From Cambridge to You by Matt McGann '00
On the road again...
Beginning on Wednesday, the Admissions Staff will go out across North America to meet with prospective applicants and parents in more than 70 cities. It’s going to be exciting!
It all starts this Wednesday with two meetings in New England: Jenny Rifken will be traveling to Portland, Maine, and I’ll be off to Hartford, Connecticut. You can view the entire schedule and RSVP online.
Following the Hartford meeting, I’ll be heading out to the Bay Area, followed by a trip to the Rocky Mountains and finally the Great Plains. Here’s my entire meeting schedule for the fall:
- Hartford, CT
Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
Greater Hartford Academy of Math & Science - Sacramento, CA
Saturday, September 9, 2006 at 3:00 p.m.
Mira Loma High School Cafeteria - San Jose, CA
Sunday, September 10, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
Double Tree Hotel San Jose - San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn Golden Gateway - Lafayette, CA
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.
Acalanes High School - Salt Lake City, UT
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
Bryant Intermediate School - Denver, CO
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
Embassy Suites Hotel Denver-Aurora - Albuquerque, NM
Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 2:00 p.m.
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center - Lincoln, NE
Thursday, October 12, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cornhusker Hotel - Kansas City, MO
Sunday, October 15, 2006 at 3:00 p.m.
Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza
If you’re in one of these areas, I look forward to seeing you! And for the rest of you, say hello to my colleague who comes to your area.
You might be wondering, what happens at these meetings? What should you expect?
First, the admissions officer and the local Educational Counselors (MIT alumni interviewers, also known as ECs) will greet attendees at the door. If you’ve RSVPed (please do!), you’ll be able to check your name and go in; if you haven’t, we’ll ask you to sign in. We’ll have some special publications and materials you can pick up as well.
The meeting itself will last no longer than 90 minutes. Each admissions officer’s presentation varies somewhat, but will cover the same information.
We’ll talk about MIT: academics, research, student life, Boston/Cambridge, MIT culture. What makes MIT different from other universities? How might you know whether or not MIT is a good match for you?
We will of course talk about admissions, including the different application components, the deadlines, what makes an applicant “competitive,” how we make decisions on which students to admit. We’ll provide advice and tips wherever we can.
Money and financial aid will be discussed. How do you apply for financial aid? Should you apply for it? What should I expect?
Also, the local ECs will introduce themselves. They’ll talk about what MIT looks for in an interview and give you some advice. This is also a good chance for students to meet their interviewer face-to-face and to set up a time for their interview.
We will always finish with an open Q&A. We’ll take as many questions as we can and do our best to answer every question fully. I’ve found that even students and families who don’t have any questions find it interesting and helpful to hear other people’s questions and the corresponding answer.
Getting out on the road to meet you is one of our favorite times of the year. We look forward to seeing you!
Matt, I can stop by the San Jose meeting to say hi — would it be useful to you to have a current Parent Connector available for Qs-and-As?
Hello Sir
I am Harsimran from India. I posted this earlier but got no reply. I’ll be thankful if you could reply as soon as possible
I have a few questions:
1. Do AP exams ensure advantage in the admission process? In India, AP Exams are not part of standard school curriculumТƒґhow can a student take these exams in India?
2. Does applying for financial aid hamper our chance of admission in any way?
3. How can I access your answers to queries posted in Feb 2006 ?
4. A special circumstance indigenous to (most) Indian students : Here in India, schools are a formality in Classes 11th and 12th. The IIT-JEE and AIEEE entrance examination syllabi is a lot different from what the CBSE prescribes in the school for Classes 11th and 12th. To prepare for the IIT and AIEEE examinations, most of the students go for private tutorials. The attendance in school is a formality. As a result, the Extra- Curricular chart falls down in Classes 11th and 12th as most of the activities are organized by school. Olympiads etc are an exception as even private participation is allowed. How does your selection committee view this scenario ??
As a personal example, I have loads of extra-curricular activities till class 10 Тƒм leadership qualities, art(glass painting, shading, natural and still-life), quizzes, debates, rifle shooting etc. But the participation is not so good in Classes 11th and 12th. What do you suggest I should do at this point of time so that my admission is not hampered in any way?
Thanks.
Hoping for an early reply
Will there be any international meetings like this? If not, it would be great if you could publish your powerpoint or maybe even a video of the presentation!
Hey,
I visited MIT a few weeks ago and did the whole campus tour thing. (I even saw you in person, standing in your office.) Anyways, it seems like the information that will be given at these presentations will be very similar to what I learned from visiting MIT. Would it still be necessary or recommendable to attend the presentation in my area. Thanks.
I can’t WAIT until the meeting around here next week. Yeah, Grand Rapids, Michigan!
Yay! I’m very excited to see you again at the Doubletree this Sunday. Have fun with the road trip! Hopefully it’s not too strenuous.
– Arkajit
Sorry but does MIT come to Asian Countries?
I’m applying as a trasfer student to MIT. My brother has been invited to a freshman information session near us. Am I allowed and would it benefit me to attend?
I meant transfer student. Sorry about the typo.
Hey Math,
I went to the open house today in Miami. I met Michael Yang. It was a good session, nothing that I did not know already. I loved the film about the professor that dangled to show that mass has no effect on the period. MIT is just my dream school. I hope and pray that I get in. For now, I am just a tat more nervous that before!
Sorry I know your name is Matt, I do not know why I typed Math!!! I guess I was thinking too much about the problem I am solving now!
Hi Matt,
My name is Evan Appleton. I am a senior at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado. I am applying early to MIT and I RSVPed for your presentation in Denver on September 27th, at 7:00. I am actually flying out to MIT the next morning to spend a couple of nights with the swim team and I was wondering if I should still come to the session. I have already got an interview and started my application. I live about an hour away from the site in Denver and I was curious if you would reccomend that I still attend even though I will be at MIT the next day.
Thanks for your time Matt,
Evan Appleton