Deferred Students Update by Matt McGann '00
Some Q&A for deferred students.
If you’ve been deferred, you may be asking, “What now?” Luckily, I’ve got some answers (updated for this year’s very competitive EA pool).
Is it all over for me?
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: last year, we admitted 289 deferred students during regular action, 295 the year before, 267 the year before that, and 326 the year before that)
What should I do now?
I recommend spending the next few weeks before January 1 working on regular action applications for other schools. You should still put the same energy and thought you put into your MIT application into your other applications.
[But MIT is my dream school, I can’t imagine being happy anywhere else!]
[This doesn’t apply to everyone, but occasionally some students become so focused on MIT they can’t see all the other amazing schools that are out there. For those students who are really attracted to MIT’s campus culture, I’ve found these students often are also happy at many other schools, including Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Cooper Union, Harvey Mudd, Olin College, RPI, and the University of Chicago. For those students who particularly like the Boston area, you can also look at Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, and Wellesley College, among others.]
Should I send in extra materials?
The only thing we ask that you send in is the midyear grade report. You can download one off of the MyMIT website if you need one. Your semester grades are very important so keep working hard. We’d like this report as soon as possible after your grades are available; by the beginning of February would be great, but definitely by the end of February.
You may also want to keep us up-to-date with any news in your life. This is not required nor is it expected, but if anything exciting happens definitely let us know. It’s best if you send any such letter by the end of January, but you may keep us in the loop through the time we mail regular action decisions in mid-March.
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 (such as…) 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.
What other advice do you have?
You should check in with your guidance/college counselor. Often, their years of experience provide wisdom and insight into your particular situation. They’re more than welcome to give our office a call if our decision isn’t consistent with their experience, or just to talk about the process.
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’m glad to see from the comments that most of you, while understandably disappointed, are remaining upbeat, continuing to work on other applications, and knowing that one year from now, you’ll be getting ready to take a holiday break from some really amazing school (maybe MIT) to spend some quality time with loved ones. Being an optimist, I know that things always turn out well in the end.
first..
How do you guarantee that they will not have an advantage if so many of them are admitted later. I could not make the EA deadline because I had a torn wrist the week before I was supposed to take the SAT.
I’m really big into mock trial and I was wondering whether a video of me performing would be appropriate. If so, what would be the best format to send?
Fourth!
@Matt,
Thank you very much for the advice. I am working on my other college apps, but I definitely keep MIT as my number one choice.
You say that we don’t need to edit our applications, but is there any way to?
I didn’t notice until afterwards that the uploaded version of my essay had all of the apostrophes missing, so some of my essay looks kind of dumb :
Also, at the point when I sent my application, I wasn’t sure if I had a good answer for any of the optional essays, but now I do. Would there be any way to add those to my application?
Thank you so much for this.
Jermaine, let me assure that no one at MIT has an advantage solely because of when they apply. Quite simply, anyone who was deferred during early action is a very strong applicant to begin with – this, and nothing else, is why many deferred students end up being accepted during the regular round.
That being said, if you take a peek at the statistics, the majority of students admitted are those who simply applied during the regular round – like me! :D
Hi Matt. What else can be done in conjunction with “Simply sending in additional materials…?” You say that it “does not by itself increase your chances of admission.” Do you mean that it does not simply increase your chances, but it gives the reviewers a better overall picture of the applicant?
Thanks.
Matt, what number should the counselor call? 617.253.3400?
If we want to send additional material, is the deadline January 1?
I’M GETTING IN!
do people admitted in regular decision get tubes like the EA?
@Dan
Nope, sorry, tubes are just for EA. Although, we were discussing it the other day, that’s the only difference between EA and RA. You don’t get any special previliges or anything until March if you get accepted EA.
Considering the increase in admitted EA students this year, are you expecting to admit more RA students as well? Or did you admit a higher percentage of the freshman class through EA this year.
Also, does anyone have the statistics on admitted / deferred / denied students from this year’s EA? I want to crunch some numbers
I have the same question as Karen. With 522 students admitted, that means the RA admits will either have to go down or the total will need to increase. Personally, I’m hoping for the latter.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll be sending in some supplementary materials of my own, though I’ll try not to inundate you with too much mail. But first, I must reluctantly finish these other apps
Well, I’m really glad you listed U Chicago as places that MIT applicants tend to be happy at, since I got in there early.
