my MIT admissions essays by Victor D. '27

I applied to MIT three years ago (shudders).

I was originally thinking about writing a blog post about advice for high school seniors but I find it difficult to put myself in that person’s shoes, especially since I look back on those years entirely differently now than while I was experiencing them. I mildly detested my last couple years of high school during high school but now, reading between the lines, I cherish the good times. (We’ll circle back to this thread eventually…)

Anyhow, here are (most) of my essays and how 20 year old me thinks about what 17 year old me wrote. Disclaimer: this is not admissions advice per se but maybe the way I approached the prompts and my writing will be useful fodder for your essays. For the tl;dr, scroll to the bottom to get my general takeaways.

• What field of study appeals to you the most right now? (100/100)

I applied to MIT largely because of the program in Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science, aka Course 11-6.⁠01 I just refer to it as Urban Planning and Computer Science for brevity MIT is the only institution in the country to offer an undergraduate degree like this!

The application of programming and GIS to visualize pedestrian collision data to advocate for active transportation infrastructure introduced me to the potential of planning + computer science.

I’m eager to study human interactions in the built environment and data as a change agent. By exploring my eclectic interests through Course 11-6—ethics, design, statistics, robotics, and public-policy—I can draw connections between disciplines to tackle challenges: transportation emissions, social and racial bias in data, and urban food deserts.

At MIT, I hope to collaborate with others to innovate and design to advocate for accessible, barrier-free, and sustainable environments that embrace diversity. Teamwork invents.

I definitely was overthinking this essay, especially the last line where it looks like I dropped all the buzzwords. On the other hand, I think I got a lot out of this 100 word prompt by just throwing all my interests out there based on what I was doing during high school and contextualizing how I’d benefit from studying urban planning + CS: I like maps, took a bunch of philosophy classes at community college through dual enrollment, I read a lot about disability studies, I did FRC,⁠02 First Robotics Competition and I was interested in local politics. All these themes appear in some way here.

• We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.* (223/225)

I wrote this about… making smoothies. Definitely sort of contrived (even though I do enjoy concocting smoothies). I considered writing about music, biking, walking, taking pictures, video games… but I wasn’t sure how to express those topics uniquely.

I think my thought process with this was “how absurd/unusual of a topic can i choose that will still be meaningful and make me memorable to the admissions officers.” I don’t know how much of this min-maxing was really necessary (probably very little of it lol). This essay makes me cringe now (in a kind of cathartic way) but I still like it!

Strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, almonds, and orange juice. Measure portions, pop them in the blender, and… presto! I love smoothie making.

As a pro-smoothie-maker, I’ve fostered resourcefulness and adaptability. Blending smoothies is kinda like chemistry but I can be significantly more liberal with my experimentation without… accidents. Sometimes, there aren’t bananas for a strawberry-banana smoothie; no worries, just use an apple instead! If there aren’t any ingredients, I’ll bike to the supermarket. As long I can obtain materials, I *will* have my smoothie.

I’m an avid Mango Lassi enthusiast and connoisseur. Unfortunately, the nearest Indian restaurant is a ways away. Whilst sipping Lassi one evening—perhaps pondering my next—I thought: Why not just make it?

I consulted friends about their recipes, then researched the drink’s ancient history for a cultural perspective to recreate Lassi. I partitioned yogurt, milk, mango, honey, and cardamom spice accordingly, and Mom suggested cinnamon for extra punch. And finally!—after months of experimenting and tasting, I blended a most delectable Mango Lassi.

Smoothies are an enjoyable and relaxing way to exercise creativity while connecting with others. After all, drinks should be enjoyed together—an experience that transcends generational gaps and differences. When my parents and I make breakfast, I’m on smoothie duty. When my little cousins visit, we make milkshakes. I take pleasure in sipping smoothies, communally.

• Describe the world you come from (for example, your family, school, community, city, or town). How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?*

In the most Course 11⁠03 Urban Planning! move possible, I wrote this essay about my city’s car-dependency: how a classmate’s brother was killed on his bike in elementary school, the restriction of personal autonomy and mobility, and the quarantine bike rides that led me to local transportation advocacy. I could’ve written this essay about a lot of things: my extended family and where we come from, my school, a music group… but I think I wanted to have at least one of my main essays relate to urban planning in some way, and this one was conducive to that (since planning is a place-based field).

