First, check out your MyMIT Portal: Over at MyMIT, you'll find a bunch of stuff only available to admitted students, including:

• Campus Preview Weekend Registration: Please register for CPW by Thursday, April 5, or when your travel plans are solidified, whichever is sooner. Also, when you fill out your CPW registration form, give us as much specific information as you can; this will help us make your CPW experience as good as possible. Finally, please complete the Medical Release Form.
• Notes to the wise: if you're flying in, book your plane tickets early. If your parents are joining you, have them book their hotel early (today or tomorrow would be very smart). I highly recommend hotels that are within walking distance (or easy public transportation) of MIT -- driving and parking in Boston is not a good experience.
• Local Admitted Student Gatherings: Over the next few weeks, MIT alumni across the globe will be hosting gathering for the Class of 2016, as nearby campus as Weston, Massachusetts, and as far away as Singapore. There will be meetings in dozens of locales, including New York City, Dallas, San Diego, Miami, Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, and many more. RSVP information is included.
• Class of 2016 Guestbook: Hundreds of your classmates have checked in to introduce themselves. Since only admitted students can enter themselves on the guestbook, it's a good way to share your contact information securely with your future classmates, and to get emails and screennames to be in touch with fellow MIT 2015s!
• The MIT Reply Form: As soon as you've made up your mind for sure about whether or not to attend MIT -- after you've reviewed your financial aid package, come for CPW, or anything else that you need to make your decision -- please let us know your decision through the online reply form. You have three choices: tell us you're enrolling this fall (Yay! Welcome officially to the MIT Class of 2016!), that you're declining our offer of admission (it's okay, we know you're making the best choice for yourself), or to request a deferral/gap year(s) before enrolling at MIT (for a gap year, military service, or other reason). Take as much time as you need to make your decision (and if we can help, please let us know), but be sure to let us know by May 1.
• Overnight Program Registration: If you can't make it for CPW, don't despair, you can still come visit through our Overnight Program. Please register at least two weeks in advance, and we'll do our best to show you MIT.
• Link to the Facebook Group & Page: Facebook is a great place to meet your future classmates and get questions answered by current students.
• Financial Aid Tracking & Award Letter: Find out what documents are still required for your financial aid to be packaged. If your financial aid application is complete, you award letter will appear here. There is also a link to the contact information for your financial aid counselor.

Also -- don't forget about the Webcast event on Saturday. Check your email for details!

Finally -- you may want to tune in to watch the MIT Men's Basketball Team competing in the NCAA Division 3 Final Four on Friday night at 8:00pm EDT (and hopefully in the Championship Game on Saturday!). Livestream information | An MIT Basketball Primer

How does the waitlist work?

We are aiming for a class of about 1,130 students this year. Based on our estimates of the percentage of admitted students who will attend (known as the "yield"), we admitted 1620 students. However, it isn't possible to exactly predict how many student will attend this year. To help with the uncertainties, we also keep a waitlist of students.

Is the waitlist ranked?

No.

How many people are on the waitlist?

We offered between 800-900 applicants -- fewer than 5% of applicants -- a spot on the waitlist. Not all of those students will choose to remain on the waitlist.

Can you tell me where I am on the waitlist?

As I've said, the waitlist is not ranked. We will reconsider all of the waitlisted students again in May, when we know how many students remain on the waitlist, and how many we wish to take from the waitlist.

How many people will you admit from the waitlist this year?

It is impossible to know. We will have no idea how many people, if any, we will take from the waitlist until after the reply date of May 1.

What has the waitlist looked like, historically?

Last year we admitted 27 students from the waitlist. The year before that, we admitted 65 students from the waitlist, and the year before that we admitted 78 students. A few years earlier, however, there was a four year stretch where we didn't take anyone from the waitlist. So, it's hard to know how this year will look. Over the past few years, the "waitlist admit rate" has ranged from 0% to 18%.

Can you tell me where my application was lacking, or what I should improve on?

If we waitlisted you, it means we really like you, and you do not need to improve on your application. You should, however, continue to get good grades, as we may call your school to check on your academic progress.

What are the realities here?

I know that while we plan for the worst, usually things don't go quite so badly. Thus, it's likely that most people on the waitlist will not be admitted. I hope that you will have another great choice to fall in love with, so that no matter what happens with the MIT waitlist, everything will still turn out well for you in the end.

Who do you admit from the waitlist? For example, if someone from state X or major Y declines, are you likely to look for another student like them?

If we go to the waitlist, we will consider what our class looks like as one factor in choosing students. But we're not strict about it. So, if an oboe player decides to go somewhere else, we may, or may not, try to take another oboe player.

Why do admissions metaphors so often refer to oboes?

I don't know!

Are domestic students given priority over international students on the waitlist?

No, but we do consider whether admitting international students from the waitlist would put us over our international quota.

If I'm waitlisted, can I still come for CPW or do the Overnight Program?

No, I'm sorry.

I'm still very interested in attending MIT. What should I do if I hope to be admitted from the waitlist?

First: there is a link to the waitlist confirmation page in your decision letter. You should complete this form when you determine if you would like to remain on the waitlist. We encourage students on the waitlist to complete the waitlist reply form once you know all of your college choices. The deadline to complete the form is April 18, 2012.

Next, be sure to enroll in a college/university by May 1.

You do not need to submit additional documents, but if you would like to, you can email mitwl@mit.edu and the documents will be added to your application. Excessively emailing us will not help your case (and might hurt it). I would recommend sending us a note to this email address in mid-late April with an update on what you've been up to since our last contact. You can also feel free to provide any other information you think would be helpful.

What should I not do?

Here are some things you should not do: Fly to campus to make the case in person. Send us ridiculous items or bribes. Submit a whole new application. Bombard our office with way too much stuff. Be pushy. Be sketchy. Let your grades drop. Not choose another college to attend by May 1.

What should I do about the May 1 reply date for other colleges?

You should accept the offer of admission from another college before May 1, even if it means making a deposit. After May 1, when all students have sent their replies, colleges will determine if they need to go to their waitlist or not, and if so, how many students they need to admit. At this point, colleges will begin admitting students from the waitlist. Students who accept this offer will "unenroll" at the first college and enroll at the second. This shifting can lead to a second round of waitlist admissions. All of this is a standard part of the admissions process. We colleges recognize and accept this.

If I'm admitted off of the waitlist, do I have to go to MIT? What about financial aid?

You're not required to enroll. We'll give you a financial aid package and you'll have time to consider your decision before letting us know one way or the other. It is in your best interest to complete your financial aid application now, so that if you are admitted from the waitlist, we'll have a financial aid package ready to go. Our waitlist process, like our entire admissions process, is need blind, and we will meet full need for all admitted students.

Okay, what should I do now?

First, focus on choosing the best fit college of those who have offered you admission. Waitlists are uncertain, so it is always best to ensure your happiness no matter what the outcome.

If you are still interested in MIT, you should stay in contact with us. Drop us a note to the waitlist email address once things have calmed down a bit. Please always be very nice in all of your interactions with us! Keep us up to date all the way through May 1 and beyond if you remain interested.

And in the meantime... be patient. There won't be any waitlist news until early-mid May.

Some of you, though, may be wondering -- what's the deal with Tau? Well, check out this video from Vi Hart:

(Did you know that Vi Hart is Khan Academy's newest employee? And did you see the story about Sal Khan '98 on 60 Minutes?)

What do you think?  Are you sold on Tau?  Or are you a Pi loyalist?

The MIT Midyear Report is an online form that is required of all students, and is to be completed by you, the applicant. The Report serves two purposes: to provide your updated grades since you have applied, and to mention other updates since you submitted your application. Please submit this form as soon as your midyear grades are available or by February 15th, whichever is earlier.

Some notes:

• The Midyear Report is an online form that is to be completed by every student being considered for Regular Action admission (thus, RA applicants -- including international students -- and EA deferreds). The Midyear Report should also be completed by students who were accepted during Early Action.
• The Midyear Report is to be completed by you, the applicant.
• You should complete the Report as soon as possible after completion of the fall semester or second quarter (if your school uses a trimester schedule, please use your first trimester grades).
• Even if you have no midyear grades to report, you should still complete the Midyear Report. Note that there is also an option in the Report for students whose schools do not provide any midyear grades, homeschooled students, and students already out of school.
• You do not need to have a hardcopy of your updated transcript sent by your school, and even if your school has sent a hardcopy transcript, you are still required to submit the MIT Midyear Report.
• The MIT Midyear Report is different than the Common Application Midyear Report. The Common App MYR which is filled out by your counselor and sent to Common Application schools. The MIT Midyear Report is to be filled out by you, the applicant, online via your MyMIT Tracking.
• The MIT Midyear Report serves two purposes:
  1. to get your updated grades since you have applied ("Midyear Grades").
  2. to get any other updates since you submitted your application ("Midyear Updates").
• The Midyear Grades form has fields for your to report your coursework and grades. This is similar to the Self-Reported Coursework Form from the Part 2 of the application, except that we're only looking for current year courses and grades. And we're only looking for this from students with something to report -- so if you're in a school that doesn't have midyear grades, or you've already graduated, don't worry, you're all set -- you will be able to skip this section.
• The Midyear Updates form is a simple text box, similar to a free response box from the Part 2. This is the best place for any updates you have since submitting your application, or anything you want us to know about that you haven't already mentioned. Feel free to write in bullet points or more casual language. We're really not looking for another essay here. The Midyear Update has a maximum of 250 words.
• We are happy to accept a midyear/updated transcript from your school/counselor, or the Common App Midyear Report form. However, even if your school/counselor submits a transcript, you still are required to complete the online MIT Midyear Report.
• The MIT Midyear Report is due by February 15.