But say we want to edit our essays? Is that even an option?
so, if 522 students were accepted, how many were deferred? And will the class size still be about 1000? Cause then that would be about 50% of the class, which is more than 30%…
Don’t worry Matt, I’ll keep you updated.
Also, I’ll try and take your advice, but I don’t think California would suite me well. Thanks in advance for reading my application a second time!
P.S. I noticed another Trevor posted before me. I’ll be looking up the stats, but I think MIT could use a higher percentage of Trevors.
P.S.S. I looked up the stats:
There are 60,711 people in the U.S. with the first name Trevor.
Statistically the 697th most popular first name.
@Trevor P: The fun thing is to find people with the same exact name as you. Now, that’s kind of an odd experience. My fellow name-holders range from a (somewhat, I think) famous tennis player to a criminal charged with a pretty big felony. You?
Well, I can’t think of anyone famous, but there is the Trevor project.
As I understand it, there was a boy name Trevor who was scared that people would find out that he was gay, then some kids at school found out and he killed himself.
So, around my school, there are posters for a gay/questioning youth hotline, and the number is 1-800-4U-TREVOR or something to that effect.
It gets better though. They had their first newsletter come out earlier this year. The top corner had dates for events, which included “Trevor Pool Party.”
My last name is Pool.
So, no one famous, but a crazy coincidence.
@Trevor P (part deux): That’s tragic and very sad. There’s not much I can add to that.
“Trevor Pool Party” — I immediately had this imaginary conversation in my head:
Student A: “Hey, are you going to the Trevor Pool Party?”
Student B: “Do you mean the Pool Party of Trevor or the Party of Trevor Pool?”
Student A: “… You lost me at ‘Do you mean.'”
@Natasha
I was tempted to go, but the party was in L.A. and I am in Atlanta.
I could show up, claim the party as my own…
…and that’s where the plan fell apart.
My friends have had some fun with it too, claiming that wherever I go, it’s always a Trevor Pool Party.
@Trevor P
Atlanta to LA? Why, that’s just a hop, skip, and a jump! (and possibly a second star to the right)
One day, you will turn around in the hallway, and your friends will all be wearing party hats, throwing confetti, and popping party poppers.
try
{
application.sumbit();
}
catch(DeferralException e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
//Output:
/Applications /Installer Log File /Library /Network /System /User Guides And Information /Users /Volumes /Xcode3.1.4 /bin /cores /dev /etc /home /mach_kernel /net /private /sbin /tmp /usr /var
It’s not over yet! Keep trying!
*/
Hey guys,
Just cuz we got deferred doesn’t mean we can’t post anymore code on these blogs…We still have a chance. Let’s make it count.
-Deferred
time to wait till march.
@Natasha
As long as there’s cake…
I hope we both end up getting in, we can throw Trevor Pool Parties outside the dome in a foot of snow
I’ll make the cake!
Natasha…could you possibly be the same Natasha who went to GSE this summer?
With 522 already in, I really doubt whether the deferred really have equal chances as RAs.
@Trevor P
Chocolate or vanilla? Mmmm, ice cream cake…
Yes! We could put out those little inflatable pools (the ones for kids), and put up big beach umbrellas and lay out towels for sunbathing. And we can start a string of “TREVOR POOL PARTY HACKS” at MIT’s swimming pool(s?).
Good luck to us both, Mr. Trevor P, sir!
@Natasha
I’m thinking chocolate with vanilla or mint chocolate chip ice cream…or maybe a cookie cake?
I also wish fortune’s blessing upon us, Ms. Natasha, ma’m (say the “ma’m” in a Southern accent, it’s much more fun. Or yes’m if answering a question)
@Bryan: No, that’s not me. I was studying abroad for most of the summer. Maybe she’ll show up sometime later in the blogs! :D We will subsequently have Natasha Talks.
When I was a wee naive child, I used to think my name was unique to myself. Solution: Make myself so famous that when someone says “Natasha” the first thing they think is “Oh that girl” (… hopefully I’ll be famous for good reasons!). Is this a viable idea, Monsieur Bryan?
@Trevor P:
Aw, man. I’m getting really hungry. BUT MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP is an A+ IDEA. Mint chocolate chip lords over all the ice cream flavours.
But, on the other hand, cookie cake is a fabulous and glorious idea! This… this… this requires complex decision-making.
