The first question I often hear from parents is, "what events should I attend with my child?" In truth, there won't be very many of them if you are each doing what interests you the most. With hundreds of options over the next few days, there are lots of things to choose from and parents will probably not want answers to the same questions that students will. That said, it's important to check in occasionally so I'd suggest you pick an event where you can meet up with your student each day (perhaps the President's Welcome on Friday morning and the Closing Variety Show on Saturday evening) but mostly I hope you will encourage them “do their own thing” and know that it's good for you to do the same. It’s the best way for them to figure out if they are comfortable and at home on our campus and the best way for you to be comfortable with them being here.

I hope you’ll ask lots of questions. It’s the way our students learn and will work well for you too. Current students are great resources so don’t be afraid to ask them about their experiences. In addition we've enlisted the help of a great group of current students' parents called Parent Connectors. They'll be available throughout the weekend to address those issues that are most important to you, the parent, so don't be afraid to ask for their opinions...they know exactly how you feel since they were asking those same questions just a year or so ago. They are also easy to locate in their red Parent Connector polo shirts so keep a lookout for them. A great place to find a parent to talk to would be in the Parent’s Hospitality Lounge. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and chat with current MIT parents as well as other parents of MIT prefrosh. Also, learn about the MIT Parents Association and the Parent Connector Network from current volunteers and staff.

I hope you’ll be open-minded during your visit with us. I live with current students and their life at MIT is somewhat different than mine was when I was here. I'm sure you'll feel the same way too. It's just not the way we remember it. I remember fondly my mother’s first comments in viewing my dorm when I was a student at MIT but for me it was the perfect choice for my four years at MIT.

Bring comfortable shoes and a jacket or sweater and perhaps even an umbrella. Weather can change quickly in Boston, especially in the springtime, so you should be prepared for anything. Boston is a great walking city and I hope you'll take some time to see the environs around MIT as well the campus itself and the best way to do that is on foot. Even just a short walk along the river can be a nice break from all the events of the day.

Have questions regarding your student's financial aid package or the financial aid process in general? There will be an open house Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Student Financial Services so you can stop in and get your questions answered. On Thursday and Friday there will be comprehensive presentations by Executive Director of Student Financial Services, Elizabeth Hicks. Parents and students are welcome to attend either of these programs on the hows, whys and whens of financial aid at MIT -- how your financial aid award was determined, when your supplemental forms are due, how to pay your balance, how to find on-campus student employment, and how your online student account will work and much more.

But that is just the beginning...

Events

• Parent Welcome on Thursday night at 7:30 pm in room 26-100. Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions, Chancellor Eric Grimson and Professor Alex Slocum will welcome the Class of 2017 parents to Campus Preview Weekend.
• Parent Reception with Parent Connectors and Alumni on Friday night at 5:00 pm in Walker Memorial. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association and the MIT Club of Boston, this reception is your chance to meet and mingle with Parent Connectors, Educational Counselors and other MIT Alumni. The presenter will be Kuljot Anand '13 who will talk about his MIT experience and is a student I first met when he came to an MIT information session in Toronto.
• Insight for Parents by Parents is Saturday morning at 9:00 am in room 10-250. A panel of current MIT parents will be on hand to share their insights and answer your questions. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association. There will be coffee provided, so please come and join us.

Panels & Sessions

• About Residential Life and Dining. Our on-campus residential community boasts residence halls, fraternities, sororities and independent living groups as well as a wide variety of dining services. There will be a discussion covering life in residences, residential support offerings, activities, dining options, roommate matching and more.
• The Urban Campus: Campus Safety &Security. John DiFava, Chief of MIT Police and others will address these issues and answer your questions.
• Academic Programming and Support Panel. Learn about the many kind of interactions that occur between students and faculty at MIT and the wonderful collaborative environment in which they work and study together.
• Getting Your Child Ready to Have a Healthy First Year. Join staff from MIT Medical to learn resources, tips, and strategies that help students start healthy and stay healthy during college.
• Student Activities, Athletics and Leadership Panel. Learn about the many ways students are engaged in campus activities that enhance areas of intellectual, personal, athletic and social development.
• Open Houses

Multiple open houses will be held over the weekend. These include areas relating to Medical Services, Careers Development, Hillel, Global Education (study abroad and more), Pre-Professional Advising (Pre-Med and more), departments, and housing.

I’ve named just a handful of the events created with you in mind for CPW and it really is just the tip of the iceberg. We'll provide you with a full schedule when you get here but to get a head start on your plans check out the online listings on our CPW site: http://mitcpw.org/schedule. 

See you soon!

Here are a few highlighted events this coming week; see your MyMIT portal for the locations and times for these events, and for a list of all of the events.

Saturday

• Spend an afternoon at the Art Institute of Indianapolis and meet some great MIT Alumni in Indiana.

Sunday

• Enjoy a slice of deep-dish pizza with MIT students and Alumni in Chicago.
• Come hear MIT Professor Eugene Fitzgerald speak in Providence, RI.

Tuesday

• Meet fellow admitted students from the Pacific Northwest at the party in Portland, OR.

Wednesday

• Happen to be in Ontario? Come to Toronto for an evening reception at the home of an MIT Alum.
• Join the MIT Club of Wisconsin for their MIT Technology Achievement Awards and connect with awesome MIT Alumni and admitted students.

Thursday

• Swinging through the Big Apple? Stop by one of our largest Admitted Student Meetings on the East Coast.
• Soak up the sun during the day then join fellow admitted students for an evening reception in Miami. 

Friday

• Discover Nevada style BBQ over dinner with potential classmates in Reno.
• Meet MIT Alumni in Thailand over breakfast!

Saturday

• Stop by Fairfield, CT, the headquarters of engineering giant GE and spend a bit of the afternoon in the home of a wonderful MIT Alum.

Be sure to check the listing on your MyMIT account for the most up to date information and RSVP if requested.

There is a whole MIT community that can’t wait to meet you. Congratulations and welcome!
-Brenna
 

Last year I attended the 25th reunion of my MIT class. It was quite a party with a record number of classmates and their families in attendance and ended with the final celebration of MIT150. At the same time, I bid the Class of 2011 goodbye with the promise that I would see them in five years when they would all come back to campus for their 5th reunion and I would be here once again for my 30th. My reunion experiences will now forever be tied with theirs and it will give me the excuse to see a class that I am rather fond of, especially those who lived in the Alpha Phi sorority house with me while they were undergrads. That class is special in its own way just as the ones that have come before and those that will come after are.

I’ve often said it gets harder each year to say goodbye to the graduating seniors because due to the passage of time I’ve had a better opportunity to get to know them. This year however I’ve reached the maximum time that I will have to ever get to know a class since the Class of 2012 are those whose applications I first ready when I joined the Admissions Office just five years ago. They are and will always be “my first class” and that means they will always be special to me.

They were the first who told me their stories, how growing up, their high school, and the people they met there influenced them and brought them to the point that made MIT the right college for them. I read their files, took part in deciding to admit them and welcomed them to campus for CPW that April. I saw their nerves when they first stepped off the bus that spring day, coupled with the wonder and excitement of being on the campus for real. I saw their pleasure as they first experienced liquid nitrogen ice cream and attended the acapella concert. By the time they got to the closing show they were exhausted but I knew many of them would return in the fall as freshmen and I was thrilled that I would be here to welcome them to the MIT family.

They returned in droves, registered for classes, went through REX and recruitment, survived their GIR’s and got credit for classes already taken. They formed study groups and more importantly they became a part of the MIT community and lots of other little communities. They picked majors and then they changed majors and some changed majors yet again. Some played sports, some played instruments and some just played ultimate Frisbee in the Great Court but they learned to balance play with work knowing that all of those things were important. They could stay up and get things accomplished when they needed to but also knew sometimes they just needed to have fun. I saw all of these things but also I got to watch them grow up in many ways that they have yet to even realize…ways that will be a part of them when their time at MIT really is just a nice memory.