We've been getting a number of questions about the Midyear Grades section of the form. Here are some quick tips:

• For most of you, this will be pretty straightforward. You'll take your transcript, then write the course name in one box, and your semester/trimester grade in the corresponding box. For example:

Biology		A+
AP Calculus		A-
English		A+
History		B+
Spanish 4		B

...or...

BC Calculus		89
IB Chemistry HL		97
British Literature		95
Japanese		100
Economics (EPGY)		A-
Health		Pass

• In the "Grades" box, please list only grades and not narrative text. For example, it is sufficient to write "B+" rather than "B+ (Final grade)" or "B+ (online course)." Also, you don't need to write "Currently enrolled," "Just started," or "Spring semester;" it will be, in many cases, better to leave it blank.
• While we ask for you to keep the grades column as pristine as possible, feel free to add some extra info in the "Subjects taken" box. For example:

  Organic Chemistry (via dual enrollment at BHCC)		A-
  AP Chemistry (self study / MIT OCW)
  Chemistry (auditing; not taking for a grade)
  Chemistry Honors (Spring Semester)

• If your transcript provides quarter grades but not a semester grade, you should list both quarter grades. For example:

  Biology

  A, A-

  ...or...

  AP Economics

  96 / 92

• If your transcript provides quarter grades and a midterm exam grade but no semester grade, you should list the quarter grades and the midterm exam grade. (Do not create your own midyear grade by averaging these grades or any other mechanism. You should report what your school reports.)

  For example:

  AP Chemistry

  A / A- / A

  ...or...

  Theory of Knowledge

  6+, 7, 7

• If your school uses a trimester schedule, please use your first trimester grades. We know that in most cases, your second trimester grades will not be available for a while. You can note in the Midyear Updates box that you are reporting first trimester grades, and also when your second trimester grades will be available.
• Some schools -- including many international schools -- have no concept of "midyear grades." This is okay. You can ignore the text boxes and simply choose the option, "I attend a school that does not provide midyear grades."
• Some schools will not release midyear grades until after the Midyear Report deadline of February 15th. This is okay. You should choose the option "Semester grades will be available on ______________________ and I will mail or fax them to you at that time."
• Some of you have graduated already and have no new grades to report. You should choose the option, "I’m not currently attending school; MIT has all of my grades."

I'll also try to field any other questions you may have in the comments.

Applications: We have received 18,064 total applications, a 1% increase over last year.

Your updates: We've been getting email updates from some of you about new awards, achievements, etc. However, we would prefer if you would instead include these updates in your Midyear Report.

The MIT Midyear Report is an online form that is required of all students, and is to be completed by you, the applicant. The Report serves two purposes: to provide your updated grades since you have applied, and to mention other updates since you submitted your application. You should submit this form as soon as your midyear grades are available or by February 15th, whichever is earlier.

Application tracking: The Records Office is still processing application components, especially documents that were mailed (as opposed to faxed or sent via Docufide/Naviance), and especially mailed Secondary School Reports and Transcripts.

Please be patient. If the tracking system isn't showing a document yet, relax and wait just a little while longer -- if we don't have it at that point, you'll get an email, and I'll post another entry so you can have any missing materials sent to us. But at this point, we're only reading complete applications, and we won't start admitting anyone until all of the applications have been read. So don't worry.

At this time, do not send a second copy of something that you have already sent. Odds are, we have your original and have not processed it yet. Sending additional copies will only slow down processing. If we need another copy of a missing document, we will let you know, and you will not be penalized in any way.

At this time, please do not call or email to inquire about missing documents. The MyMIT tracking is up-to-date with what has been processed. If you were to call, basically all we could do is tell you that MyMIT is up-to-date and to be patient as we process thousands of documents. By not calling or emailing about this at this time, we are better able to serve the problems that we can do something about.

We expect to be fully caught up with the mail by next week. Once we are fully caught up, those students who are still missing application pieces will get an email and an opportunity to send in the missing pieces. These applicants will be at no disadvantage; we do not assign blame on why we don't have it. We will wait a while longer before having it evaluated to give you time to send along another copy. Your complete application will be considered for Regular Action.

Decisions: We have not yet determined on what date we will release Regular Action decisions. It will likely be sometime in mid-March, but you should wait for an official announcement from our office. We have not yet determined when the announcement will be made; it usually is about a week before decisions are released.

First: no, you're not in trouble if your materials haven't yet shown up on the tracking system. We're still processing lots and lots of materials, many of which were postmarked before the deadline.

Why is it taking so long? We are processing documents from more than 10,000 students, each of whom has multiple letters of recommendations, transcripts, interviews, supplements, test scores, etc. Taken together we will process more than 50,000 documents over the next few weeks alone.

Please be patient. If the tracking system isn't showing a document yet, relax and wait another couple of weeks -- if we don't have it at that point, you'll get an email, and I'll post another entry so you can have any missing materials sent to us. But at this point, we're only reading complete applications, and we won't start admitting anyone until all of the applications have been read. So don't worry.

A couple of requests:

• At this time, do not send a second copy of something that you have already sent. Odds are, we have your original and have not processed it yet. Sending additional copies will only slow down processing. If we need another copy of a missing document, we will let you know, and you will not be penalized in any way.
• At this time, please do not call or email to inquire about missing documents. The MyMIT tracking is up-to-date with what has been processed. If you were to call, basically all we could do is tell you that MyMIT is up-to-date and to be patient as we process thousands of documents. By not calling or emailing about this at this time, we are better able to serve the problems that we can do something about.

And a few notes:

• We do not track supplemental or optional materials on MyMIT. Sorry. Know that we will primarily be relying on the required materials in the admissions process, and those materials can be tracked on MyMIT.
• No need to worry about the Midyear Report yet -- we'll have more information on that when the time comes.
• Feel free to fill out the Conducted Interview form (on the MyMIT Application Tracking Detail page) if it has been more than two weeks since you had your interview, but do know that the deadline for interviewers to submit their report has not yet arrived.

Finally, I hope you'll join me in saying thanks to the entire Records Office team, including Sofia, Noah, James, Diane, and dozens more helpers, for all of their hard work on processing all of the documents!

Update 01/01/2012 7:00pm

It is now 7:00pm Eastern Standard Time on January 1, making the MIT Regular Action deadline 5 hours away. For those of you who have procrastinated and have not yet submitted your application, here are a few tips, notes, and words of wisdom:

• Submit your Part 1 now, if you haven't already. There are no essays in there or anything that is likely to need changes or edits. No need to wait until the last minute. If you have technical problems with the Part 1, let us know ASAP at applicationpart1@mit.edu.
• Be sure to validate your Part 2 (on page 10) well in advance of the deadline. Most people's problems at the deadline are related to not validating early enough. Also, don't forget to view the preview PDF.
• There may be some small grace period for people submitting the application after midnight. If this happens to you, don't worry.
• Do not worry about your recommendations, transcripts, and test scores if they are not yet showing up in MyMIT tracking yet. They do not need to be in by midnight. We are processing thousands of documents right now, so there's a good chance we have received it but not processed it yet. You will be fine.
• Finally: we're nice, understanding people here at MIT Admissions. If you're panicking right now, odds are that you don't need to be and that we will be understanding of your circumstances.

The Office of Admissions is currently closed for the holidays, and is not accepting emails or answering phone calls (and I am on vacation!). The office will reopen on Tuesday, January 3rd.