Why, Mr. Trevor, sir! What a lovely drawl you have! (haha, I’m actually not that good at Southern accents, despite living in VA for a few years. A NC girl recently moved here though — Are thy Georgia accents similar to those of the northern neighbor of thy northern neighbor’s accents?)
Should additional life info be sent by snail-mail or email?
I noticed Natasha asked this question but I’m not sure it got answered. Just double-wondering.
Thanks!
@ Natasha
The accent can vary by region. I live very close to the city, so I don’t consider myself to have an accent. However, I do have relatives around the south and can do the various subtleties of the southern “dialect” on command.
North Georgia is similar to SC and NC, but southern Georgia and the regions close to and in Alabama, it sounds like the stereotypical, red neck “hey y’all, watch this!!” Occasionally, you’ll find some grandmothers in GA, SC, and NC who sound like Scarlet O’Hara.
PS I consider “y’all” to be a proper conjunction colloquially, though it is rarely (actually, never) used in formal text.
@Trever: Everyone has an accent :-p You just don’t notice your own because your used to it…
And Natasha, Virginia is hardly south but some of them do sound quite southern!
And on the topic of the South….I love sweet tea! But they don’t have it many places in the North :(
I use “y’all” occasionally when I’m typing to a group, such as an email or chat room. However, unless ‘southern drawl’ refers to southern New Hampshire, I’m pretty sure I’m just making it clear who I’m refering to.
@ DHowdy
I suppose everyone has an accent, but I meant that I do not have a pronounced Southern accent (so I think, a Canadian once told I had an American accent)
Also, sweet tea is absolutely delicious, but so are most teas (I love me some earl grey).
Oh, and here’s some Georgia law makers in action:
“Representative John Noel, D-Atlanta, and four co-sponsors filed a bill…that would make it a misdemeanor not to offer sweet tea in any Georgia restaurant that serves iced tea. Violators could be jailed for up to 12 months.”
My daughter has been deferred. I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey as a parent, my daughter is also very excited and started applying to other colleges with the same focus as she was with MIT app. That is a useful distraction for her not to think too much about the final outcome from MIT in mid March. I am proud of her and if she keeps same passion and desire, if a top college admission is bound to happen in her life, it will happen. Best wishes!!!
A bill after my own heart :-p
I’m from “southern” Maryland, though it’s pretty middle if you ask me….We pretend we’re from the south here, but I don’t think we’ve got anyone fooled
Yeah, that’s the way I see it. Everyone has an accent – an accent is just a way of pronouncing a language, not a deviant from a standard non-accented thing.
Generic American is an accent =)
– Generic American
I like accents, variants of language are actually rather interesting
Although…North Dakota is another story….I couldn’t finish watching the movie Fargo….I’m just playing, don’t cha know? :-p
well this has really been my lucky week… i got deferred AND i got west nile fever… lovely…
knowing my luck ill end up with meningitis by the end of the week. Oh boy!
And by the way my family is from Fargo. My mother’s family that is. My father’s mother is from the ozarks and my grandfather is from oklahoma as is my father…. I’m a city boy.
Um, for all the people running numbers out there, I’m like 80% sure the class of 2012 will be bigger than the rest of the classes. I might be wrong, but they’re making Ashdown, which is a grad dorm, into an undergrad dorm, so there’s room for about ~100ish people. But I have no clue when that goes into effect, i.e., I don’t know if the 2012ers will benefit from it. You might want to look that up on the Tech’s website.
OK, so I said 80%…. make that more like .80%. I read something like that somewhere (probably the tech) but idk. Seriously look it up. But as I’ve said before, take everything I say with a grain of salt. I’m very misinformed.
The number of EA is pretty high, does that mean that the number of RA will go down…That’s scary, MIT is my dream of all dreams. And will that threaten the chances for the international students??
@ Trevor P
I use ya’ll ALL the time, and I also use its plural form: all ya’ll. I love Texas, even though I live in a city I still get to retain some of the accent!
If we get deferred Matt, can we still do the Overnight Program?
Dear Matt,
In point number cuatro, you said that we could keep you up-to-date with our lives. I have a few questions about it:
1) Can we write it as a letter? Or would the Admissions Office prefer a list for easier and quicker perusing?
2) Actually, do we keep you up-to-date by e-mail or by snail mail? Or can we do either?
3) Is it okay if we send updates frequently? Not every day, of course, but maybe once a week or once every two weeks? Or would you rather us just send one very long letter?
Thank you for your help!
