, it is probably for the best that you will never face the obstacles MIT puts in front of all of its students.
Sincerely,
An MIT Alum with Two X Chromosomes
Posted by: Vicki on March 21, 2006
I suggest you reread Nance's latest post.
"I am particularly pleased with the diversity of this class. For many there is a perception that the only way to increase diversity is to 'relax the standards'. I can't speak for other Colleges/Universities, but that is not the case at MIT. Everyone had to withstand close scrutiny and examination before being admitted. PERIOD."
thekeri's already addressed the male:female issue quite well; it's due to different numbers of applicants for each sex. And if you just look at numbers and nothing else, Asian Americans are NOT discrimated--there are at least 26% for the class of 2008. (see the who's at MIT portal on my.mit.edu).
If you have to, make tequila with your lemons, but don't be souring the admission staff's compassion and hard work. Nobody has any obligation to blog, to give you a good feel for the outs and ins of MIT. It would have been so much easier, if there weren't blogs, to relax after reading apps days and nights without any hate flung at them.
Posted by: Shen on March 21, 2006
Posted by: 0 on March 21, 2006
Therefore, the female pool self-selects itself more than the male, as only the most focused and science-oriented girls will apply.
(It's sort of like there are only 4 girls on my robotics team out of 25 people, but two of us were on the drive team because we were the most dedicated. Self-selecting pool.)
Hope that made a bit of sense.
Posted by: Caroline on March 21, 2006
Posted by: 0 on March 21, 2006
thanks for comment on cpw. im glad u brought this issue out to the open - i had to prevent myself "ranting" on CC too several times. haha.
I'll try to meet u in person at CPW! excitedd
Phil (getalife1234)
Posted by: Phillip Kim on March 21, 2006
To try and move the conversation to the positive, Caroline hit the nail on the head. Fewer women apply to technical schools like MIT, but those that do apply tend to be more qualified. Women self-select, so you don't get as many borderline female applicants. Therefore, you can admit a higher percentage of female applicants without having to accept any unqualified candidates.
Posted by: Vicki on March 21, 2006
From what I've seen from past MIT admissions statistics, yes, it is a little easier to get in if you are female. In the application year of 2003-2004, it was about 16% easier (11% vs 27%, if you're interested). Statistically, it certainly seems very unfair. But there are a couple of factors we must consider. First of all, we don't know if this is still true. Two years is a pretty long time - and other statistics indicate that more and more women are applying to tech schools and that MIT is getting harder and harder to get into. Secondly, you have what Vicki said. (I was about to type it out myself when I saw her post).
And you know what? Guys have the advantage at liberal arts schools, so it's an equal trade-off. It's not like girls everywhere are accepted more often that guys. Affirmative action is a sticky topic, whether it regards gender, race, or anything else, but I really don't think it calls for such a hateful (written! public!) comment, no matter how angry you are.
Posted by: dally on March 22, 2006
I'll back you up 110% on your second final thought, as well. College Board has quite the monopoly on the test-taking bracket. As the most recent error in their systems again demonstrated, such a singularly charged site can send major shockwaves out when not tempered by another force. My test scores weren't great in the end, but I felt that they were a good reflection of myself - talented, but not perfect.
The MIT offices state in their admissions advice that they aren't looking for carbon copies, and for that I respect the school all the more. 2400's are not, as you say, not get-into-MIT-free cards. Worthy of respect, yes, but no single number should ever determine one's future life.
And yes, absolutely! - programming is dead sexy. My girlfriend's presently immersed in the world of journalism at NYU, which is equally sexy, but the computer sciences hold some great beauties; intelligent and attractive.
But discrimintation one way or the other on the gender issue should be discarded immediately; the report I read in "The Tech" this week said that the ratio of "male : female" was "52 : 48." Not much in the way of a female advantage, if you ask me. These numbers may be skewed a bit, but I can't imagine that they're too far off. The only real advantage that women have is the relative disinterest among their same-sex peers. Even then, as Dally points out, more women have been getting into the science & engineering fields, and as such I expect that the acceptance trend over the next ten years will further equalize the ratios.
Also, if I may take a small side-jab at my own gender, our immaturity at raising this issue and subsequently whining about it probably doesn't give us a strong recommendation, eh? Just something to consider...
In any event, I'll close up my shpeel. Again, it's a very nice post, Laura. I hope it provides solace for those that have been troubled by the unpleasant response that MIT sent them; I know I would have appreciated these same sentiments if I were in those shoes.
Hope to see ya around at CPW, Laura. I wonder how much of a chance I'll have of actually finding you, but I guess only time will tell.
'Till then!
Posted by: Evan on March 22, 2006
Posted by: anonymous on March 23, 2006
I did NOT post this comment:
"I am disgusted and appalled that MIT is taking anything with two X chromosomes, and directly discriminating against asians. The fact that I was rejected for factors that I could not control infuriates me. And for what? For the sake of 'diversity?' So some course 6 nerd can have a girlfriend?"
Please read Laura's next blog.
Posted by: Wenhao Sun on March 23, 2006
Posted by: Nick on March 24, 2006
Oh yeah and the thing I found most amusing was the Asian discrimination. I would have accepted someone saying Caucasians were being discriminated against (A joke!). And no, I'm not racist. No more than an average human being.(Which is still a lot). Also, Sorry for the inevitable spelling errors etc. etc.
Posted by: Sarab on March 25, 2006
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