MIT on the road by Matt McGann '00

Beginning tomorrow through the middle of October, my Admissions colleagues and I will go forth across this continent to tell you tales of MIT.

This year, the first meetings are in the northeast: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, Maine. Soon after, we’ll hit California, Illinois, the DC area, Florida, and more.

Complete list of MIT Central Meetings

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. Please note that no RSVP is required.

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.

RSVPing is not required, but we did send out a letter (and emails are forthcoming) to all students on our database (MyMIT registrants and others) inviting them to the meetings and also inviting them to RSVP. If you received one of these letters or emails, it would be great if you could RSVP so that we can get a sense of attendance, but RSVPing is not required. And if you didn’t receive a letter, now is a great time to sign up for MyMIT!

It’s also worth noting that attending one of these meetings will not give you any sort of “bonus points” on your application. We do not look more favorably on those who attend. However, you may pick up some good application tips by attending, and hopefully also get a better sense of MIT life & culture. But you won’t be at any disadvantage if you can’t come.

For those of you who have attended other college “road shows”: what has been most helpful? What hasn’t been helpful at all? And for those of you planning to attend an MIT Central Meeting this year, what are you looking forward to hearing about?