Sincerely,
Natasha
PS: I’m also curious about the size of the RA acceptance pool this year. On that topic, could anyone tell me why so many EA applicants were accepted? (Unless MIT is allowing 2012 to be a much bigger class size, isn’t it MIT’s admission policy to have only a certain percentage of the entire class be admitted via EA? … man, that sounds a bit hostile! Don’t mean to sound like that. I’m just curious, that’s all.)
PPS: Ah! One more question. I really need to learn to, you know, not press the submit button when I’m not completely sure I’m done.
Er.
Anyways! If we keep you updated, does it necessarily have to be only about “exciting things” that happen, or can it about little lesser things? Nothing like “Oh, today I went shopping and bought the cuuutest dress ever!” but things like “Today I went to [Band Name]’s concert. It was not their best performance.” Things like that? … Am I making sense? Oh dear.
Re: Trevor P.
If you’re placing all your hopes on cake, you’d better be ready for disappointment.
The cake is a lie.
The cake certainly is a lie.
WCC is the only objective truth. Long live WCC, :/
I wrote this in the “Not Admitted” Blog a few minutes ago but I think it’d be more prevolent here.
I guess this is the first time I’m going to respond to one of these long posts here. I spent day and night on my MIT application, perfecting it as best I could… To tell you guys the truth, I don’t have anywhere near the grades/test scores to get into MIT at all… I applied here because I know MIT is right for me, because the way I have lived my life and things I have invovled myself in are what MIT prides itself on. But to all the guys that got differed or not admited… Please know this. A number does not define a person, its the quality of their character and personality that due, hence the reason its the only box MIT checks as “Very Important” on their application review. In the end the kids with the numbers aren’t going to be remembered but rather the kids who changed the world against all odds.
Good luck to all the guys going RA (aka me) but like I said, even if I do get denied, I plan on framing my letter and putting it in my office some day.
Jack
I concur with Jack. At a school like MIT, you’re admitted more because of your character and less because of your grades and test scores. People with 2400s and linear algebra on their application get denied flat out, no deferral or anything. From what I understand, MIT looks at your grades and test scores to make sure that their work load won’t kill you.
@Jack
This is my first blog ever. All I want to say is that Jack…your amazing thank you.
Official slogan of the deferred:
“Tubes for RA!”
@Me
I thought RA didn’t get tubes. Am I wrong?
@Anonymous
I believe that you can send things in until March when MIT finalizes their decisions.
@Jack
I love your post. I worked on my application for over a month before I finally got it perfected. I definitely have the grades to get into MIT, but not the test scores. I suck at standardized tests and I always screw them up somehow. Yeah, I got deferred, but even though we’re not in YET, it still means we have a chance. Good luck everyone! And I hope everyone has a Joyeux Noël!
biz@Jack
I love your post. I worked on my application for over a month before I finally got it perfected. I definitely have the grades to get into MIT, but not the test scores. I suck at standardized tests and I always screw them up somehow. Yeah, I got deferred, but even though we’re not in YET, it still means we have a chance. Good luck everyone! And I hope everyone has a Joyeux Noël!
biz<3
I agree with “Me.” As in Me, the poster, not myself.
Also, could someone clarify the deadline for deferred EA students to send in additional material? Is it Jan. 1?
@PJW
No you’re not wrong, for now! I (along with many of my fellow deferrees/RA applicants) hope that MIT starts sending tubes to RA acceptances too, hence the slogan =)
I guess rallying cry would have been more appropriate?
“Tubes for RA!”
I like. It’s a great rallying cry.
I know the game at this point is to apply to a plethora of other colleges, but I just got my ED from Cornell and I’m feeling a bit dejected. And rejected. It made my MIT deferral look good- I got flat-out denied for the CU College of Engineering. Cornell and MIT were my first choices– they were MY schools!– so now it’s MIT or nothing. Although RPI’s my third choice, and it made my day to see it on Matt’s list of “other good schools.” Thanks for the ray of hope, Matt!
As for the rest of us Deferred: “Tubes for RA!”
Great post Matt, I especially liked the list of other schools as you had some I had yet to consider. But with MIT still my top choice, I’ll have to keep you updated with some supplementary materials as well.
Thanks for the advice Matt! I did talk to my guidance counselor. Because MIT is still my number one choice, my counselor and I have decided to send in a package that will enable MIT addmissions personnel to better understand me as a person. I would like to know, however: will the material I send truly be considered (I mean, all of it)??