However, with the RA deadline fast approaching, I'd like to use this entry to answer some of the common deadline-time questions. There are many answers already here on the site -- for example, about standardized test requirements or statistics. And below, I've provided answers to some additional FAQs:

Deadlines

• The deadline is January 1, meaning you can click "submit" on your application any time on January 1 or before. However, I strongly discourage waiting until the last minute. I know that, for example, many students have had validation errors with their essays, taking more than a couple of minutes to fix. If you're submitting at 11:57pm, you're playing with fire.
• It is perfectly fine if, through no fault of your own, your school forms (e.g. teacher recommendations, secondary school report, transcript) come in after the January 1 deadline. We are much more understanding of and flexible with late documents from schools than with late documents from the applicant.
• January is the last testing date that can be seen by the Admissions Committee (February will not be seen). If you will be taking the January test, you obviously don't have the scores yet to write down in your application. This is okay. Just be sure that when you take the test, you designate MIT to receive the scores; other than this, you do not need to do anything special. Please do not rush report your scores. We require either SAT Reasoning Test OR ACT Plus Writing (or TOEFL) AND 2 SAT Subject Tests (one in math, one in science). We we only use the scores that make you look best, and we do abide by Score Choice.
• The deadline to request an interview was December 10th, and has now passed. While highly recommended, the interview is not a required part of the application (and students whose interviews have been waived are at no disadvantage). You are welcome to request an interview from your Educational Counselor (EC) after the deadline, but do not expect that your request will be granted. If you have already interviewed with your EC, or have scheduled your interview for the near future, you are all set. Do not worry if your interview report has not yet appeared on your MyMIT Tracking; the deadline for ECs to submit their reports has not yet arrived. If you wish, you may now fill out the conducted interview form and we will be sure to get the interview report.

Submitting & Tracking Documents

• The MyMIT Tracking is up-to-date (while the Admissions Office is closed, the Records Office is working hard), but please recognize that processing can take 2 weeks. You do not need to worry at this time about documents that are not showing on MyMIT; we currently have a backlog of materials in our processing center, and expect to have that backlog into January. Do not send a second copy of any document at this time. Also, you do not need to call MIT Admissions at this time to check on any such documents (there is a time for this later). Do not worry about materials that have not yet shown up on MyMIT Tracking.
• Please note that you do not need to express mail or overnight any part of your application.
• Any application materials being mailed, including recommendation letters, should be sent to: MIT Office of Admissions; 77 Massachusetts Avenue; Room 10-100; Cambridge, MA 02139; USA. Be sure to include the appropriate cover sheet. It need not have any special code on the envelope.
• Any application materials being faxed, including recommendation letters, should be sent to 617-687-9184. Be sure to include the appropriate cover sheet.
• Please include the appropriate cover sheet from MyMIT for any document you send, as it helps with filing (but documents without the cover sheet will be fine, too, as long as there is enough information for us to match the document with your file).
• Please include the MIT Supplemental Document Cover Sheet from MyMIT for any additional documents you send. It helps with filing. (Documents without the cover sheet will be fine, too, as long as there is enough information for us to match the document with your file.)
• For teacher recommendations and secondary school reports, we prefer our form, but will accept your school's forms, the NACAC forms, or the Common App forms.
• If you are having credit card problems, please email applicationpart1 at mit dot edu. If problems delay your application past January 1, we will extend the deadline for you due to any problems on our end.
• We are happy to accept fee waivers for any student (foreign or domestic) who needs one. Using a fee waiver will not negatively impact your admission. You may use the SAT Fee Waiver, the NACAC Fee Waiver, or a letter from a school official detailing your situation. We will accept other fee waiver forms as well. Generally speaking, if you are in tough financial shape and make a good faith effort to inform us of your circumstances, we will waive your fee.
• If you need to update your application after you submit it, the best -- and recommended -- mechanism is the Midyear Report, an online form which will be available next month. On this form, you will also provide updated/semester/midyear grades and any changes in your coursework. You will also be able to provide information about any new awards or anything else you want us to know about.
• On the last section of both Parts One and Two, there is a link that will allow you to preview your application as a PDF. This PDF is exactly how the admissions committee will see your application. You should always preview your application before submitting it. Two common problems that are often not caught without previewing are listed above: pasting special characters from Microsoft Word and a too-lengthy Additional Information section.
• Application tracking is available on MyMIT after you submit your Part 1. For this reason, I recommend submitting your Part 1 sooner rather than later, so that you can track your documents.
• Regular action results will be released in mid-March.

Essays & Other Application Components

• The word count on the essays is pretty strictly enforced. Perhaps a little overly strictly -- you may find that you can only fit, say, 247 words for a 250-word prompt. My advice would be to not sweat the small stuff. Everything will work out. These short-answer essays are only one small part of the application, and the word limit will in no way influence an applicant's admissibility.
• If you copy and paste from a program like Microsoft Word into the application, you may lose some formatting. Be particularly careful of characters like apostrophes, em dashes, and quotation marks. If you type directly into the text box on MyMIT, everything should be fine.
• In Part Two, Section Nine ("Additional Information"), we are aware that the font shrinks and is not traditionally formatted; this affects everyone equally. Also, if you put too much text into the box, the bottom will be cut off and the admissions committee will not be able to see it.
• Listing awards that you have received is sufficient. You do not need to mail us certificates. Do not lie or be deceitful, though.
• There are often many questions about the self-reported grades form. We ask that applicants in US school systems do their best to accurately and completely fill this out. Be sure to include your current year courses. Be sure that your self-reported grades match what is on your transcript. If you have taken college, online, or summer courses, you should include these classes and grades as well. If you do not attend an American-style school, you do not need to fill out the self-reported grades form.

I hope this is helpful. Best wishes as you finish and submit the application! And happy holidays!
 

Is it all over for me? Should I still be hanging around reading the blogs?

At MIT, a deferral isn't just a "polite rejection." Your application will once again be considered by the committee during regular action. You are at no advantage or disadvantage versus the regular action applications. We will admit the best applications we can during regular action, regardless of when the application was submitted. (A little historical data: over the past decade or so, the average number of deferred students later admitted has been several hundred -- but who knows what it will be this year.)

What should I do now? Should I send in extra materials?

The only thing we ask that you do is complete the Midyear Report, which will be available on MyMIT in January. On the Midyear Report, you will provide us with your updated grades (your semester grades are very important, so keep working hard!) as well as a text box for any other updates you'd like to provide (new awards, changes to your activities, etc.). We will accept updates in other formats, including mail and email, but the Admissions Committee will primarily look to the Midyear Report for your updates.

What is the Midyear Report?

The Midyear Report (MYR) is an online form that is required for all applicants, including Early Action deferred applicants and Regular Action applicants. The Midyear Report will be available on your MyMIT account in January and should be completed as soon as possible after completion of the fall semester, second quarter, or first trimester.

The Midyear Report also includes an opportunity for you to update us on anything important that has occurred since you submitted your application. The Midyear Updates form is a simple text box, similar to an essay response box from the Part 2. The Midyear Update has a maximum of 250 words. Using the Midyear Report for such updates is preferred over mailed updates.

Should I send in a whole new version of my application, or all new essays?

No. You do not need to "improve" your application, or redo/edit/modify part or all of your application. You were deferred because your application was already strong enough to make you a contender in the Regular Action round. Let your application stand.

What about extra essays, recommendations, etc?

You may send along anything that you feel would be helpful to the committee. We do not expect or require any of these things. Simply sending in additional materials does not by itself increase your chances of admission.

If you do decide that sending in materials beyond the Midyear Report is appropriate for you -- all materials sent in before decisions are released will be seen in some fashion by admissions officers. However, those received before early February are most likely to be seen in Admissions Committee. Please include the Supplemental Document Cover Form (from your MyMIT account) with any such documents that you fax or mail to us.

What about new test scores?

If you are taking additional tests in December or January, you can include MIT as a score recipient and we will consider any new scores.

Can I call admissions to find out The Reason why I was deferred?

If you call in, we will not be able to tell you "the reason" why you were deferred, or "what needs to be improved," simply because things are much more complex than just one reason why you were deferred. Usually, when I take a call from a deferred applicant, there's nothing that I see to be lacking or needing improvement -- most of our deferred students submitted very strong applications, the kinds of applications any school (including MIT) would love to have in their student body. Honestly.

I hope this is helpful! Best wishes to everyone.

Early Action

Tracking: Please be patient with the MyMIT Tracking. We are currently processing more than 10,000 documents which have all arrived in just the past few days. Do not call or email looking for missing documents until we post a blog entry saying that we have processed all materials. It may take us up to two more weeks for your materials to show up on the tracking system. However, if you have submitted your materials by the deadline, you are fine for EA.

Storm: Due to the devastating snowstorm that hit the northeastern United States this past weekend, we are extending our application deadline for students affected by the storm (i.e., those students who lost power for 24 hours or more). The new deadline for those students is November 6th, 2011, at 11:59 PM. For all other students, we will still require you to submit the application by the normal deadline, which is today.

Interview: If you have already interviewed with your EC, or have scheduled your interview for the near future, you are all set. Do not worry if your interview report has not yet appeared on your MyMIT Tracking; the deadline for ECs to submit their reports has not yet arrived. If you wish, you may now fill out the conducted interview form and we will be sure to get the interview report.

Midyear Report: I know that the Midyear Report box is sitting there, unchecked. Don't worry about this unless you are deferred from EA to RA. This form will not be made available until well after EA decisions are released.

Decisions: The admissions officers will be reading these applications all of November into December. We have not yet determined on what date we will release EA decisions. It will likely be sometime in mid-December, but you should wait for an official announcement from our office. We have not yet determined when the announcement will be made; it usually is about a week before decisions are released.