So after waking across the bridge last night I walked into the TV room in the sorority house and saw many of the seniors taking a break from Senior Week activities before they headed off to the Red Sox game together. I didn’t really listen to the conversation but more to the voices as they caught up with each other and the other sisters who walked through. It wasn’t about what they said but about hearing the differences in the tones of their voices, their confidence as they spoke…it was so different from when I met them all a few short years ago. As they are making plans for their future I am overwhelmed at all the different things they are doing but proud as well that they are taking what they learned here and using it in such amazing ways. Each one of them has the potential to do great things and I feel certain that they will help to make this world a better place, each in their own way.

So to the Class of 2012…thanks for letting me be an observer to your lives for the last five years. Know that you will always hold a special place in my heart and memory. I wish you well. I'm so proud of each of you!
 

The first question I often hear from parents is, "what events should I attend with my child?" In truth, there won't be very many of them if you are each doing what interests you the most. With hundreds of options over the few days, there are lots of things to choose from and parents will probably not want answers to the same questions that students will. That said, it's important to check in occasionally so I'd suggest you pick an event where you can meet up with your student each day (perhaps the President's Welcome on Friday and the Closing Variety Show on Saturday) but mostly I hope you will encourage them “do their own thing” and know that it's good for you to do the same. It’s the best way for them to figure out if they are comfortable and at home on our campus and the best way for you to be comfortable with them being here.

I hope you’ll ask lots of questions. It’s the way our students learn and will work well for you too. Current students are great resources so don’t be afraid to ask them about their experiences. In addition we've enlisted the help of a great group of current students' parents called Parent Connectors. They'll be available throughout the weekend to address those issues that are most important to you, the parent, so don't be afraid to ask for their opinions...they know exactly how you feel since they were asking those same questions just a year or so ago. They are also easy to locate in their red Parent Connector” polo shirts so keep a lookout for them. A great place to find a parent to talk to would be in the Parent’s Hospitality Lounge. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and chat with current MIT parents as well as other parents of MIT prefrosh. Also, learn about the MIT Parents Association and the Parent Connector Network from current volunteers and staff.

I hope you’ll be open-minded during your visit with us. I live with current students and their life at MIT is somewhat different than mine was when I was here. I'm sure you'll feel the same way too, it's inevitable, but it's just not the way we remember it. I remember fondly my mother’s first comments in viewing my dorm when I was a student at MIT but for me it was the perfect choice for my four years at MIT.

Bring comfortable shoes and a jacket or sweater. Weather can change quickly in Boston so you should be prepared for anything. Boston is a great walking city and I hope you'll take some time to see the environs around MIT as well the campus itself and the best way to do that is on foot. Even just a short walk along the river can be a nice break from all the events of the day.

Have questions regarding your student's financial aid package or the financial aid process in general? This year there will be an open house Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Student Financial Services so you can stop in and get your questions answered. On Thursday and Friday there will be comprehensive presentations by Executive Director of Student Financial Services, Elizabeth Hicks. Parents and students are welcome to attend either of these programs on the hows, whys and whens of financial aid at MIT -- how your financial aid award was determined, when your supplemental forms are due, how to pay your balance, how to find on-campus student employment, and how your online student account will work and much more.

But that is just the beginning...

Events

Parent Welcome on Thursday night at 7:30 pm. Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions, Chancellor Eric Grimson and Professor Alex Slocum will welcome the Class of 2016 parents to Campus Preview Weekend.

Parent Reception with Parent Connectors and Alumni on Friday night at 5:00 pm. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association and the MIT Club of Boston, this reception is your chance to meet and mingle with Parent Connectors, Educational Counselors and other MIT Alumni. The presenter will be Columbus Leonard '12 who will talk about some of the programs he's been a part of while at MIT.

Insight for Parents by Parents is Saturday morning at 9:00 am. A panel of current MIT parents will be on hand to share their insights and answer your questions. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association. There will be coffee provided, so please come and join us.

Parent Connector Saturday Night Drop-In After the closing variety show join us “Under the Great Dome" for an informal gathering hosted by the Chair of the MIT Parent Connectors at the Barker Engineering Library. It's one of my favorite rooms on the campus.

Panels & Sessions

Residential Life and Dining at MIT Our on-campus residential community boasts residence halls, fraternities, sororities and independent living groups as well as a wide variety of dining services. There will be a discussion covering life in residences, residential support offerings, activities, dining options, roommate matching and more.

Come learn about all aspects of Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) at MIT, including how to participate, what type of research is appropriate, what to expect from the program, and more. Discussion will center on the experiences of the UROP student panel as moderated by UROP staff.

There are other panels on Campus Safety and various aspects of Student Life and Learning ...certainly all great options for getting those important questions answered.
Open Houses

Multiple open houses will be held over the weekend. These include areas relating to Medical Services, Careers Development, Hillel, Global Education (study abroad and more), Pre-Professional Advising (Pre-Med and more), departments, and housing.

I’ve named just a handful of the events created with you in mind for CPW and it really is just the tip of the iceberg...to get a head start on your plans check out the schedule on our newly improved CPW site: http://mitcpw.org/schedule

See you soon!

The first question I often hear from parents is, "what events should I attend with my child?" In truth, there won't be very many of them if you are each doing what interests you the most. With about 700 options over the few days, there are lots of things to choose from and parents will probably not want answers to the same questions that students will. That said, it's important to check in occasionally so I'd suggest you pick an event where you can meet up with your student each day (perhaps the President's Welcome on Friday and the Closing Variety Show on Saturday) but mostly I hope you will encourage them “do their own thing” and know that it's good for you to do the same. It’s the best way for them to figure out if they are comfortable and at home on our campus and the best way for you to be comfortable with them being here.

I hope you’ll ask lots of questions. It’s the way our students learn and will work well for you too. Current students are great resources so don’t be afraid to ask them about their experiences. In addition we've enlisted the help of a great group of current students' parents called Parent Connectors. They'll be available throughout the weekend to address those issues that are most important to you, the parent, so don't be afraid to ask for their opinions...they know exactly how you feel since they were asking those same questions just a year or so ago. A great place to find a parent to talk to would be in the Parent’s Hospitality Lounge. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and chat with current MIT parents as well as other parents of MIT prefrosh. Also, learn about the MIT Parents Association and the Parent Connector Network from current volunteers and staff.

I hope you’ll be open-minded during your visit with us. I live with current students and their life at MIT is somewhat different than mine was when I was here. I'm sure you'll feel the same way too, it's inevitable, but it's just not the way we remember it.

Bring comfortable shoes and a jacket or sweater. We had a bit of snow today and rain is always possible in the spring so you should be prepared for anything. Boston is a great walking city and I hope you'll take some time to see the environs around MIT as well the campus itself and the best way to do that is on foot. Even just a short walk along the river can be a nice break from all the events of the day.

Have questions regarding your student's financial aid package or the financial aid process in general? This year there will be an open house Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Student Financial Services so you can stop in and get your questions answered. On Thursday and Friday there will be comprehensive presentations by Executive Director of Student Financial Services, Elizabeth Hicks. Parents and students are welcome to attend either of these programs on the hows, whys and whens of financial aid at MIT -- how your financial aid award was determined, when your supplemental forms are due, how to pay your balance, how to find on-campus student employment, and how your online student account will work and much more.

But that is just the beginning...

Events

Parent Welcome on Thursday night at 7:30 pm. Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions, Chancellor Eric Grimson and Professor Alex Slocum will welcome the Class of 2015 parents to Campus Preview Weekend.

Parent Reception with Parent Connectors and Alumni on Friday night at 5:00 pm. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association and the MIT Club of Boston, this reception is your chance to meet and mingle with Parent Connectors, Educational Counselors and other MIT Alumni. The presenter will be Danielle Whited '11 who will talk about some of the programs she's been a part of while at MIT.