Actually, because I approached it from that frame, I think that the essay I wrote could answer the replacement prompt for this year: “While some reach their goals following well-trodden paths, others blaze their own trails achieving the unexpected. In what ways have you done something different than what was expected in your educational journey?” In this case, my experiences in my town led me to my work in active transportation and urban planning.

• MIT brings people with diverse backgrounds and experiences together to better the lives of others. Our students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way you have collaborated with people who are different from you to contribute to your community.* (223/225)

I wrote this about tutoring! The first story of this essay was originally part of my Common App Essay but I realized it fit well here. At the time, this was my favorite of the MIT essays I wrote and I think it still is.

Last year, my European History teacher asked me to host weekly workshops for AP test preparation and credit recovery opportunities:

David, Michelangelo 1504.

“*Why* is this the answer?” my tutee asked.

I tried re-explaining the Renaissance. Michelangelo? The Papacy? I finally asked:

“Do you know the story of David and Goliath?”

Raised Catholic, I knew the story but her family was Hindu. I naively hadn’t considered she wouldn’t know the story. After I explained, she relayed a similar story from her culture.

As sessions grew, I recruited more tutors so everyone could receive more individualized support. While my school is nearly half Hispanic, AP classes are overwhelmingly White and Asian, so I’ve learned to understand the diverse and often unfamiliar backgrounds of my tutees.

One student struggled to write idiomatically despite possessing extensive historical knowledge. Although she was initially nervous, we discovered common ground after I asked about her Rohan Kishibe keychain, a character from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. She opened up; I learned she recently immigrated from China and was having difficulty adjusting to writing in English. With a clearer understanding of her background, I could now consider her situation to better address her needs. Together, we combed out grammar mistakes and studied English syntax. The bond we formed over anime facilitated honest dialogue, and therefore genuine learning.

I interpreted this pretty literally (collaborating with people of different family/ethnic backgrounds than me) but I imagine there’s a lot of ways to take this prompt. The phrase “tackling the world’s biggest challenges” really scared me at first. I had not at that point in my life “tackled the world’s biggest challenges” (whatever that means), but I think focusing on the second part of the question “being a good friend” felt more approachable.

• Tell us about a significant challenge you’ve faced (that you feel comfortable sharing) or something that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?*

I initially was put off by this question. Was MIT asking me to trauma dump? Then, I refocused on the second part of the question: something that didn’t go according to plan. That felt a lot less intimidating to answer, so I wrote about making oboe reeds:

Reed Making Journey:

I slathered the string with bee’s wax as I bound the cane to the staple. Three… Nine… Twenty-seven times I wrapped the cane with the spool.

My first reed was crooked, but at least it was something.

Despite regular practice, I failed to make reeds of an acceptable quality, despite studying oboe reed anatomy and reed-making styles. Yet, frustration mounted, as even the slightest misalignment could ruin an entire reed—and, honestly, patience isn’t my strong suit.

New plan: my friend and I decided to experiment with a 7-11 plastic Slurpee Cup. About an hour in, we realized the cup’s diameter was disproportionately large for an oboe reed. Perhaps we should’ve considered that we asked a *bassoonist* for advice on what size cup to get. We laughed in our failure together, happy to have tried something new and knowing 7/11 would always be there next time… But I still hadn’t made a usable reed.

Time’s up: A few days before a concert, my primary reed cracked. Panicking, I asked my teacher for a reed, but they were unavailable. I cannibalized the old reed for parts and precariously frankensteined a new one. The concert was a success! It certainly wasn’t the best reed ever, but, hey, it was a working reed.

Lesson learned: always have spares…

I think this essay is cute and allowed me to save my trauma dumping for the extra information section of the application ✨.

Final Thoughts:

The way some of these questions are phrased felt really, really intimidating to me as a high schooler. MIT had an allure—and a reputation for being a home to students with all sorts of crazy national and international accolades and accomplishments. That sort of mentality initially anchored my perspective on the prompts, as if I were expected to divulge my most painful secrets or share how I transformed planet Earth. Hopefully my essays convey the contrary. Even in the last essay about oboe reeds, I feel like I sort of subverted the prompt and made it silly. Of course, I wouldn’t have come to interpret the prompt this way if I hadn’t talked to my mom about it; she’s the one who shifted my attention to the latter part of the question: “something that didn’t go to plan.” I think recognizing the open endedness and subjectivity of the prompts sooner would have prevented a lot of stress!