Thanks so much! Happy Holidays to all!
“tubes for RA”
I am also one of those applicants that don’t have the test scores or linear algebra on there app but i feel that MIT is the place for me. I feel that they can feed my drive for learning and passion to create. Whether or not I am accepted I will not regret spending countless hours on the application because at least I know I tried. I wish the best of luck to everyone here.
I’m glad to see some support of the “Tubes for RA!” cry.
I was thinking of making some sort of site/facebook group to try to get some numbers in support, but I fear that this may be frowned upon by the admissions officers (not the people I care to upset in my current situation)…any ideas?
@Matt – Mahalo for the information and advice! Help is always a refreshing thing to find. As others have mentioned, I too would love to hear something about the number of admits possibly growing (or at least just some information about the numbers)(maybe in the “Return of the Questions Omnibus 2”?)
@Fellow Deferrees – No. Though I’d probably chew my own arm off to get a tube because of the sheer awesomeness of them (and please don’t attack me when I say this, but), I do believe that it should be reserved for the EA’s only. I mean, they’ve earned it. The admissions staff wouldn’t have chosen them if they hadn’t. I would, however, like to petition to have either confetti or a poster in the 10″ x 13″ regular admit letter ^_^ (Just having confetti would be enough for me though [if I get one that is]) lol That’s just my opinion though. Good luck all (Deferred and RA)!
Happy Holidays!
@ME
I pretty sure that the admissions office reads these often. So just by a large number of us showing support for “tubes for RA” will get the message through to them.
When they learned I was deferred, several of my teachers (especially the recommenders) wanted to call the Admissions Office to give a “verbal recommendation,” as one of them called it, or, at least, send in another letter. Is this allowed? Or would you rather not have that happen?
I’m sorry that you guys haven’t gotten in yet, but all hope isn’t lost. I am a freshman this year and I got in after being deferred and not sending in more information. Have a great second semester and hopefully I’ll see you next year.
I’m sorry that you guys haven’t gotten in yet, but all hope isn’t lost. I am a freshman this year and I got in after being deferred and not sending in more information. Have a great second semester and hopefully I’ll see you next year.
yes, tubes for RA….
I agree with Anonymous in that Tubes should be send to RA students. They also got admitted to MIT. Well, lets see what they decide. But we can tell them…why not? its worth a chance.
I consider applying for college like applying for a job or a date (just that it has higher standards). They have a difficult choice to make, but since you didn’t get rejected at the start, that means they just want some time to think or compare you to others.
So.. I’d suggest not really worrying about extra materials, unless it makes you look better. I’m not sure, but I don’t think further recommendations are necessary. The recommendations are just to make sure you can be trusted and to give a portrait of you, I think. Unless they’re going to recommend something about you that wasn’t mentioned in the earlier one. You want to show that you still care about going there, but not look like a stalker! It can be a bit hard to balance, makes me happy that I’m applying RA
But it looks like this year is a very competitive one. I’m hoping that I’d still get in, but I’m not putting my hopes as high as I did
. Still, like Jack, I think I’ll frame my letter as well, accepted or not. I’m a bit loud when losing, but I’d still be happy to lose to worthy competition 
@Trevor, Natasha: A bit late on the conversation, but I’m willing to bet that my full name is unique enough to be the only one of its type ever
. Where did you two check? (On the down side, my name is so long that my TOEFL & SAT slips cut out a few letters from it. I hope that doesn’t affect id checks or anything later)
Matt,
Could you give me your phone number so that I can ask question directly to you. It will be helpful for me. Sometimes I want to know certain things about MIT and I have to wait for months.
@Jack
Thanks for your post. It kinda cleared my head a bit after the deferral. I was (and still am) intimidated by the whole “I’m already published in several major journals and as a hobby I enjoy saving the world” type people. But what you said refocused me. So thanks again.
And I heartily throw my weight behind the “Tubes for RA!” idea.
I definitely agree- Tubes for RA!!!!!!
Not actually related to the post, but I have a rather urgent question.
We keep our green card in a safe and out of sight, so I just realised it expired the 9th of December — yes, it has passed.
The thing is, can I send it anyway to qualify for admissions as a PR student? My single-parent mother was supposed to file for renewal a while ago, but she leaves for work at 4 am, ferries my sister and I around, and by the time she gets done the offices are generally all closed, and she has been loathe to miss overtime to get to it, especially because we’ve just skipped this month’s rent anyway (luckily our landlord is so kind).