Insight for Parents by Parents is Saturday morning at 8:30 am. A panel of current MIT parents will be on hand to share their insights and answer your questions. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association. There will be coffee provided, so please come and join us.

Parent Connector Saturday Night Drop-In After the closing variety show join us “Under the Great Dome" for an informal gathering hosted by the Chair of the MIT Parent Connectors at the Barker Engineering Library. It's one of my favorite rooms on the campus.

Panels & Sessions

Residential Life at MIT Our on-campus residential community boasts residence halls, fraternities, sororities and independent living groups as well as a wide variety of dining services. There will be a discussion covering life in residences, residential support offerings, activities, dining options, roommate matching and more.

Come learn about all aspects of Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) at MIT, including how to participate, what type of research is appropriate, what to expect from the program, and more. Discussion will center on the experiences of the UROP student panel as moderated by UROP staff.

There are other panels on Campus Safety and various aspects of Student Life and Learning ...certainly all great options for getting those important questions answered.

Open Houses

Multiple open houses will be held over the weekend. These include areas relating to Medical Services, Careers Development, Hillel, Global Education (study abroad and more), Pre-Professional Advising (Pre-Med and more), departments, and housing.

I’ve named just a handful of the events created with you in mind for CPW and it really is just the tip of the iceberg...to get a head start on your plans check out our improved CPW search feature complete with mapping function: http://cpwevents.mitadmissions.org/.

And if all that wasn't enough, on Sunday as CPW winds down is the MIT150 Convocation: http://mit150.mit.edu/events/convocation. It's been a pretty exciting year at MIT as we have been celebrating the 150 anniversary of MIT's chartering and you get to be a part of this historic milestone as well.

See you soon!

Here are a few highlighted events this coming week; see your MyMIT portal for the locations and times for these events, and for a list of all of the events.

Saturday
• Stop by Fairfield, CT, the headquarters of engineering giant GE and spend a bit of the afternoon in the home of a wonderful MIT Alum.

Sunday
• Enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon picnic with the MIT Club of Central Florida.

Monday
• Join the MIT Club of Colorado, the MIT Alumni Association and MIT President Susan Hockfield for a night of celebration at Red Rocks.

Wednesday
• Swinging through the Big Apple? Stop by one of our biggest Admitted Student Meetings on the East Coast.
• Calling all Canadians! Live near Toronto? Stop by!
• Attend the first meeting held in the Rose City (Portland) in at least 5 years and meet some fellow Oregonians.

Thursday
• Come hear MIT Professor David Parks speak in Providence, RI
• Mingle with the enthusiastic alumni of the Volunteer State in Memphis.

Friday
• Head up near Iowa State University in Ames and hear about life in Boston from an MIT Alum and MIT ’15 Parent.
• Hang out at Prestolite Electric Incorporated with MIT admits, students and alums from around the Great Lakes region.

Saturday
• Watch the MIT Chorallaries perform in San Francisco.
• Attend one of the three events happening across China at 12:30pm.

Sunday
• Gather with all the MIT locals from the Bay State.
• Stop by the home of a Kansas City MIT Alum for a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Be sure to check the listing on your MyMIT account for the most up to date information and RSVP if requested.

There is a whole MIT community that cannot wait to meet you. Congratulations and welcome!
-Katie

Before the magic of the internet we actually got a real letter announcing our fate, in fact, everyone got a letter and you pretty much knew if you were admitted or not by the size of the envelope...the bigger the envelope, the better the news. My envelope from MIT was very big and contained a red t-shirt. I was very excited and wore the shirt the very next day to school. Even in those days MIT announced their decisions earlier than many other schools but we didn't have the luxury of knowing what day we would actually find out. I'm told that all the letters were mailed at the same time, so kids in Massachusetts knew several days earlier than I did that they had been admitted. I had to wait until my envelope got all the way to California.

Every day for weeks I was the one who checked the mail at my house, not because of a fondness for the mailman, but because I was waiting to hear from the various schools. I applied to only three schools and in fact when I originally told my guidance counselor I had five on my list, he nearly fainted...that meant he would need to make five copies of any letter he wrote and that was two, too many as far as he was concerned. I ultimately did trim it down to three, completed my applications and then the waiting began. I'm sure I drove my family nuts, would I get in or not, if I did which would I pick, and if I didn't what would I do with myself the following year...I'm sure there were moments that they could hardly stand being in the same room with me that spring, let alone the same house.

In the end, it all worked out. I got into my safety school...a UC campus which shall remain nameless but didn't get into another school (it shall remain un-named as well for these purposes). That...gulp...rejection (yes, it was a very difficult word to say even then) was actually probably a good thing because I think that particular school was probably my parents first choice. It was much closer to home than MIT and I was the first child in my family going off to college. I was nervous, I was afraid I would make the wrong choice, and I was mad that I didn't get into that third school...maybe MIT wasn't the best place for me to be, I kept thinking to myself. But, in the long run, what turned out to be disappointing, scary, and exciting, all at the same time, turned out tremendously well and I jumped into life at MIT with both feet. I had a great experience here, but I'm also convinced that I could have a great experience at any of three colleges to which I applied.

So...why have I decided to tell you about this now...I'm sure you've figured it out. Decisions come out next week and you've all applied to lots of great schools, in fact some of you have applied to four times as many schools as I did. Yes, the times have changed...more kids than ever before have applied to more schools than ever before and that means that more "rejections" than ever before will be received by applicants in the next few weeks as all the schools release their decisions. It's not fair, it's not fun for the applicants, or for admissions officers, but it sadly is the way things are...and there really isn't anything that Admissions Offices can do about it.

You've poured your hearts, souls and dreams into your applications and I'm thrilled to have had the chance to get know you through what you have shared. You've shared with us exactly why MIT would be the perfect place for you, but I know you've also done that for all the schools on your list, or you wouldn't have applied to them. And in truth, you could have a great experience at any of those schools, just like I could have had a great experience at any of the three I applied to.

Your challenge in the weeks ahead is to ultimately select a school from the list of places where you are admitted. Once you hear from all your choices you need to get on with the process of deciding among the schools that have admitted you. That's where your choices truly are, and you need to concentrate on figuring out which one will be the best one for you and not continue to be frustrated about those that didn't admit you. Sadly, we are going to turn down many times more applicants than we will admit. We already know that we're going to turn down lots of you and it's going to be difficult for us, and even harder for you. Every year my colleagues and I say "goodbye" to applicants that we would love to have admitted to MIT. But spaces are few, and lots of truly amazing and very qualified students will not be joining us on our campus in the fall. Some other school will however be fortunate enough to have them.

If we admit you, I'm going to be so thrilled to welcome you to campus in September. I know you'll have a great experience here and you can be assured that we believe you belong here. But for the rest...it's not that we didn't want you, it's not that you did something wrong...we just couldn't admit everyone we wanted. It really is that simple...it's not fair, but it is what it is.

So...no matter what happens, be happy about where you are admitted, embrace your final choice and know that we wish you all the very best. After getting to know each of you so well in these last few months we know you will have an amazing college experience!

In case you are just "tuning in," we do things a bit differently at MIT when it comes to interviews. Some schools have their volunteers contact you, but we don't. Instead we give you access to your Educational Counselor's (EC’s) contact information through your MyMIT account in the year you are applying and it is up to you to contact your EC via email or by phone, whichever he or she has listed for your use. Students each year ask when they should contact their EC and if they don't hear back, when they should contact them again. Well, here is the full story; hopefully this post will help you navigate the interview process more easily.

If you are applying Early Action, the deadline will be here sooner than you think. The stated deadline to contact your interviewer is October 20th. I recommend you try to have had your interview by that time as well since the EC will need to submit the report on your conversation by November 1 so not waiting until the last minute to contact them is a really good idea. In fact, the “ideal” time frame would be from September 7 to about October 15th. …Yes, that's basically right now....