Regular Action

Interviews: The deadline to contact your interviewer (EC) is December 10. My recommendation, though, is to contact your EC before Thanksgiving, or even to do it now, if you're reading this. Your EC's contact information can be found on your MyMIT application portal. (Students with waived interviews are at no disadvantage.) If your EC has not gotten back to you, but it has been only a short time since you made contact (say, a week), be patient. By having contacted the EC before the deadline, you have taken your important step. If your EC has not gotten back to you, and it has been a long time (say, two weeks with multiple attempts to contact), please either call the Educational Council at 617-258-5510 or email us at interview at mit dot edu.

Recommendations: Recommendation forms are available on your MyMIT portal. It is okay if your teacher or counselor does not include the MIT cover sheet with their letter. We prefer to receive it, but letters without it are at no disadvantage. We will accept your school's own forms, the NACAC forms, or the Common App forms. You can submit teacher letters and school forms (such as transcripts) in three ways. Please use only one method; duplicate submission will only slow down the processing.

• If your school uses Naviance/Docufide to submit letters of evaluation and transcripts, your school can send these documents directly to MIT, a registered Docufide Document recipient. This is true even though MIT doe snot use the Common App; submission of materials works in the same way. We encourage you to have your school use Naviance/Docufide over other means of document submission, if possible. Please do not send additional copies via fax or mail.
• You can fax the documents to us. All letters must be typed or written on official school letterhead and signed by the evaluator. Letters not on school letterhead and not signed by evaluators will not be accepted. Please do not send additional copies via Docufide or mail. Documents may be faxed to: (617) 687-9184.
• You can mail documents to us. All letters must be typed or written on official school letterhead and signed by the evaluator. Letters not on school letterhead and not signed by evaluators will not be accepted. Please do not send additional copies via Docufide or fax. Envelopes may be addressed to: MIT Admissions; Room 10-100; 77 Massachusetts Avenue; Cambridge, MA 02139.

Supplemental Information: For art, music, and athletic supplements, please follow the instructions on the website. For any other supplemental information that needs to be sent, please include the MIT Supplemental Document Cover Sheet from MyMIT for any additional documents you send. It helps with filing. (Documents without the cover sheet will be fine, too, as long as there is enough information for us to match the document with your file.)

Other schools: I know that many regular action applicants are applying early (action, decision, or otherwse) to another school. I still encourage you to work on your MIT application in the meantime. Working on the MIT RA application, and even submitting documents, is not a violation of an ED or SCEA agreement that I am aware of. Of particular importance is the interview: MIT's deadline for contacting your interviewer is December 10, which is before most early admissions decisions are released. You should schedule your interview before December 10, even if you are awaiting another school's decision. Interviews are strongly recommended. In fact, last year, of eligible applicants, we admitted 12.4% of those who had an interview (or who had their interview waived) but only 1.4% of those who chose not to interview.

Tracking: Application tracking is available on MyMIT after you submit your Part 1. For this reason, I recommend submitting your Part 1 sooner rather than later, so that you can track your documents.

Hi! We have one week until the Early Action (EA) deadline, November 1. I'd like to use this entry to answer some of the common deadline-time questions. There are many answers already here on the site -- for example, about standardized test requirements or statistics. And below, I've provided answers to some additional FAQs:

Essays

• Word count: Yes, the word count is enforced. Perhaps a little overly strictly. My understanding is that MyMIT is counting words like won't and first-class as two words each, and father-in-law would be three. Thus, you may find that you can only fit, say, 247 words for a 250-word prompt. My advice would be to not sweat the small stuff. Everything will work out. These short-answer essays are only one small part of the application, and the word limit will in no way influence an applicant's admissibility.
• Copy & paste: If you copy and paste from a program like Microsoft Word into the application, you may lose some formatting. Be particularly careful of characters like apostrophes, em dashes, and quotation marks. If you type directly into the text box on MyMIT, everything should be fine.
• Additional Information: In Part Two, Section Nine, we are aware that the font shrinks and is not traditionally formatted; this affects everyone equally. Also, if you put too much text into the box, the bottom will be cut off and the admissions committee will not be able to see it.
• Preview: On the last section of both Parts One and Two, there is a link that will allow you to preview your application as a PDF. This PDF is exactly how the admissions committee will see your application. You should always preview your application before submitting it. Two common problems that are often not caught without previewing are listed above: pasting special characters from Microsoft Word and a too-lengthy Additional Information section.

Deadlines

• The deadline is November 1, meaning you can click "submit" on your application any time on November 1 or before. (I strongly discourage waiting until the last minute, though.)
• It is perfectly fine if, through no fault of your own, your school forms (e.g. teacher recommendations, secondary school report, transcript) come in after the November 1 deadline. We are much more understanding of and flexible with late documents from schools than with late documents from the applicant.
• If you are an Early Action applicant, and you take the November SAT, you must list MIT as a school to receive your scores directly or we will not receive them in time for our review. If you do not send them directly and plan to use Score Choice for the November test, we will likely not receive it in time for EA review. You do not need to use rush reporting.
• Please note that you do not need to express mail or overnight any part of your application.

Recommendations, School Forms, and Other Documents

• You can mail documents to us. All letters must be typed or written on official school letterhead and signed by the evaluator. Letters not on school letterhead and not signed by evaluators will not be accepted. Please do not send additional copies via Docufide or fax. Envelopes may be addressed to: MIT Admissions; Room 10-100; 77 Massachusetts Avenue; Cambridge, MA 02139.
• You can submit teacher letters and school forms (such as transcripts) in three ways. Please use only one method; duplicate submission will only slow down the processing.

  If your school uses Naviance/Docufide to submit letters of evaluation and transcripts, your school can send these documents directly to MIT, a registered Docufide Document recipient. This is true even though MIT doe snot use the Common App; submission of materials works in the same way. We encourage you to have your school use Naviance/Docufide over other means of document submission, if possible. Please do not send additional copies via fax or mail.

  You can fax the documents to us. All letters must be typed or written on official school letterhead and signed by the evaluator. Letters not on school letterhead and not signed by evaluators will not be accepted. Please do not send additional copies via Docufide or mail. Documents may be faxed to: (617) 687-9184.

  You can mail documents to us. All letters must be typed or written on official school letterhead and signed by the evaluator. Letters not on school letterhead and not signed by evaluators will not be accepted. Please do not send additional copies via Docufide or fax. Envelopes may be addressed to: MIT Admissions; Room 10-100; 77 Massachusetts Avenue; Cambridge, MA 02139.

• It is okay if your teacher or counselor does not include the MIT cover sheet with their letter. We prefer to receive it, but letters without it are at no disadvantage. We will accept your school's own forms, the NACAC forms, or the Common App forms.
• Please include the MIT Supplemental Document Cover Sheet from MyMIT for any additional documents you send. It helps with filing. (Documents without the cover sheet will be fine, too, as long as there is enough information for us to match the document with your file.)

Application Component Tracking

• The MyMIT Tracking is up-to-date, but please recognize that processing can take 2 weeks. You do not need to worry at this time about documents that are not showing on MyMIT; we currently have a backlog of materials in our processing center, and expect to have that backlog into November. Do not send a second copy of any document at this time. Also, you do not need to call MIT Admissions at this time to check on any such documents (there is a time for this later). Do not worry about materials that have not yet shown up on MyMIT Tracking.
• Application tracking is available on MyMIT after you submit your Part 1. For this reason, I recommend submitting your Part 1 sooner rather than later, so that you can track your documents.

Interview

• The deadline to have contacted your interviewer (EC) has passed; it was October 20. However, even if you missed thta deadline, you should still contact your interviewer ASAP in case your EC can still accommodate you. An interview is very helpful for your application. (Students with waived interviews are at no disadvantage.)
• If you have already interviewed with your EC, or have scheduled your interview for the near future, you are all set. Do not worry if your interview report has not yet appeared on your MyMIT Tracking; the deadline for ECs to submit their reports has not yet arrived. If you wish, you may now fill out the conducted interview form and we will be sure to get the interview report.
• If your EC has not gotten back to you, but it has been only a short time since you made contact (say, a week), be patient. By having contacted the EC before the deadline, you have taken your important step.
• If your EC has not gotten back to you, and it has been a long time (say, two weeks with multiple attempts to contact), please either call the Educational Council at 617-258-5510 or email us at interview at mit dot edu.

Submitting the Application

• If you are having credit card problems, please email applicationpart1 at mit dot edu. If problems delay your application past November 1, we will extend the deadline for you due to any problems on our end.
• We are happy to accept fee waivers for any student (foreign or domestic) who needs one. Using a fee waiver will not negatively impact your admission. You may use the SAT Fee Waiver, the NACAC Fee Waiver, or a letter from a school official detailing your situation. We will accept other fee waiver forms as well. Generally speaking, if you are in tough financial shape and make a good faith effort to inform us of your circumstances, we will waive your fee.
• Early action results will be released in mid-December.