Basically, I hope I can still assert myself as a PR and just assure the AdCom the renewal is on its way, so I don’t have to count as an international student.
The other thing is that my transcript for the local state university where I am dual-enrolled may be delayed because we haven’t been able to pay the fees on time — not the tuition, which was covered by both my institutions — but things like health and transport fees, even though I don’t even have a car to park anywhere on the campus! AS such I am expecting a delay — would it be a problem if it were sent late?
@john riemann soong
Just in case Matt is unable to reply to these posts due to sheer size and busy-ness, I really suggest e-mailing your concerns to the Admissions Office. Your concerns are a very important matter.
@De Petagma Saru
I understand what you mean when you say that the EA have earned them, but really don’t you think any admit to MIT has had to work hard to get there?
I still say,”Tubes for RA!”
Seriously. Why DON’T regular action acceptees get tubes? It draws a thick, resentful line between EA and RA. People that get in RA are just as smart! They deserve something as cool as tubes too.
I’m making a rallying cry right along with you guys: “Tubes for RA!”
Hey Matt,
Thanks for this post. Keeps my hope intact to know that there is still a chance.
Quick question- I am in the process of filing an idea patent for some research I have been working on. If I do get it, can I submit it for consideration (will it find its way to my application?) when it is being reviewed for the regular decision?
Hey,I have a question…
I’m sending in supplementary materials for music, and it says I need to attach a recommendation from a teacher. Am I supposed to attach it to the e-mail or can the teacher send it directly to the address? I don’t think my teacher would want me to read what he wrote about me…
Tubes for RA, indeed!
What do we international application do?? WE WANT TUBES! WE WANT TUBES!!
@deferred students,
The application process is not as much as a qualification test, as it is an attempt to match two things: the college and the applicant. So, if you are not compatible with a particular college, it does not mean that you’re not good enough for it. It just means that they feel that you will be better off else where. So, don’t lose heart, and regardless of the ultimate decision (which is not ultimate at all), love yourself for what you are.
@Matt,
correct me if wrong.
@Dan: If you’re attaching your supplementary materials to an e-mail, the admissions office can’t open it due to their filters. You have to paste all materials into the body of the e-mail or just mail them directly to the admissions office.
@ Laser– that is an awesome idea.
agh! stress! I just wish I knew what they are looking for. I feel like if I don’t do something better with my application, I’ll get the same result.
Hope. Still got it.
any official word on the increased number of EA admits this year yet?
Maybe we can mix it up. Scratch the tubes, RA admits should get something different. And deffered EA people who are eventually admitted should get the best packing; they did have the most stress.
Pyramids for RA!
Frustums for RA? I’m scared you-know-what-less about all those EA admits. That’s insane. The admissions people say they try to avoid admitting over 30% of their freshman classes EA, so this either means that 2012 is going to be HUGE or that the rest of us are screwed. Completely and utterly screwed. The latter seems the likeliest, unfortunately. I seriously doubt that an urban university like MIT has tons of extra unused space ready for a 500 freshman surplus. So, odds are, all of us are going to end up in second-rate places full of second-rate people. Hooray.
And the second-rate people: three guesses who they are. Come on, guess…
THEY’RE US!
*shakes fist at heavens*
I hate this whole process. I hate the forms. I hate the essays. I hate the people who read the forms and the essays. I hate the whole damn thing.
Have a nice evening everyone.
just got my tube down here in texas, happy holidays!
@platypus01 – According to The Tech, it was 3,937 applicants. Not sure if that’s official, but that’s what it says.
@Twilight Bob – Sorry to hear that you’re a bit uhhh…down about the whole application/admission process. The most recent edition of The Tech says, “Despite the increase, Schmill said MIT would continue to ‘only enroll approximately 30 percent of the class in the early action round.'” Also, going on other articles in The Tech, as Hunter mentioned, the graduate dorm Ashdown is supposed to be converted to an undergraduate dorm in (once again quoting The Tech) Fall of 2008. It also says that Ashdown has about 360 beds, and by Fall of 2008 (according to the MIT Housing’s official site on this subject) 550 beds. Don’t be so down, I’m sure if some major event happened that doomed everyone’s application happened, we’d hear about it [one way or another]. If you look at your chances negatively, it’ll just get to ya more, and everything will just bite.