For Regular Action, you have a bit more time since the deadline to contact your EC is December 10. We try to get all interviews completed by the 20th to give the ECs time to submit their reports on January 6 and still enjoy the end of the year without the pressure of interview reports to complete. Since ECs are pretty busy through October with interviews for Early Action applicants the "ideal" time to contact your EC for a regular action interview is November 3 to November 24th.

When you contact your EC there are some things you can do to make life easier for both of you. If you email your EC, put in the subject of your message that you are contacting them for an interview and give them your full name in the text of your email. If you are calling them and end up leaving a message make sure to leave your full name and a contact number on the message but above all speak clearly and slowly. You'd be amazed how fast people can rattle off phone numbers. So much so, it can take multiple tries to actually get the whole thing...don't let that be you :-) It's also helpful if you indicate whether you need an interview for Early Action or Regular Action. Some ECs will try to get all of their Early Action interviews done first, so if they ask you to wait a bit it's probably an effort to plan their schedules to insure everyone gets a fair chance.

Another issue that pops up is what you should do if you are applying Early Decision or Single-Choice Early Action to another school. Having an interview with an EC may not violate these early agreements, as having an interview alone does not make you an applicant to MIT. We recommend that you check with your early admission school for their own rules, just to be on the safe side. Keep in mind that it can be frustrating for an EC to do an interview with you and submit a report only to find out you didn't end up applying since you were admitted elsewhere early as they will generally spend 4-6 hours on each student they interview between the interview and writing the report. It's okay to contact your EC and suggest you schedule the interview for after the time when you will find out whether you got in early somewhere else. If you don't get in to the other school you can then have the interview as scheduled. If you do get in to the other school, just let your EC know that you won't be needing the interview after all. They will congratulate you on your good fortune but spend that time interviewing another applicant.

So what should you do if you don't hear back from your EC? First thing, be patient for a couple of days. ECs are volunteers and have lives and jobs so they may not spend as much time answering email as you do. If you haven't heard anything in three or four days it's fine to contact them again and you should. If you still don't hear back let the EC Office know by sending an email to interview@mit.edu. We'll either let you know that your EC is away and will be in touch shortly or assign you to someone else. Give us a few days too as we get really busy this time of year helping students just like you get their interview.

The last question that comes up year after year is what to do if you miss the deadline. Obviously you don't want to do that, and if you're reading this you won't, right :-) But in case you do, it's still okay to contact your EC and see if they are able to meet with you. They may not have the time to interview you if you have missed the deadline, but it doesn't hurt to ask if you had a good reason, and many ECs will fit you in if they can. As I said, they are really nice people!!

Well, I think that pretty much covers the most frequently asked questions each year about interviews. I'll continue to talk about interviews throughout the fall but contacting your ECs before the deadline will go a long way in making this process easier...I promise!!

It makes sense when you think about it. I arrived on campus for freshman orientation and jumped right in, learning the campus as a student. What did I need a tour for, I was "living the dream" and could find everything I needed. When I came back to MIT to work (three years ago this week, I might add, yeah me :-) I already knew where everything was. Sure, I kept telling myself that I should take the time and see what it is the tour guides say about the campus as they show off this place, but I just never got around to it. Every time I made time to go something came up, someone stopped by to see me, or worse yet...it rained and why on earth would I willingly slog around the campus in a large group in the pouring rain...that was just crazy. But, I was beginning to feel guilty. I know most of the tour guides, several live in my house and I appreciate seeing their helpful faces at the end of my information sessions. The time had come!

You all have met Alina, one of our newest bloggers. Well, I first saw Alina when she came to pick up students for tours after sessions when she was a new tour guide. The following summer when I went to talk about becoming a Residential Advisor, she was involved in the discussion and now I see her every day in the house, on campus, or as I cross the bridge on my way home. Well, I ran into her on Monday night and mentioned that I wanted to go on a tour but didn't want the other people on the tour to know I worked in Admissions instead wanting them to get pay attend to the tour guide not spend their time asking me questions. Alina assured me that if I went on her tour, she wouldn't "rat me out."

So, yesterday I went on a tour incognito...but how does one do that exactly? How does one stop looking like an Admissions Officer? Well you wear jeans, tennis shoes, and a nondescript shirt. Is bright red truly nondescript, I wonder, oh well, I may have screwed that one up. Most importantly you put your staff id in your back pocket and listen with rapt interest at everything the tour guide says, but of course, you'd want to do that anyway 'cuz this is MIT after all, right?

So what did I learn? Lots of it I already knew, but it certainly didn't hurt to be reminded about some of the coolest places on our campus. Looking at it day after day you tend to forget about some of the significance of various buildings and the little details that make it special. I don't want to give away all the little details, because then you wouldn't need the tour, but I did find myself looking at the place carefully, trying to view the campus the way I would if I had never seen it before, with "fresh eyes" as it were. The truth is, I still find new cool places on campus, even after hanging around here for a very long time and seeing the place through Alina's eyes and her words yesterday gave me a new view.

Now I'm sure that no two tours are exactly the same any more than two Admission Officers' information sessions are. What makes them special is the stories that the tour guides share. I've known Alina for two years now, but I never knew how she got her first UROP, just that she has had several at this point. I heard about where she lived on campus when she was a freshman, how she manages her time between studying and athletics and where she likes to study when she's not at the house. And of course, the story of Oliver Smoot never gets old for me, especially since I've had the pleasure of meeting him, as well as his wife at a reunion on campus a couple of years ago. And since one of my favorite places on campus is the Great Court I loved hearing the oo's and ah's as we stood there surrounding by the buildings hearing about the hacks of days gone by.

So if you come to campus, I hope you'll take a tour. You won't be sorry and perhaps I'll see you there. I figure that now that I've heard Alina's story, I'll need to drop in on the others guides' tours to fully understand their view of this special place that we all call home. And when you do, I'll look forward to seeing you there. I'll be the one skulking in the back, in the red shirt...listening to every word!

The first question I often hear from parents is, "what events should I attend with my child?" In truth, there won't be very many of them if you are each doing what interests you the most. With nearly 700 options over the few days, there are lots of things to choose from and parents will probably not want answers to the same questions that students will. That said, it's important to check in occasionally so I'd suggest you pick an event where you can meet up with your student each day (perhaps the Chancellor's Welcome on Friday and the Closing Variety Show on Saturday) but mostly I hope you will encourage them “do their own thing” and know that it's good for you to do the same. It’s the best way for them to figure out if they are comfortable and at home on our campus and the best way for you to be comfortable with them being here.

I hope you’ll ask lots of questions. It’s the way our students learn and will work well for you too. Current students are great resources so don’t be afraid to ask them about their experiences. In addition we've enlisted the help of a great group of current students' parents called Parent Connectors. They'll be available throughout the weekend to address those issues that are most important to you, the parent, so don't be afraid to ask for their opinions...they know exactly how you feel since they were asking those same questions just a year or so ago. A great place to find a parent to talk to would be in the Parent’s Hospitality Lounge. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and chat with current MIT parents as well as other parents of MIT prefrosh. Also, learn about the MIT Parents Association and the Parent Connector Network from current volunteers and staff.

I hope you’ll be open-minded during your visit with us. While my parents did understand why I wanted to attend MIT, I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face when I told her I was moving into a co-ed dorm. I was, after all, her "little girl". We both enjoyed our time in college, but the experiences we had could not have been more different. I so appreciated the fact that she quickly realized that those differences were inevitable and that my MIT experience was the right one for me.

Bring comfortable shoes and a jacket or sweater. Boston is a great walking city and I hope you'll take some time to experience it. I was struck anew this morning when I noticed all the flowering trees in bloom in my neighborhood. I hope you'll take some time to see the environs around MIT as well the campus itself and the best way to do that is on foot. Even just a short walk along the river can be a nice break from all the events of the day. Evenings can be cool here this time of year and it will even occasionally rain...it is, after all, spring in New England which means just about anything could happen when it comes to weather.