I hope this is helpful. Best wishes as you finish and submit the application!

In 2.009, the students are divided into 8 different color teams.  By December, they will each develop a prototype of a product that can (and in many cases does) go to market; they present their products at a huge event before impressive industry judges.  I should note that 2.009 is possibly the awesomest course at MIT, and I need no further proof than to note that the class was on Mythbusters.

Along the way, the teams do some fun engineering projects.  On Friday, that project was to take revenge on some egg-stealing pigs.

Professor David Wallace, the King Pig

An instructor-pig

Staff dressed up for the occasion

The students have been working on their siege weapons this week in preparation for the pig battle:

Finally, the day of the competition arrived.  I'm told that MIT President Susan Hockfield was among the large crowd watching the action.

Munitions

The weapons set up in Killian Court

The "pigs" and their defenses

A majestic setting for the king pig

An impressive-looking air cannon, ready to fire

I'm sorry, but this is the best action shot I could get -- it was fast and furious!

The awards ceremony took place of the steps below the Great Dome.

Prof. Wallace presenting the trophy to the victors.  (The flags at left are in the order of team finish.)

In the end, it was the green team and their slingshot that triumphed.

Thanks to my colleague Mikey Yang '05 and 2.009 for additional photos. And keep a lookout for video of the competition sometime in the future...

Adam Riess, MIT Class of 1992, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2011

Riess, who is just 41 years old, shares the prize with fellow researchers Saul Perlmutter and Brian Schmidt for "the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae."  He is the 77th MIT-connected winner of the Nobel Prize.

My favorite quote from Riess about the Nobel comes from the Associated Press story:

Riess, 41, said he got a phone call around 5:30 a.m. Several Swedish men were on the line, at which point he "knew it wasn't Ikea," the Swedish furniture retailer. His "jaw dropped" when he heard the news, he said.

Adam Riess's journey to the Nobel Prize began long ago. Born in Washington, DC, he attended Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, New Jersey. After graduation, Riess chose to attend MIT, where he majored in Physics (Course 8).

As an MIT student, Riess joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and lived in the Phi Delt house on Bay State Road in Boston, near Kenmore Square and Fenway Park. The Phi Delts have a beautiful house overlooking the Charles River; it was originally built as a mansion for the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1902.

Adam Riess as a freshman at MIT, as pictures in the Phi Delta Theta 1989 yearbook photo.

In addition to his major in Physics, Riess also picked up a minor in History. According to a Johns Hopkins Magazine story, capped off his history minor by writing "a final research paper on baseball's 1919 'Black Sox' scandal. He investigated whether the Chicago White Sox's effort to throw the World Series that year could be deduced from news reports and box score statistics. (The answer: It couldn't.)"

Riess also met his wife, Nancy, at MIT. Nancy was a Materials Science major, and, like Adam, was interested in the humanities, being named a Burchard Scholar. She was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and participated in the Concourse Program.

Adam Riess in his MIT senior yearbook photo.

Riess graduated with a 4.94 GPA (on the MIT 5.0 scale) and was named to Phi Beta Kappa. He then went on to graduate school at Harvard, where he received his Ph.D. in 1996 in Astrophysics, then a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Berkeley, then joined the Space Telescope Science Institute. He was appointed a full professor at Johns Hopkins in 2006. Aside from the Nobel Prize, Riess has also won a MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship, the Shaw Prize, the Einstein Medal, and is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

Here is the release from the Nobel Prize about this year's award:

Written in the stars

"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice..."

What will be the final destiny of the Universe? Probably it will end in ice, if we are to believe this year's Nobel Laureates in Physics. They have studied several dozen exploding stars, called supernovae, and discovered that the Universe is expanding at an ever-accelerating rate. The discovery came as a complete surprise even to the Laureates themselves.

In 1998, cosmology was shaken at its foundations as two research teams presented their findings. Headed by Saul Perlmutter, one of the teams had set to work in 1988. Brian Schmidt headed another team, launched at the end of 1994, where Adam Riess was to play a crucial role.

The research teams raced to map the Universe by locating the most distant supernovae. More sophisticated telescopes on the ground and in space, as well as more powerful computers and new digital imaging sensors (CCD, Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009), opened the possibility in the 1990s to add more pieces to the cosmological puzzle.

The teams used a particular kind of supernova, called type Ia supernova. It is an explosion of an old compact star that is as heavy as the Sun but as small as the Earth. A single such supernova can emit as much light as a whole galaxy. All in all, the two research teams found over 50 distant supernovae whose light was weaker than expected - this was a sign that the expansion of the Universe was accelerating. The potential pitfalls had been numerous, and the scientists found reassurance in the fact that both groups had reached the same astonishing conclusion.

For almost a century, the Universe has been known to be expanding as a consequence of the Big Bang about 14 billion years ago. However, the discovery that this expansion is accelerating is astounding. If the expansion will continue to speed up the Universe will end in ice.

The acceleration is thought to be driven by dark energy, but what that dark energy is remains an enigma - perhaps the greatest in physics today. What is known is that dark energy constitutes about three quarters of the Universe. Therefore the findings of the 2011 Nobel Laureates in Physics have helped to unveil a Universe that to a large extent is unknown to science. And everything is possible again.

Congratulations, Adam Riess!  We look forward to seeing you on campus in two weeks when you deliver the Pappalardo Distinguished Lecture in Physics (Thursday, October 20, at 4:15pm in Room 10-250).
 

Now you can play both, on a 6-foot tall LED display, thanks to three bored MIT students.

Burton-Conner Tetris Battle (Burton Conner is the MIT dorm that is home to the creators) is now all over the web, having been covered, among other places, at Engadget, CNET, and BostInnovation. Check it out:

Burton-Conner Tetris Battle is the creation of two Course 6 juniors, Russell Cohen '13 and Leah Alpert '13, with hardware design from their Course 2 floormate Andrew Carlson '12. In the comments on Engadget, Russell said, "We did this because we were bored."

Want to try it yourself? Burton-Conner Tetris Battle is free software and can be downloaded from GitHub.

On your MyMIT site, you will find the contact information for your MIT interviewer, or Educational Counselor (EC), within a couple days of registering. You should contact your EC as soon as your are ready to schedule the interview, but well before the application deadline. Remember, if you are applying for the November 1 Early Action (EA) deadline, you should set up your interview before October 20th. If you are applying for the January 1 Regular Action (RA) deadline, you should set up your interview before December 10th.

From MyMIT, you should print out personalized teacher recommendation forms. Teachers may use their own forms and format, but please include the personalized teacher recommendation form with each recommendation letter.

You will submit your part of the application online via MyMIT. However, if there are additional materials that you need to mail to us, note that we will read your application online; printed materials that are mailed to us will be scanned. I recommend that you consider things like staples and binding, and ability to be viewed in a 2-D environment, before mailing us any additional materials.

If you need to mail us any additional materials, please include the MIT Supplemental Document Cover Sheet available in the Application Forms section of MyMIT with your materials. If you send us additional materials more than once, please be sure to include the cover sheet each time.

You should be sure to frequently check the email account that you list on your application. If we have any questions or announcements, this will likely be the place for such communications.

Please note that MIT is not a member of the Common Application. MIT has its own application, which is only available at MyMIT.

Also note: if you have in previous years applied to MIT or started an application to MIT, you will not be able to create your new MyMIT account and begin your application until early October. Please be patient -- besides, you already know how the app works.

...I think that's it, for now, anyway. As the admissions season progresses, we'll have lots of application updates and tips here on the blogs. It should be an exciting year ahead.

I look forward to reading your application!

This year's incoming MIT class is amazing. The students are awesome! Let me tell you more about them...

The class includes students from Kansas and from Kenya.

The class includes students from Alexandria, Virgina and Alexandria, Egypt.

The class includes students who have served in the armed forces and students who have spent the last year in religious service.

The class includes students who did the AP currciulum, who did the IB curriculum, whose schools had no advanced classes at all, who were homeschooled, and who did A Levels (but none who did OWLs and NEWTs).

The class includes two students who were the number #1 overall winner of international Olympiad competitions, and many hundreds more who have never heard of international Olympiad competitions (I was one of the latter, back in the day).

The class includes students whose graduating class size was in the single digits, and students whose graduating class size was in the quadruple digits.

The class includes more than 1100 students who are all excellent matches for the MIT mission and culture.