Also, we’re not second-rate. If you’re even considering MIT as a choice for your school next fall, there’s no way you can just call yourself second-rate. No matter what your decision/action might have been, think about it. If you’re considering MIT, you can most likely have your choice when it comes to most other colleges. Some people would do anything to put themselves in this position. I doubt anyone who applied to MIT this year, or any year, were second-rate, unless they just applied as a joke [but who’d go through all of that for a joke?]. Hope things start going better for you, and good luck this year.
Hmmm, just wanted to correct myself. Seems I didn’t read well enough. The new graduate Ashdown will have 550 beds. The undergraduate Ashdown will have 360 beds. though this may seemingly leave around 150 freshmen SOL, you also have to consider undergrads joining fraternities, sororities, or other independent living groups. Oh well, maybe I’m looking at things the wrong way, but I think MIT will stay true to their word. Once again, good day and good luck.
The waiting’s getting to me. I said dumb things that I didn’t mean. So it looks like we’re still in the game. That’s good to know. I’d just like to apologize to everyone here for what I said–it’s completely uncharacteristic of me to come unglued like that. De Petagma Saru is right–we aren’t second rate. We are Professional Grade. Like the pickup trucks. So let’s all wait and see what happens. It might me amazing.
Forget beds–I’ll live on a subway if I can go to MIT.
All right, I’ve sort of been MIA on the blogs for the past few days (finals tend to have that effect ^_^), but hopefully I can help clear up a few issues.
Regarding Tubes: I have no idea how the tradition of tubes for EA started, though I imagine part of it is practicality – there’s a lot stuffed into those tubes, and sending a poster flat doesn’t work very well. Although it may seem to create this divide between EA and RA, let me assure that, at least in my experience, it doesn’t really matter once you get here.
However, since I helped (in a very small part) to originate the “Tubes for RA” cry, I feel slightly responsible for the recent hub-bub. Although I can’t promise anything, I assure you I’ll mention it to Matt and/or Ben.
That being said, both Matt and Ben (and several others in the Admissions Office) do read the blogs fairly regularly, so I’m fairly confident they know what’s going on anyway. 
Regarding the number of EA admits: one of the admissions officers should be posting about this soon, but most of your guesses aren’t that far off the mark. Finally, as De Petagma Suru pointed out above, the Director of Admissions himself has gone on record that MIT still expects to fill only ~30% of the class through Early Action – and if that’s not good enough assurance for you, I don’t know what is. ^_^
Regarding increasing the undergrad population: yes, this is definitely in the works (and has been for some time, actually). The conversion of Ashdown House from graduate housing into an undergraduate dormitory will play a big role in this increase. There are actually a lot of interesting things going on with Ashdown that I may have opportunity to blog about later, but I’m sure what you all want to know is: Does this mean the Class of 2012 will be bigger than previous years? My answer is a tentative yes – but it’s at this point it’s really too early to say for sure.
Hi,
Does anybody know if the January 26 SAT scores will be considered for the deferred applicants?
Thanks.
This is what the website says, but I didn’t see anything for deferred appplicants:
Dec. 2007 • Last month for Regular Action applicants to take required standardized tests. Please note: January tests may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
I’d live on a subway too if I could go to MIT. Being deferred driving anyone else nuts? I keep thinking:
“Deferred, I have a chance!”
then
“Deferred, I LOSE!”
It’s a vicious cycle. Can anyone offer some comfort for a poor deferree?
-Fingers crossed for larger acceptance pool.
“Forget beds–I’ll live on a subway if I can go to MIT.”
ditto. it just seems so much like the right place for me…
“unless they just applied as a joke [but who’d go through all of that for a joke?].”
my stat teacher this year told us that when he was in our shoes, he applied to harvard just to be able to have something with their letterhead on it, even though he knew he wouldn’t get in. When his mom found out and asked “Why’d you do that?” he just said “Cause I wanted a letter from Harvard.”
Ahhhh when’re additional materials due? I want to send in a music supplement, but I don’t think I can get it in by Jan. 1
Thanks!
@Twilight Bob – No worries, I think everyone’s getting a bit stir crazy during the wait. We’ve all probably wanted to throw the nearest thing to us at one time or another. ^_^
@a nonny mouse – Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but, from what I’ve read, heard, and been told, I think that as long as supplements are in by the end of January they’re fine. But I think they said that they could be sent in anytime before selection, but if you really want them to see it, I think the “deadline” is before the end of January.