Have questions regarding your financial aid package or the financial aid process in general? Either get your questions answered immediately by the Financial Aid Counselor on-hand in the Student Center or schedule a 20-minute appointment to speak one-on-one with a Student Financial Services representative. On Friday there will be a Financial Aid Presentation. Parents and students are welcome to attend this program on the hows, whys and whens of financial aid at MIT -- how your financial aid award was determined, when your supplemental forms are due, how to pay your balance, how to find on-campus student employment, and how your online student account will work. Executive Director of Student Financial Services, Elizabeth Hicks, will address these issues and more, as well as answer your questions.

But that is just the beginning...

Events

Parent Welcome on Thursday night at 7:30 pm. Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Donald Sadoway, John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry, will welcome the Class of 2014 parents to Campus Preview Weekend.

Parent Reception with Parent Connectors and Alumni on Friday night at 5:00 pm. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association and the MIT Club of Boston, this reception is your chance to meet and mingle with Parent Connectors, Educational Counselors and other MIT Alumni. The presenter will be Kim Vandiver '75, Dean for Undergraduate Research.

Insight for Parents by Parents is Saturday morning at 8:30 am. A panel of current MIT parents will be on hand to share their insights and answer your questions. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association.

Parent Connector Saturday Night Drop-In After the closing variety show join us “Under the Great Dome" for an informal gathering hosted by the Chair of the MIT Parent Connectors.

Panels & Sessions

Residential Life at MIT Our on-campus residential community boasts residence halls, fraternities, sororities and independent living groups as well as a wide variety of dining services. Karen Nilsson, Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life, will lead a discussion covering life in residences, residential support offerings, activities, dining options, roommate matching and more.

Come learn about all aspects of UROP at MIT, including how to participate, what type of research is appropriate, what to expect from the program, and more. Discussion will center on the experiences of the UROP student panel as moderated by UROP staff.

Three Panels for Parents Learn about the many kinds of interactions that occur between students and faculty at MIT, and the wonderful collaborative environment in which they work and study together. Find out about the many ways students get involved in and lead campus activities and athletics that help to enhance areas of intellectual, personal and social development. From MIT Medical to Student Support Services and safety, MIT's campus features a widespread and multi-layered care system for the mind, body and spirit.

Open Houses

Multiple open houses will be held over the weekend. These include areas relating to Medical Services, Careers Development, Hillel, Global Education (study abroad and more), Pre-Professional Advising (Pre-Med and more), departments, and housing.

I’ve named just a handful of the events created with you in mind for CPW and it really is just the tip of the iceberg...to get a head start on your plans check out our nifty new CPW search feature http://mitcpw.mit.edu/.

See you soon!

I am thrilled to say that even though we do now have CPW, in fact we're preparing for it on campus already, there is still the opportunity for many of you to attend spring meetings hosted by ECs and alumni clubs around the world. At last count there are nearly 60 of them, ranging from Hartford to Hong Kong, Seattle to Singapore. Most meetings will be scheduled over MIT's spring break to allow current students to be on hand but some may fall into April as well.

Here's just a small sampling of what is in store:

Saturday

San Francisco/Bay Area meeting in the home of RC Walt Price '71.

Sunday

The Raleigh, NC meeting will be hosted by RC Al Tice '67

Monday

MIT President Susan Hockfield will be the guest at the MIT Club of Greece event.

Tuesday

The MIT Club of New Hampshire will have a dinner with Dr. David Gray who'll be talking about solar energy developments.

Wednesday

MIT Club of France welcomes MIT President Susan Hockfield.

Thursday

Both Cleveland, OH and Columbus, OH are having their spring meetings.

Friday

The Orange County meeting will be in the home of RC Joanna Tan '74

Saturday

Westchester County, NY and Basking, NJ and Washington, DC are all having meetings.

For a complete list of all the events, admitted students should log on to their my.mit.edu account and RSVP as indicated. I hope you and your parents will attend!

I learned a lot at the spring meeting I attended and had a great chance to get to know a few of my future classmates. Talking with the alums and current students was a huge help in deciding whether to stay in California for college or head east to Cambridge. Fortunately, over the years I even had a chance to say thanks to a couple of those I met and have never regretted spending that afternoon in Mr. Keller's backyard.

When I was very young my family started a tradition of doing jigsaw puzzles on New Year's Eve. Now you need to understand that we have always done jigsaw puzzles starting with those big wooden ones that you give to very small children, moved through the medium size pieces with the pictures of animals and cartoonish type qualities, eventually moving to those with hundreds upon hundreds of pieces based on artistic masterpieces. The best part of the tradition however was starting a puzzle on New Year's Eve and racing to finish before going to bed that night, constantly saying, "I'll go bed after I put in just one more piece, I promise." It's not a surprise to me that my brother and I both still honor this tradition over the holidays as it brings back wonderful memories of times gone by.

So why do your applications remind me of jigsaw puzzles...think about it...each piece of information in your application folder, is like the piece of a jigsaw puzzle. When my brother and I do puzzles these days, we put the top of the box away, trying not to look so that we see the puzzle come alive as we put it together and that part, too, is like your applications. We get all the pieces when we read it, but we have no idea what it will look like when we start, only after we have read it cover to cover, exploring all the details do we truly have the picture of who you are.

The Part I is like the border. That's where you tell us your name, address, school and information about your family. That sets the boundaries, forming the edges of what we will see and shows us just the very beginnings of the picture, hinting just a bit at what will be in the larger picture when it is done. Important note: my brother doesn't like doing the border and leaves that to me, choosing to begin assembling details from the middle; must be why he's an EC and not an admissions officer.

The Part II shows us the big areas of the picture. The areas that are kind of easy to put together because the colors all move from area to area easily. Larger areas of the design come out and we begin to see the larger themes in the puzzle. That gives us lots of the finished picture, but all the details are not filled in yet.

So what provides the detail...those are your school recommendations, the report from your school and of course, the interview report from your local EC. Those are pieces of the puzzles that fill in the in between spaces...sometimes they represent the sky, which while it all seems like a lot of the same color, in some pictures makes a huge difference in the final picture. Other times, the recommendation letters are the in between little pieces, between the flowers, and will contain very important little details that really make the picture complete. The interview reports will generally do that as well, fill in little bits of details about who you are and help us with our decisions. That's why the interview report from your EC is valued so much by my colleagues and me.

One of my least favorite parts of doing a jigsaw puzzle is getting to the end and realizing there is a piece missing. Now sometimes it will seem very unimportant since its just one piece in the middle of a huge swath of color, but sometimes it's that piece right in the middle and not having that piece makes the picture less than it can be. It is still pretty, it just doesn't feel complete. That's why having all the pieces in place in your application is important and why once we have all our data entry done we'll give you a chance to send us anything that is missing. In the meantime, don't worry because we'll give you plenty of time.

So...now you know why I like reading your applications. I like learning about each of you, and the fact that reading about each of you reminds me of one of my favorite pastimes makes it even better. I'm looking forward to lots more puzzles over the next few weeks so thanks for sharing your lives with me, I'm enjoying it tremendously.

Back to my folders...and to meeting all of you :-)

But I digress...last Friday morning I was assigned to do the session. Now, I knew that the application was due to be go live this week but we hadn't announced yet precisely what day it would be. I did however get to give to those 250 lucky (?) people in my session a preview of what was to come. As I made my big announcement, the shock wave rolled across the room. There were looks of surprise, happiness, and even some frustration as those present absorbed what I had said. I watched in interest as potential applicants looked at their families and then looked at each other. It was an interesting thing to watch. For, as you see, we have made that most interesting of changes to this year's application...we have decided that for our purposes that the long essay is obsolete...