Below, find a statistical snapshot of the Class of 2015, from the Freshman Class Profile:

The MIT Class of 2015

Gender

Citizenship & Ethnicity

Geography

Schooling

Just For Fun

While there are still a few weeks before our application opens, there are some things you can be doing in the meantime:

• Making a list, spreadsheet, or Google Doc of the various deadlines and requirements for all of the universities to which you'll be applying (including the financial aid deadlines and requirements). By getting yourself organized now, you're less likely to make an error down the road.
• Identifying your recommenders. We will require two letters of recommendation: one from a math/science teacher and one humanities teacher. Once you have chosen which teachers you would like to write on your behalf, it is a good idea to have a conversation with each teacher about a) if they would be willing to write you a recommendation for college; b) which colleges you're applying to and why. I find that having a thoughtful conversation with your teachers really helps in the process.
• Talking with your guidance counselor. We will require that your guidance counselor (or equivalent) complete our Secondary School Report, which does include a letter that they write about you, in addition to your transcript and a school profile.
• Ensuring that you have the required standardized tests. At MIT, we require the SAT Reasoning Test, ACT Plus Writing, or TOEFL; and 2 SAT Subject Tests: one in math, one in science. If you haven't yet fulfilled these requirements, I recommend registering for the tests now. For EA, we can accept tests through the November testing date; for RA, through the January testing date.
• Thinking about deadlines, including Early Action vs. Regular Action. US citizens and permanent residents can choose to apply for either deadline. Note that MIT's Early Action program is non-binding and non-restrictive.
• Spending some time being thoughtful and reflective about your life, your influences, and your aspirations. This will be very helpful as we ask you to interview with an MIT alum and ask you to write about your experiences in some short answer essay questions.

Remember that there is no rush to get your application in first! We do not read applications on a first-come, first-served basis. An article in the New York Times last year summed this up well:

But as more students each year seek to get the earliest possible jump on the nerve-racking process of applying to college, as if they were securing tickets to a soon-to-be-sold-out rock concert, the deans of admission at N.Y.U. and elsewhere are sounding a cautionary note. They say that there is no reason to apply five months in advance, let alone two, and that they are far more inclined to put a premium on thoughtfulness and contemplation than speed.

I wish you a thoughtful and anxiety-free application season, and a great senior year!

Professor Cummings was one of the US Navy's first female fighter pilots. She flew the F/A-18 Hornet. At MIT, she is the Director of the Humans and Automation Lab, which hosts many Aero/Astro UROPs.

A crucial note for overseas readers and others unfamiliar with The Colbert Report: it's important to understand the context of the program and the character. Wikipedia says of the program:

The Colbert Report (pronounced kohl-bair rə-por – the t is silent in both "Colbert" and "Report") is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. It stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report is a spin-off from and counterpart to The Daily Show that comments on politics and the media in a similar way. It satirizes conservative personality-driven political pundit programs, particularly Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor. The show focuses on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert, played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot," is a caricature of televised political pundits.

Here's the video:

Previously: Prof. Junot Diaz on the Colbert Report

During the Harry Potter era, MIT has celebrated the series a number of times in the way we celebrate: with hacks. Some were grand and spectacular, others subtle and fun. Here's a rundown of Harry Potter-related hacks, courtesy of hacks.mit.edu.

Harry's Scar on the Dome

July 16, 2005

On the morning that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published, Harry's lightning-bolt scar appeared on the Great Dome.

Dark Mark over the Student Center

July 21, 2007

On the morning when the final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was being delivered to the doorsteps of muggles, the Dark Mark appeared above the Student Center.

Broomstick Parking in Stata Center

July 20, 2007

On the day before the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a broomstick parking area, complete with broomsticks, appeared in the Stata Center.

It is unknown whose brooms were parked in Stata; the MIT Quidditch Team had not yet been formed.

Building 9¾ from Harry Potter

November 17, 2005

On the night of the release of the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Building 9 was turned into Building 9¾.

Doors, classrooms, and bathrooms throughout the building were relabeled to represent rooms in Hogwarts. (The number "9¾" comes from, of course, the departure platform of the Hogwarts Express train at Kings Cross Station.)

Some offices were relabeled to the names of professors from the series (such as McGonagall, Moody, Flitwick, and Snape).

Bathrooms were relabeled to be for "Wizards" and "Witches," as appropriate.

Some classrooms and the mail room were also renamed.

And did I mention MIT researchers made an invisibility cloak?  And no, this one's not a hack...

Nervous Systems jewelry and accessories began with a very common story. Boy meets girl. Girl falls for boy. Boy and girl combine their knowledge of biology, architecture and computer programming to design fashionable accessories. OK, so maybe it′s not that common of a story.

Regardless, what began as flirtations in an MIT dorm has turned into a profitable company on the leading edge of a growing fashion trend. More and more independent designers are producing pieces with scientific content, and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg and Jessica Rosenkrantz take it a step further by actually using math and biology to produce the designs of their earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Each piece in their collection begins as a computer program designed to replicate a natural phenomenon, such as the branching of coral or fractal growth pattern of the veins in a leaf.

After taking their wares to the street in this summer's Renegade Crafts Fair in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Louis-Rosenberg and Rosenkrantz spoke with InnovationNewsDaily about designing jewelry with a computer, making art with fluids and whether or not science actually sells.

You can read the full interview here, but here's a little sample:

InnovationNewsDaily: Jessica, you have a background in biology and architecture. Jesse, you studied computer science. How in the world did you both go from doing engineering at MIT to designing jewelry?

Jessica Rosenkrantz: I was studying architecture, and I would have these models I designed on the computer laying around my desk, and friends would come by and pick them up and say, "Oh, is this a bracelet." That's when I first got the idea.

Jesse Louis-Rosenberg: At the same time, I was in school studying math and computer science. I am more interested in the math side of things, how physical systems make order. But I was turned off by academia, and wanted to explore those interests in a more creative way.

Rosenkrantz: We lived in the same dorm, a couple doors down from each other. We were a couple, we were dating, and he saw the first pieces I designed and thought, "Hey, if Jessica can do this, I can do this, too, since I'm way better at programming than she is."

These words, though, cannot possibly convey the awesomeness of what Jesse and Jessica are doing at Nervous Systems. For that, we need photographs (from their shop). Look at all this cool stuff they have!

I realize I'm a little late to the party -- they've already been featured in Popular Science, Gizmodo, Metropolis, Fast Company and MAKE, among others -- but that doesn't make their stuff any less cutting edge.

Their design process is a combinination of nature and technology, as illustrated in part by the below two videos:

Hele-Shaw cell experiments from Nervous System on Vimeo.

Cell Cycle ipad app from Nervous System on Vimeo.

Pretty cool!

The Fellows were selected to "become the next generation of tech visionaries." Dealbook said the objective was "Finding the Next Mark Zuckerberg." Each winner receives $100,000 and two years of support from Thiel's network in Silicon Valley and beyond.

The MIT students (or should I say former MIT students?) who won the fellowship are Laura Deming and Jeffrey Lim. Deming was one of only two women to win (and the only American woman); the other 22 Fellows are male. Here are the official bios from the Thiel Foundation:

Laura Deming wants to extend the human lifespan for a few more centuries—at the very least. She started working in a biogerontology lab when she was 12, matriculated at MIT when she was 14, and now at 17 plans on disrupting the current research paradigm by changing the incentives embedded in today’s traditional funding structures. Too often, researchers design quick incremental projects to please grant-making bodies instead of taking on risky, long time horizon problems. With her fund IP Immortal, Laura plans on commercializing anti-aging research, bringing therapies out of the lab and into the market sooner.

Jeffrey Lim wants to increase the amount of voluntary exchange and cooperation in the world by revamping some of our core economic and social institutions. He believes it’s time the means of exchange caught up with the Information Age. Once he stops out of MIT, Jeffrey plans on using his fellowship to create technologies that will help people self-organize to solve social problems. He’s particularly interested in helping people protect the wealth they create from the harmful effects of inflation.

I can add a little more about each.

Laura is a sophomore majoring in physics. At MIT, she has done research in the Weiss Lab and Glenn Lab. She is a sister of the Sigma Kappa sorority and has a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Jeffrey is also a sophomore, majoring in computer science. He does linguistics research and competed in the International Linguistics Olympiad. He is a brother of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.

Congrats to both Laura and Jeffrey! And whether or not you return to MIT in two years, I wish you all the best for the future!

Interested in applying next year? The Thiel Foundation says that information about applications for the next round of fellows will be available at 20under20.org in late October.

We'll be doing more travel together as a group to meet with prospective students. In July, we'll do three more trips with this group in the Northwest, the Mountain states, and the Midwest -- look for more information soon.

For Mark Wahlberg fans: I don't know why, but actor (and former rapper) Mark Wahlberg was playing pickup basketball at MIT this week.

For robot enthusiasts: Chris, Tiffany, and McGreggor are heading to Saint Louis for the FIRST Championship. FIRST is a pretty cool organization, co-founded by MIT professor Woodie Flowers PhD '72. Look for MIT on Scholarship Row.

For AP testers: Good luck next week!

For students on the waitlist: As I mentioned a few weeks ago, there won't be any waitlist news until early-mid May. As we're still in late April, I don't have any news for you. I have no idea if we'll be going to the waitlist, and if so how many students we will take.

