Meeting FAQ by Matt McGann '00

I’m in Southern California now, preparing for the following Central Meetings:

• Orange County: Wednesday, September 28 (tonight!), 7:00pm; Troy High School Auditorium, 2200 E. Dorothy Lane, Fullerton, CA 92831
• Los Angeles/Westwood: Thursday, September 29, 7:00pm; Hoffman Hall at Westwood Presbyterian Church, 10822 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
• San Diego: Saturday, October 1, 2:00pm; High Tech High School Auditorium, 2861 Womble Rd, San Diego, CA 92133
• Los Angeles/Pomona: Sunday, October 2, 2:00pm; Theatre Building at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Camphor Lane at Mansion Lane, Pomona, CA 91768
• San Luis Obispo, Wednesday, October 5, 7:00pm; Assembly Room at Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa Street (at Mill Street), San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Los Angeles/Long Beach: October 6, 6:00pm; California State University Chancellor’s Office, 401 Golden Shore, Long Beach, CA 90802

At my Central Meetings, there are a handful of questions I’m almost always asked. So, what I’m going to do is answer three of the most frequently asked questions here and now, so that you don’t have to ask (not that I mind questions). All of the below statistics are freely available on the MIT website.

1. What are the early action statistics? Is it easier to get in if I apply early?

   Last year, early action [MyMIT]:
   2794 students applied early action
   384 students admitted early
   2240 students deferred to regular action
   267 deferred applicants admitted during regular action

   Last year’s overall statistics:
   10,443 students applied
   1,495 admitted

   We use the exact same criteria to evaluate and select early and regular action applicants. We do not give an edge or “bonus points” to those who apply early. We are committed to admitting no more than 30% of our class during the early action round. Students who are deferred to regular action are considered again and equally with regular action applicants.

2. What scores should I get? Are my scores good enough?

   We do not make decisions based on test scores. There is no formula for admission, and there are no minimum test scores. Test scores are one of many parts of the application that inform our decision. Admissions decisions at MIT are made following a holistic, subjective review of each applicant.

   That being said, I know that folks are still (understandably) very concerned about test scores. To give you a sense of things, here are the middle 50% score ranges of students admitted to the Class of 2009 [MyMIT]:
   SAT I Verbal: [690, 770]
   SAT I Math: [740, 800]
   ACT Composite: [31, 34]
   SAT II Math: [740, 800]
   SAT II Science: [710, 790]
   SAT II Humanities: [700, 780]
   (Please remember that we are not considering the new SAT Writing test this year.)

   Also, it’s worth noting that more than 35% of students (370+ students) admitted to the Class of 2008 had SAT I Verbal scores lower than 700, and 11% (110+ students) had SAT I Math scores lower than 700 [CDS]. In the end, it is being a good fit & match with MIT that makes the decision.

3. Can I get AP/IB credit?

   Yes.

   Though the score that will give you credit changes year to year (this is set by the faculty and not by Admissions), here are last year’s required AP scores. Unless otherwise specified, the noted score provides 9 units of general elective credit.

   Art History: 5
   Biology: 5 ¹
   Calculus BC: 4 or 5 ²
   Economics–Macro: 5
   Economics–Micro: 5
   English Language: 5
   English Literature: 5
   European History: 5
   French Language: 5
   French Literature: 5
   German Language: 5
   Government & Politics–US: 5
   Government & Politics–Comparative: 5
   Human Geography: 5
   Latin Literature: 5
   Latin Vergil: 5
   Music Theory: 5
   Physics C: 5 on both parts ³
   Psychology: 5
   Spanish Language: 5
   Spanish Literature: 5
   US History: 5
   World History: 5

   ¹ Placement and 12 units of credit will be given for 7.012, Intro Biology. ² Placement and 12 units of credit will be given for 18.01, Calculus I. ³ Placement and 12 units of credit will be given for 8.01, Physics I.

   …and here are last year’s required IB scores. For the IB, we will only consider Higher Level (HL) subjects.

   Biology: 7 (placement and 12 units of credit will be given for 7.012, Intro Biology)
   Calculus: 6 or 7 (placement and 12 units of credit will be given for 18.01, Calculus I)
   Physics: 7 (placement and 12 units of credit will be given for 8.01, Physics I)

   A 7 on other Higher Level exams (except Chemistry and Computer Science) will generally give you 9 units of general elective credit.

   This page also outlines credit from other exams, including A Levels, the French Baccalur��at, and the German Abitur.

   You may also get credit and placement for courses through advanced standing exams or college transfer credit.

I hope that’s helpful to you. I’ll be answering other questions here soon in an Omnibus format.

And, for those of you in Southern California, I pose this question to you: Can you recommend any good and/or interesting restaurants? Nothing fancy, just some good food.