When you look at the new app (yes, I know, many of you already have) we really hope you'll like what you see. It will look familiar, obviously, but there are some interesting changes and we hope you'll like them. We spent a lot of time this spring thinking about how to make it more interesting for you and helpful to us. We understand that condensing your life onto just a few pages of paper is tough so we decided to try and make it easier for you to tell us, in your words, exactly who you are. Yes, the basic things are much the same: grades, scores, awards, activities, short answer questions. Those things are all there as they help us to understand who you are. But the exciting part is that there really is no long essay this year, nor is there the need to decide whether or not the "optional" essay is really optional. Instead what you will find are three short essays (200-250 words) which ask about a time you used your creativity, ask you to describe "your world", and a significant challenge you've faced. We're looking for honest answers, what first comes to your mind when you see the questions...we want to know who you are and your application to us is your chance to tell us.

So, if you haven't done so yet, now is the time to get your my.mit.edu account and get started! Oh, and by the way, don't forget to check your my.mit.edu account for your Educational Counselors name and contact information while you're at it. They are looking forward to meeting you so set up that interview soon. You'll be glad you did!

Last fall I moved into the MIT Alpha Phi sorority house with 60 MIT undergraduate woman as the Residential Advisor (RA). When I was an undergrad, sororities were just beginning to find their place at MIT so there were no women living in sorority houses although there were women living in one of several independent living groups. I lived in Baker House, often referred to in those days as the largest fraternity on campus, but without the ties of sisterhood that bind the women I now live with on our campus. According to the job description,

RAs serve as mentors, role models, guides, and resources for the students who live in the 36 fraternities, sororities and independent living groups

I've really had a good time living in the house this year. I have dinner whenever possible with the residents of the house enjoying the chance to hear about their classes, what professors they like the best, and which exams were the hardest as well as the last movie they saw. I ride the shuttle bus with them in the morning and Saferide at night but I like it best when the "girls" wave at me in the "infinite corridor" or in the Student Center. I look forward each evening to when I get to take a break and go down to the tv room and watch Gossip Girl, Gray's Anatomy, or an old episode of Friends enjoying the chance to spend a few minutes of downtime enjoying a snack (raw cookie dough from the freezer is my favorite). Everyone in the house has truly made me feel like a part of the family this year! But what impresses me the most is the way the girls work together. Responsibility for the house is shared by all and everyone is expected to do their part. A typical Saturday may require doing a bit of housework before settling in for a day of studying but will generally end with a group going out to get some dinner and then going to a movie or campus party. The fact that the girls live, study, play and eat together helps them to create bonds that will last a lifetime.

So that now brings me back to why I got up so early today. "Study breaks" are also a part of my "job" and mine tend to be more of the breakfast variety. Each semester during finals week I get up extra early for two mornings and make sure that there is a hot breakfast ready before the residents of the house go off to an exam or back to their studies. I love breakfast myself, and like it even better when someone else makes it. Plus, my mother always told me I needed a good breakfast to start the day. I guess this is my way of carrying on that tradition.

A colleague asked me the other day how I liked living in the house and I responded very quickly that it had surpassed all my expectations. Will I be returning for another year, you might ask. In truth, I wouldn't miss it for the world! And yes, I'll be making breakfast during finals week...

Parent’s Hospitality Lounge Grab a cup of coffee or tea and chat with current MIT parents as well as other parents of MIT prefrosh. Also, learn about the MIT Parents Association and the Parent Connector Network from current volunteers and staff.

Financial Aid Appointments Have questions regarding your financial aid package or the financial aid process in general? Either get your questions answered immediately by the Financial Aid Counselor on-hand or schedule a 20-minute appointment to speak one-on-one with a Student Financial Services representative.

Events

Parent Welcome on Thursday night at 7:30 pm Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Donald Sadoway, John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry, will welcome the Class of 2013 parents to Campus Preview Weekend.

Parent Reception with Parent Connectors and Alumni on Friday night at 5:00 pm Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association and the MIT Club of Boston, this reception is your chance to meet and mingle with Parent Connectors, Educational Counselors and other MIT Alumni. Presenters include Phillip Clay, Chancellor and Professor of City Planning, and Kim Vandiver '75, Dean for Undergraduate Research.

Insight for Parents by Parents is Saturday morning at 8:30 am A panel of current MIT parents will be on hand to share their insights and answer your questions. Sponsored by the MIT Parents Association.

Parent Connector Saturday Night Drop-In After the closing variety show join us “Under the Great Dome" for an informal gathering hosted by the Chair of the MIT Parent Connectors.

Panels & Sessions

Residential Life at MIT Our on-campus residential community boasts 12 residence halls, 38 fraternities, sororities and independent living groups as well as a wide variety of dining services. Karen Nilsson, Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life, will lead a discussion covering life in residences, residential support offerings, activities, dining options, roommate matching and more.

Come learn about all aspects of UROP at MIT, including how to participate, what type of research is appropriate, what to expect from the program, and more. Discussion will center on the experiences of the UROP student panel as moderated by UROP staff.

Financial Aid Presentation Parents and students are welcome to attend this program on the hows, whys and whens of financial aid at MIT -- how we determined your financial aid award, when your supplemental forms are due, how to pay your balance, how to find on-campus student employment, and how your online student account will work. Director of Student Financial Aid, Daniel Barkowitz, will address these issues and more, as well as answer your questions.

Four Panels for Parents Learn about the many kinds of interactions that occur between students and faculty at MIT, and the wonderful collaborative environment in which they work and study together. Find out about the many ways students get involved in and lead campus activities and athletics that help to enhance areas of intellectual, personal and social development. From MIT Medical to Student Support Services and safety, MIT's campus features a widespread and multi-layered care system for the mind, body and spirit. Discover more about each of these areas on Saturday afternoon.

Open Houses

Multiple open houses will be held over the weekend. These include areas relating to Medical Services, Careers Development, Hillel, Global Education (study abroad and more), Pre-Professional Advising (Pre-Med and more), departments, and housing.

And for the rest…

I’ve named just a handful of the events created with you in mind for CPW and I hope you’ll take advantage of as many of them as you can. But with so much to do how can you really get the most out of the experience?

I hope you’ll ask lots of questions. It’s the way our students learn and will work for you too. Current students are great resources so don’t be afraid to ask them about their experiences.

I hope you’ll be open-minded during your visit with us. While my parents did ultimately understand why I wanted to be at MIT, I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face when I told her I was moving into a co-ed dorm. I was, after all, her "little girl".

Pick an event where you can meet up with your student each day (perhaps the President's Welcome on Friday and the Closing Ceremony on Saturday) but mostly let them “do their own thing”. It’s the best way for them to figure out if they are comfortable and at home on our campus.

Bring comfortable shoes and a jacket or sweater. Evenings can be cool here in the spring and it will even occasionally rain (just like on Red Sox Opening Day last week).

Most importantly I hope you’ll take some time to explore Boston while you’re here! You could be making several visits to “our fair city” over the next few years and a beautiful spring day is a great time to discover Boston and Cambridge.

Let me know if you need a restaurant recommendation...

my.mit.edu

In a few days this year's applicants will find out if they have been Admitted, Not Admitted, or Waitlisted for the Class of 2013 and I know you all are waiting for the news with as much interest as your kids are. But getting the "answer" is not the end of the journey. The next couple of months will not be easy since there are many decisions still to be made. Before things get really complicated I thought it might be worthwhile to offer some of my thoughts on the subject...so these are my "two cents"...

Admitted: Obviously this is the answer that all our applicants want to see when the decisions go live. If this is the message that your student receives I hope you'll enjoy the moment. I certainly would were I in your place. Revel in it a bit, knowing that you can be very proud of your child. When I got my letter many years ago, I wasn’t certain who was more excited about it — my grandfather or me. When the dust settles, you'll need to help your child make some tough decisions. But first, for a few days, just enjoy it.

Not Admitted: To get this answer will be difficult and perhaps a bit frustrating, but at least you will know that the wait is over. The first question students ask if they call our office after they have not been admitted is “what did I do wrong?” It tears at my heart to hear this because I know that they didn’t do anything wrong and have done so many things right that it’s easy to lose count of them all. Sadly we will ultimately say "no" to an amazing bunch of applicants. But those that we don’t admit will find they have great opportunities elsewhere. For that brief moment it may seem like the “end of the world” to them (and fodder for yet another college essay) but we hope they will quickly realize that they will be offered a place at another great school.

Waitlisted: In some ways this one is the most difficult answer to get. Every student on the waitlist is one that we know would be really great on our campus but just don’t have room for. It’s not something we do lightly but it can be very tough for the student. They are in a sort of limbo. This one requires a couple of choices, first accepting an offer of admission elsewhere — which all who are waitlisted should do — then deciding whether or not to stay on the waitlist. Remaining on a waitlist can be hard, giving your heart fully to one school, while still hoping to get in elsewhere and with really long odds. Waitlist variation from year to year (in this decade, one year we took more than 100 students from our waitlist, but three other years we took no one) makes it even more difficult to make the decision. Your support of your children through this period will be invaluable.

Helping your kids through this process, no matter what answer they get, has been a huge task. You’ve gotten them this far and you are to be congratulated for that. With your help they are ready to enter college in the fall and just in case they forget to tell you…thanks for all you’ve done!

From there it was natural that I would learn that a great way to spend an hour and delay doing a problem set was to go watch my friends from Baker House play intramural hockey. They played on the D-league team so it wasn't as much about scoring as it was just getting across the blue line before the puck went back the other way. And then occasionally, for a real thrill, we'd go watch the B-league team play. That group could actually skate and check; it was amazing to watch, but I decided playing wasn't for me since I seemed to have two left feet on the ice.

Now hockey may not seem that foreign to many of you, but remember, I was from California at the time. Hockey was something that was really only discussed every four years during the Olympics. Sure I knew about the "Miracle on Ice" but hockey was for Canadians, Russians, and those hardy souls who came from really cold places like Minnesota and North Dakota. I knew lots about swimming and water polo (and snow skiing, I admit) but not hockey.

But that has all changed. The enjoyment derived from sitting in a cold place, watching a group of people throw each other into walls, "slashing" each other with long sticks, and hitting that little round puck is tremendous. It's become my "guilty pleasure" and it all started at MIT.

****Time Passes****

I decided the holidays were a good time to return home and recharge before Regular Action reading begins next week. So, my vacation started with a blizzard-be damned drive home to New Hampshire for a hockey game. My brother and I were part of a select group of the hardy, devoted, and some might say foolish, fans who ventured to Manchester in the storm for the Monarch's game on December 19th. During the second intermission we threw teddy bears onto the ice that were given to local kids this holiday. Normally, we worry about things flying off the ice but this time we threw them on and for a great cause. We lost the game, that was sad, but we survived the storm and brought home our holiday "schwag" from the game. Over the last few months, I've amassed quite a collection, a bobblehead of the mascot Max, a puck, a plastic hockey stick, a miniature sized jersey on a plastic form, Atlantic Division champion pennant, and now a "Max" Christmas ornament, also of the bobblehead variety, creating what my brother refers to as "the shrine" on my office shelf. He shakes his head all the more when he hears me yell, "come on guys, convert the power play this time," calling the players by name as if I actually know them. I send him email messages that say things like, "Zeiler's back, Westgarth has another black eye, Boyle has been called up again, and Gabe's out this week with an injury." He looks at me with an expression that asks, "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

So thus far this holiday, I've been to two games in Manchester. Today my brother and I will head to "The Gahden" for a Bruins game where they will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The tickets were his Christmas gift from me, with the string, of course, that I got to go to the game too. One of the benefits of being at MIT is access to the MITAC. They buy blocks of tickets for events in the Boston area and offer them at a discount to MIT students and staff. Previously I've bought discounted movie tickets, and gotten a membership to Costco but until I go to the Nutcracker next year the hockey tickets are the best thing so far. Yes, I'll head to a Monarchs game once more before I end my time off, so it will be a total of four within two weeks. A heck of a way to spend the holidays, if I do say so myself. This winter, you'll probably find me some night at Johnson Ice Arena (HoJo's) watching the men's or women's team play. I'll be the one with the huge grin on her face.

See you near the blue line!

So what will we see then? We'll see more detail about various projects you worked on or groups you belonged to and worked with. The reports will discuss in depth those activities that were most important to you and why. They will also talk about what you added to the project, how you helped overcome a difficulty encountered by the group, or what you learned from the experience. The report will also talk about why you would be a good addition to the MIT community. ECs know MIT, went to school here, know what it was like and what kind of people and personalities enjoyed their experiences as a student here. They tell us how you would fit into the lifestyle, culture and community here at MIT. Sometimes they'll say they would love to be your lab partner or roommate if they were to be a student at MIT today. While they don't compare you to themselves or to their friends, they do try to envision you here on the campus, walking down the infinite corridor, going to classes, swimming at the Z-center, working in the labs or playing ultimate frisbee in the Great Court. It's pretty cool, actually.

What the reports also don't say is if you should or shouldn't be admitted to MIT. ECs know that they don't have enough information to tell the Admissions Office what to do. Nor can they tell you if you will be admitted so please don't ask them what they think your chances are. Getting admitted is not like handicapping a horse race or buying a ticket for the lottery. The only similarity to a game of chance is that you "have to play, to win". ECs can't tell you your chances because they don't have all the details about you when they write their reports or meet with you. The interview is just one piece of the puzzle that shows us who you are during the selection process.

And now for today's helpful hint :-) Regular Action applications are due on January 1. The deadline to contact your EC for an interview for Regular Action is December 10th, but I'd recommend you contact your EC much sooner than that and try to have completed your interview by December 10th if possible. You'll be glad you did!

The best way to find out the name and contact information for your EC is to log in to your my.mit.edu account. There you will see the name of your EC and the best means to contact them (usually via email or telephone). Each year we match up prospective applicants to the ECs in their area. Some ECs interview for just one school so you and several of your friends may get the same EC while in really large schools, more than one EC may be assigned. But most ECs are assigned to you simply because they are the closest one to where you live. We want to make this as easy as possible although in some cases the EC may be some distance away. In a case like this it’s great if you are able to still set up a meeting, perhaps by each agreeing to drive a distance and meeting somewhere in the middle.

Once you know who your EC is, get in touch with them via email or by phone. If you email them include a subject field in the email that says something like “Request for MIT Interview” That will help ECs find your request if it should end up in their spam folder. If you’re calling them and leave a message, give your full name and phone number if you are asking them to call you back. Try to speak slowly and clearly. If you talk too fast they won’t get the whole number and won’t be able to return your call. One year when I was interviewing students I had two people on my list with the same first and last name and when the first one didn’t leave his phone number I had no idea who I should call back. It was quite a comical at the time but still frustrating.

When you contact your EC give them a little time to get back to you--a couple of days at least before you begin to worry. They are busy too so may not be able to respond right away. After a couple of days, it’s fine to contact them again. It you don’t hear back after the second call, consider contacting the EC office at interview@mit.edu and we’ll see what we can do to help you get in contact with them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help but do give them a little time to respond.

It’s not necessary for you to have completed your application before you contact your EC. Waiting until you have may mean that the EC doesn’t have time to interview you before the deadline so please don’t wait. They are able to see if you have submitted portions of your application on the EC website during this process but they are NOT ever able to see your actual application. They only things they know about you when they meet you is your name and your school. If you have a particular question about the application I know they would be happy to offer advice but do not feel that you need to share it with them. Your application does not provide the basis for your interview, you and your interests do.

For those of you who are applying for Early Action, keep in mind that your deadline to contact your interviewer (and preferably have had your interview:-) is October 20. You and your EC both have a deadline of November 1 to submit materials to us so if you haven’t yet contacted your EC about an interview I suggest you do it right away!