If you are still interested in MIT, you should stay in contact with us. Drop us a note to the waitlist email address. Keep us up to date all the way through May 1 and beyond if you remain interested.

For students still deciding on MIT: I wish you the best as we approach the deadline for making your college decision. If your lingering issue is a pending financial aid appeal (at MIT or one of your other choices), and you require time beyond the deadline to sort things out, you can request a financial aid extension of the deadline.

Please let me know, in the comments or otherwise, if there is anything we can do to help you make your decision.

My hope is that you will at least consider, just for a moment, taking a gap year (I was happy to talk to some folks at CPW who were already considering this option!). If you are a member of the Class of 2015 and would like to request a one-year (or sometimes two-year) deferral from starting at MIT, it is super easy to do so. On your online reply form on your MyMIT portal, just choose

I will enroll at MIT and I request to defer my enrollment until the term beginning:

And then choose one of

• September, 2012 (1 gap/deferral year)
• September, 2013 (2 gap/deferral years)

We will then ask you to write us and tell us what you plan to do. We will grant a deferral for almost any reason (but generally not for continued schooling at a high school or university other than MIT). Come up with somewhat of a plan, and you'll probably be fine. Some MIT students in recent years deferred to spend a year in Israel, others to do intensive music study, others to read the great books. What you do is up to you.

There are a bunch of good websites and books out there that can suggest good gap year options. One such book on my bookshelf is The Complete Guide to the Gap Year by Kristin M. White.

I should also note that if your gap year plans are not certain by the May 2 enrollment deadline, you can instead select the "Enrolling" option on the reply form, and then you can request a deferral any time right up until Registration Day in September (though I strongly suggest you do so well before that). No worries.

And if you already have submitted your reply form telling us you're enrolling, again, no worries: you, too, can request a deferral any time right up until Registration Day in September (though, again, I strongly suggest you do so well before that).

Blogger alum Anthony wrote an excellent post on this very topic:

So you got into one of the best, most stimulating and resource-rich universities in the world. Welcome – MIT’s an amazing place (no matter what you’re here to study), and I bet you’re really eager to come – not just for Campus Preview Weekend, but to start your academic and life voyage as a freshman this fall semester. You’re probably already planning your summer, the changes from home to college ... what to bring, how you’ll spend those last days with friends and family, perhaps visiting your favorite childhood haunts in a last bid to say goodbye. But what if you held off on all that?

 

Sounds crazy, right? – because you want to get away from your parents as soon as possible, start your own life, and not be told when to go to bed and what not to eat... well, whatever the reason, college is a way to leave home that’s accepted by both your friends and your folks (no matter how conservative), and you’re all ready to GO. It feels like the "right thing to do," because after high school, don’t all good students go to college? And besides, what else would you do to prepare for that promising future you’ve always dreamed of (and, no doubt, the one everyone *expects* you to have)?

Let me ask you something else: if you had an entire year to do anything you want, with unlimited time, no expectations, no SATs or class ranks or gossip or student club presidencies to get in the way... what would you do? Let’s just pretend that after you graduate, instead of just returning to school in the fall, you finally get to work on that dream project, tinker in that lab, or spend a year overseas (all expenses paid) teaching something you know and learning everything you never knew all at the very same time. And you’d wake up every day knowing that MIT’s just down the road.

From my years in admissions, the overwhelming sentiment from students who have taken a gap year has been:

No one ever regrets having taken a gap year, but plenty of people regret not having taken one.

The bottom line here is that it is okay to slow down. Life, college, career -- it's not a race. Feel free to write me if you need more information about taking a gap year, I'm happy to help.

Over the years, many awesome bands have played MIT's Spring Concert. Here is a somewhat complete list of the history of MIT Spring Concerts:

MIT Spring Concerts

2011: Jason Derülo / Janelle Monáe
2010: N.E.R.D. / Super Mash Bros.
2009: Ben Folds / Sara Bareilles
2008: Third Eye Blind / Howie Day
2007: Ying Yang Twins / Ozomatli
2006: CAKE / matt pond PA.
2005: Fabolous / Lloyd Banks
2004: Live / Slick Rick
2003: Jurassic 5 / OK Go
2002: Sugar Ray / Spin Doctors
2001: The Roots / Blues Traveller
2000: They Might Be Giants / Reel Big Fish
1999: Busta Rhymes
1998: Maceo Parker / Fishbone / Five Fingers of Funk
1997: Battle of the Bands (no headliner)
1996: Soul Coughing
1995: Sonic Youth
1994: Belly
1993: They Might Be Giants
1992: Violent Femmes
1991: Jesus Jones
1990: Psychedelic Furs
1989: ‘til tuesday
1987: Squeeze
1986: Ministry / Face to Face
1985: R.E.M.
1984: Cheap Trick / 'til tuesday
1983: The Tubes
1982: The Ramones
1980: Battle of the Bands (no headliner)
1977: Aztec Two-Step
1976: Don McLean
1975: The James Montgomery Blues Band
1974: Aerosmith
1973: Sha-Na-Na
1971: Chuck Berry
1970: The Grateful Dead
1969: Janis Joplin / Dave van Ronk / Chuck Berry / Julie Driscoll
1968: Jefferson Airplane
1967: The Brothers Four
1966: The Beach Boys
1965: The Rooftop Singers
1964: Maynard Ferguson
1962: Dakota Staton
1962: The Four Preps

There are two concerts at MIT (one listed above) that are particularly impressive, each deserving their own section:

Nirvana Played MIT.

Perhaps MIT's most (in)famous party is Steer Roast. Each spring for nearly half a century, the residents of MIT's Senior Haus dormitory throw a big party; dorm alumni from decades past return for the event.

[Previous blog entries about Steer Roast: Jessie '07 | Keri '10 ]

Sometimes described as "an extreme barbecue" or "a 3-day bacchanal," Steer Roast is a celebration of mud, meat, and music. Mud, because of the mud wrestling pit and matches. Meat -- well, that's obvious from the name of the party, "Steer Roast." And music: because (IMHO) Senior Haus residents tend to have the best taste in music on campus, they tend to get the best bands.

Perhaps the best example of Senior Haus being ahead of the (music) curve is Steer Roast 1990. That year, for a mere $1,000, they brought an up-and-coming three-member indie band from Seattle to play.

Nirvana played Steer Roast in 1990.

Here's the contract:

One report says that "during the show, Krist [Novoselic, the bassist] ripped one or two bones off the wall from a sign spelling out 'Sport Death' (a Senior House motto) and used one to play half of a song on his bass." Apparently, the concert happened in the dorm basement, as rain prevented the band from using the outdoor stage that had been built for the performance.

Anybody have audio or pictures of this concert? Would love to hear it / see it...

The Grateful Dead Played MIT.

On May 6th and 7th, 1970, the Grateful Dead played at MIT. Somehow, I had missed this. Luckily, my MIT contemporary, Joel '99, dropped me an email to let me know about this glaring omission. Here's the story, as I have come to understand it:

The Grateful Dead were scheduled to play MIT's Spring Concert on Thursday, May 6th. Here's the promotional poster:

Note the Great Dome in the background. The small text at the bottom reads:

LSC Presents The Grateful Dead in concert May 7 1970
MIT Armory 8:00 p.m. $3.00 $3.50 at the door

LSC is the Lecture Series Committee, an MIT student group. The MIT Armory is now called duPont Athletic Gymnasium (W31). And yes, that really does say a ticket is just $3! (Even considering inflation, ~$16 is still quite a bargain!)

Recall that during the 1969-70 academic year, student unrest about the Vietnam War was at a peak. Just three days before the scheduled MIT Spring Concert, the Kent State massacre occurred. On the same day, according to The Tech, "Well over 1500 members of the MIT community, most of them students, voted overwhelmingly to strike 'in solidarity with the national university strike.'" The next day, the faculty met to affirm the community's desire for a strike. The ~700 professors at the faculty meeting voted (again) overwhelmingly to cancel classes.

Wednesday, May 6th was the first day of canceled classes -- the strike -- at MIT. With the Grateful Dead already in Boston, they came to MIT a day early to perform a free outdoor concert, joining in the student protest (although, cheekily, the "schedule of events" listing in that day's special issue of The Tech said: "2 pm - There will not be a free concert by the Grateful Dead today."). The band set up on the Student Center steps, with the crowd all across Kresge Oval:

There is even an audio recording of the concert, from MIT's radio station (via archive.org), which was able to patch directly into the band's amps:

The Grateful Dead returned to MIT the following night to perform the Spring Concert. Once again, the MIT radio station was able to patch in (and archive.org has the audio):

Would you have rather been at the Nirvana show or the Grateful Dead show?

Which Spring Concert do you most wish you could've attended?

Check out your MyMIT Portal: Over at MyMIT, you'll find a bunch of stuff only available to admitted students, including:

• Campus Preview Weekend Registration: Please register for CPW by March 24 or when your travel plans are solidified, whichever is sooner. Also, when you fill out your CPW registration form, give us as much specific information as you can; this will help us make your CPW experience as good as possible. Finally, please complete the Medical Release Form.