Most of the comments/questions I received last time had to do with what the ECs look for, what questions they ask and how they evaluate the student. I can’t cover all of it at once 'cuz it would just be too long but I’ll try to make a start here.

There isn’t any one piece of your folder that will cause us to admit or not admit you. Instead it’s about the complete picture of who you are as a student, as an individual, and as a citizen of your world. You don’t make up for one part of the application with another but each adds another piece to the puzzle which when completed is the picture of you. There is no bad essay or bad interview report for as long as they are honest and reflective of who you are they are of value to us in the process. A number of students called me last year because they were afraid they had had a bad interview so wanted another one. Sadly, we don’t have enough ECs to allow everyone to try again but I do know that every time I checked with the EC about the interview they didn’t feel the interview had been bad at all and each one had great things to say about the student.

During the interview ECs will ask you a serious of questions and most you will not be able to answer with a simple yes and no, but that’s a good thing. The more descriptive and complete your answer, the more fun the interview will be. They won’t ask you about your scores and grades but they will ask you about things you like about school or different activities and then they’ll ask you to tell them more about what you like best about the things you do. An EC told me recently that she was always looking for that subject that made the student’s eyes light up when they talk because that showed her what they found most interesting. I’m not saying we expect you to light up a room (although perhaps we could solve the energy crisis that way:-). Instead, just talk about those things that are of greatest interest to you—the things you’d miss doing the most if you had to give them up.

The downside of the admissions process is that we don’t as admissions officers get to meet each of you personally but instead only get to know you by what you and others write about you. The interview is one of the ways that we can personalize the information. ECs don’t make decisions about whether or not you are admitted to MIT nor do they tell us who we should and shouldn’t admit. Fortunately for them (and sometimes unfortunately for my colleagues and me) admissions officers have to do that. In fact, when you ask them what your chances of being admitted is, they just can’t tell you because all they know about you is what you tell them. We DON’T tell them anything else.

So the best way to prepare for your interview is to plan to talk about yourself and the things you like. The EC will like you and you will like them. You already have lots in common. They love MIT as much as you do, or they wouldn’t be sitting there.

I left Boston on Wednesday last week to head for the West Coast. After an early morning trip to the Manchester, NH airport (that 4:00 am alarm seemed just way to early) I arrived in Seattle in time to go to our Central Meeting there hosted by Dean of Admissions, Stuart Schmill ’86. We had a great group of students and families who attended (one young woman came all the way from Hawaii) and a terrific group of Educational Counselors (ECs) too. The Seattle/Tacoma group of ECs obviously enjoy their interviews each year and they were out in force that night working with the staff members in attendance to check in the students, answer questions and just generally be helpful. One of the ECs, Gregg Lobdell also took some great pictures that night, but I can't share them until I figure out to upload them to the blog :-(

On Saturday (yesterday) those same ECs spent their afternoon finding out how to be even more effective as ECs on behalf of the Admissions Office and of course, the students they meet. To give up a gorgeous weekend afternoon to sit in a meeting room in a library says a lot about their commitment to the process and what being an EC means to them.

So, I’ve spent the last several days in Seattle, WA at a national conference for admissions officers and high school counselors among others. I’ve learned from those at other schools about their experiences and tried to talk especially to those who run alumni programs within their offices like I do. Not all schools use their alumni/ae volunteers the same way we do but I’m proud of our program and feel it works well for us. One by one I’ve said goodbye to colleagues as we’ve gone our separate ways to continue our travels to meet all of you on the road as well as old friends who were at the conference too.

So now I find myself on an airplane in the early morning heading to Sacramento for the first central meeting of my California trip. Over the next ten days I’ll be in Sacramento, San Francisco, Lafayette, and San Jose doing public meetings. I’ll also be stopping in to visit high schools in those same cities as well as in Stockton, Modesto, and Palo Alto to name a few. It’s kind of a whirlwind tour but I’m excited about my trip because I’ll get to meet lots of you in the process. I know I’m going to enjoy being in California and I look forward to seeing you there!

They are also teachers of a type when they talk to each of you during your interview. I say that NOT because I have provided them with a test that I want each of them to give when they do an interview. I just don't do that! The interview isn't anything like a test. But each EC can be something like a teacher when you talk to them. And this is how...

I know each of you is looking to find colleges where you feel you can spend the next four years. Your EC will be able to help you with lots of the questions you have about why MIT could be a good choice for you. They are experts in what being a student at MIT is really like because they've already done it and they love to talk about what made their MIT experience memorable and why it was ultimately their choice. They experienced it all: the problem sets, living in the dorms, fraternities and sororities, discovered Boston and walked the "infinite" corridor and the steam tunnels. They've been athletes, run organizations, performed in musical groups and some have taken part in a hack (or two or three). Ask about their experiences and I know you'll learn something about this place that you don't already know.

But, they are students too as they are at the interview to learn from you and not information they could learn in any classroom. They will ask you lots of questions about what you like and what you dislike, what you do in your free time or if you have any free time at all. They will ask about projects you've done or groups you've belonged to and what that group did and, most importantly, how you helped. They want to learn about you and you get to teach them about what makes you different and special.

Meeting with an EC can be a lot of fun. I've heard great stories from students who said that talking with their EC was when they realized that MIT was a place they'd like to be. Some students keep in touch with their ECs while they are at MIT and continue in the role of teacher when they tell their ECs about the experiences they are having on campus. The ECs appreciate it because while they like being the teacher they still enjoy the experience of being the student as well.

I know that all the various deadlines seem to be coming up way to fast. Sadly, that's just part of the process. For those of you who are applying Early Action, this is really good time to get in touch with your EC to set up an interview. The deadline to set up the interview is October 20 but it's really best to have completed the interview by then. When the interview is over, your EC will send us a report and that report is due November 1--just like your application. So...consider this my gentle nudge to get in touch with your EC and set up your interview sooner rather than later.

I'd love to hear what kind of questions you all have about the interview. Let me know and I'll do my best to address them all. There are no stupid questions...if just one person asks a question, there are lots of others out there afraid to ask the very same one.

Over the years I’ve spent time on campus. I haven’t missed a class reunion since I graduated and several times each year would come up with reasons why I needed to visit the campus. Alumni Leadership Conference, Campus Preview Weekend, and Tech Reunions all represented great excuses to come to Boston for a few hours or days. I also became an Educational Counselor and interviewed students every fall for over a dozen years. I still felt connected to the place although I really didn’t have a spot to call my own on the campus anymore.

Last fall all that changed. I was given an opportunity to come back to campus but this time as an employee working in the Admissions Office. I had an office and my name was painted on the door but in many ways it really was like freshman year all over again. Sure, I knew which building was next to which and that the even numbered ones were on one side of Lobby 10 and the odds on the other. The Student Center had long before been renovated but it was still where you could get lunch. I also knew the every other floor rule for finding a restroom in an obscure corner of the campus so I thought I was all set.

But yet, it was still kind of like freshman year all over again. I started working, collaborating with my new colleagues on a daily basis, and stayed up some pretty late nights (but not all night) reading application files. I didn’t take 8.01 last year but I did attend the last 3.091 lecture of the term--again. And over the summer I learned to sail—never quite got around to that one when I was a student. I took my ice skates to my office recently, I know the rink will open soon and I want to be ready.

Fortunately, once again, I have survived freshman year and so I’m back for sophomore year. I didn’t live in a dormitory last year like the rest of the freshmen but I have moved into a sorority for sophomore year this time around. Such a thing wasn’t even an option when I was here the first time but now I’m the Residential Adviser for Alpha Phi. Being a part of a living group in that way is giving me a great chance to be better informed about what life is like for every student who walks up the steps at 77 Massachusetts Avenue each morning. I do that every day too—just like I did every day for the four years I went to school here. But the coolest part is that when this four years is over, I don’t have to graduate or land my dream job…because I already have.