  Notes to the wise: if you're flying in, book your plane tickets early. If your parents are joining you, have them book their hotel early (today or tomorrow would be very smart). I highly recommend hotels that are within walking distance (or easy public transportation) of MIT -- driving and parking in Boston is not a good experience.

• Local Admitted Students Meetings: During MIT Spring Break next week, MIT alumni across the globe will be hosting gathering for the Class of 2014, as nearby campus as Providence, Rhode Island, and as far away as Singapore. There will be meetings in dozens of locales, including New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington (both the state -- in Seattle -- as well as the District of Columbia), Miami, Chicago, and many more. RSVP information is included.

• Class of 2015 Guestbook: Hundreds of your classmates have checked in to introduce themselves. Since only admitted students can enter themselves on the guestbook, it's a good way to share your contact information securely with your future classmates, and to get emails and screennames to be in touch with fellow MIT 2015s!

• The MIT Reply Form: As soon as you've made up your mind for sure about whether or not to attend MIT -- after you've received your financial aid package, come for CPW, or anything else that you need to make your decision -- please let us know your decision through the online reply form. You have three choices: tell us you're enrolling this fall (Yay! Welcome officially to the MIT Class of 2015!), that you're declining our offer of admission (it's okay, we know you're making the best choice for yourself), or to request a deferral/gap year(s) before enrolling at MIT (for a gap year, military service, or other reason). Take as much time as you need to make your decision (and if we can help, please let us know), but be sure to let us know by May 2.

• Overnight Program Registration: If you can't make it for CPW, don't despair, you can still come visit through our Overnight Program. Please register at least two weeks in advance, and we'll do our best to show you MIT.

• Link to the Facebook Group: Facebook is a great place to meet your future classmates and get questions answered by current students.

Ensure you have completed your financial aid application: On MyMIT, you can view your financial aid tracking. If you are missing documents, get them in ASAP so that you can get a financial aid package ASAP!

Webcast event on Saturday! Watch your email for details!

Await Financial Aid Info: I know many of you who have complete aid applications are eagerly awaiting financial aid information... don't despair! Financial Aid packages will be mailed this week.

Finally, Class of 2015, what would you like to see us do blog entries on over the coming month or so? How can we be best helpful for you as you make your college decision? What questions can we answer for you?

How does the waitlist work?

We are aiming for a class of about 1,120 students this year. Based on our estimates of the percentage of admitted students who will attend (known as the "yield"), we admitted 1715 students. However, it isn't possible to exactly predict how many student will attend this year. To help with the uncertainties, we also keep a waitlist of students.

Is the waitlist ranked?

No.

How many people are on the waitlist?

We offered about 1,000 applicants -- approximately 6% of applicants -- a spot on the waitlist. Not all of those students will choose to remain on the waitlist.

Can you tell me where I am on the waitlist?

As I've said, the waitlist is not ranked. We will reconsider all of the waitlisted students again in May, when we know how many students remain on the waitlist, and how many we wish to take from the waitlist.

How many people will you admit from the waitlist this year?

It is impossible to know. We will have no idea how many people, if any, we will take from the waitlist until after the reply date of May 2.

What has the waitlist looked like, historically?

Last year we admitted 65 students from the waitlist. The year before that, we admitted 78 students from the waitlist, and the year before that we admitted 35 students. A few years earlier, however, there was a four year stretch where we didn't take anyone from the waitlist. So, it's hard to know how this year will look. Over the past few years, the "waitlist admit rate" has ranged from 0% to 18%.

What are the realities here?

I know that while we plan for the worst, usually things don't go quite so badly. Thus, it's likely that most people on the waitlist will not be admitted. I hope that you will have another great choice to fall in love with, so that no matter what happens with the MIT waitlist, everything will still turn out well for you in the end.

Who do you admit from the waitlist? For example, if someone from state X or major Y declines, are you likely to look for another student like them?

If we go to the waitlist, we will consider what our class looks like as one factor in choosing students. But we're not strict about it. So, if an oboe player decides to go somewhere else, we may, or may not, try to take another oboe player.

Are domestic students given priority over international students on the waitlist?

No, but we do consider whether admitting international students from the waitlist would put us over our international quota.

If I'm waitlisted, can I still come for CPW or do the Overnight Program?

No, I'm sorry.

I'm still very interested in attending MIT. What should I do if I hope to be admitted from the waitlist?

Next week, a mailing will be sent out with a reply card to all waitlisted students in the United States (waitlisted students with international mailing addresses will be sent an email at the same time). Students can either send in the card or reply to the email to let us know of their intent to stay on/come off the waitlist.

Certainly, if you remain interested in remaining on the waitlist, you should return the postcard/reply to the email.

Also, beginning this year we will be setting up an email address specifically for any supplemental information for waitlisted students (more information to follow). I would recommend sending us a note to this email address in mid-late April with an update on what you've been up to since our last contact. You can also feel free to provide any other information you think would be helpful.

What should I not do?

Here are some things you should not do: Fly to campus to make the case in person. Send us ridiculous items or bribes. Submit a whole new application. Bombard our office with way too much stuff. Be pushy. Be sketchy. Let your grades drop. Not choose another college to attend by May 1.

What should I do about the May 1 reply date for other colleges?

You should accept the offer of admission from another college before May 1, even if it means making a deposit. After May 1, when all students have sent their replies, colleges will determine if they need to go to their waitlist or not, and if so, how many students they need to admit. At this point, colleges will begin admitting students from the waitlist. Students who accept this offer will "unenroll" at the first college and enroll at the second. This shifting can lead to a second round of waitlist admissions. All of this is a standard part of the admissions process. We colleges recognize and accept this.

If I'm admitted off of the waitlist, do I have to go to MIT? What about financial aid?

You're not required to enroll. We'll give you a financial aid package and you'll have time to consider your decision before letting us know one way or the other. It is in your best interest to complete your financial aid application now, so that if you are admitted from the waitlist, we'll have a financial aid package ready to go. Our waitlist process, like our entire admissions process, is need blind, and we will meet full need for all admitted students.

Okay, what should I do now?

First, focus on choosing the best fit college of those who have offered you admission. Waitlists are uncertain, so it is always best to ensure your happiness no matter what the outcome.

If you are still interested in MIT, you should stay in contact with us. Drop us a note to the waitlist email address once things have calmed down a bit. Please always be very nice in all of your interactions with us! Keep us up to date all the way through May 1 and beyond if you remain interested.

And in the meantime... be patient. There won't be any waitlist news until early-mid May.

The story centers on MIT alum Mohan Srivastava '79. Srivastava, a Course 12 grad who later wrote the textbook on applied geostatistics, now runs his own consulting company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. One day, the story goes, he won $3 on a "tic-tac-toe" scratch lottery ticket he received as a gift, and started thinking about how the algorithm behind the tickets worked.

"I remember telling myself that the Ontario Lottery is a multibillion-dollar-a-year business," he says. "They must know what they're doing, right?"

That night, however, he realized that the voice was right: The tic-tac-toe lottery was seriously flawed. It took a few hours of studying his tickets and some statistical sleuthing, but he discovered a defect in the game: The visible numbers turned out to reveal essential information about the digits hidden under the latex coating. Nothing needed to be scratched off—-the ticket could be cracked if you knew the secret code.

See if you can figure out the "secret code" within the unscratched Ontario Lottery ticket pictured here. Here's a hint: this is a winning ticket, and the tic-tac-toe occurs in the third game down in the right-hand column. When you give up, check out Srivastava's method.

So, did Srivastava take the lottery for millions, like the MIT Blackjack Team took Las Vegas for millions?

"I remember thinking, I'm gonna be rich! I'm gonna plunder the lottery!" he says. However, these grandiose dreams soon gave way to more practical concerns. "Once I worked out how much money I could make if this was my full-time job, I got a lot less excited," Srivastava says. "I'd have to travel from store to store and spend 45 seconds cracking each card. I estimated that I could expect to make about $600 a day. That's not bad. But to be honest, I make more as a consultant, and I find consulting to be a lot more interesting than scratch lottery tickets."

Instead of secretly plundering the game, he decided to go to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Srivastava thought its top officials might want to know about his discovery. Who knows, maybe they'd even hire him to give them statistical advice. "People often assume that I must be some extremely moral person because I didn't take advantage of the lottery," he says. "I can assure you that that's not the case. I'd simply done the math and concluded that beating the game wasn’t worth my time."

Maybe there's something to be said for the old saying, "The Lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math."

The MIT Midyear Report is an online form that is required of all students, and is to be completed by you, the applicant. The Report serves two purposes: to provide your updated grades since you have applied, and to mention other updates since you submitted your application. Please submit this form as soon as your midyear grades are available or by February 15th, whichever is earlier.

Some notes: