Not Admitted by Ben Jones
A forum for students who were not admitted.
This year was the most competitive ever for MIT admissions. Admitting just 12% of applicants means that we had to turn away many, many incredible students. For those of you who fall into this category, this is an open forum for you to talk.
Well, it was worth a shot, anyway, right?
Where can I download the Fall 2008 application materials?
just didnt get in
U know what, I honestly don’t care. Well, logically I do a little bit, but screw them.
I got into the ivies anyhew.
:'(
Your loss.
*nods* It was very much worth the shot.
Alas, I didn’t get in either, but I feel pretty good about my second choice (which I’m going to go confirm in a few minutes.) Congratulations to everyone that did get in, and I hope things go well for you!
oops
it’s pretty sad
Waiting on Caltech.
I can’t believe it! I’m trying not to be sore about it, but I at least expected to be waitlisted! Well, I guess they didn’t want somebody who was better at arts and music…I’m not as strong in math and science…
To all the other nonadmittents- I’m sure there’s other colleges that accepted you, as I was to the Ivys, so don’t feel too bad…
Yeah… oh well.
=( oh man…
It was worth a shot. I still love this school with all my heart.
at least its over!!!
Well, seems I share the fate of everyone else who will be posting a comment here. I didn’t go in with high hopes, and so I’m not too disappointed (just a bit
.
I think I’m going to go celebrate St. Patty’s day. That is, after I shovel all the snow that was dumped all over the place (I live in Erie, Pennsylvania).
PS – Still waiting on the Carnegie Mellon letter…anyone else know when those are coming out?
well, it was worth a shot, but who cares? I’ll see you guys in four years for graduate.
I’m not checking my decision until it comes in the mail, but let me post here anyway =D
MIT’s biggest loss ever. I am going to get into more than two Ivy Leagues anyway. So I don’t care.
damn.
it would have been nice to get in
but oh well
at least it’ll make choosing where i want to go a little easier later on… i think…
I can say that it was for the most part an incredible ride, despite the fact that it’s been cut short. Having a taste of what MIT is like is truly rewarding and I probably expect to stop every now and then for another taste. Sincerely, I would like to thank all the bloggers and admissions staff members for considering me to the degree I believe they have.
@ other denied admissions students: I encourage you all to look towards other schools we’ve applied to [though we may have all fallen for MIT]. I’ve always been known in my school and my circle of friends as the student who had the great stats, grades, and was leader of clubs, a student who went through multiple heart failures and a heart transplant during his 11th grade year (but still managed to go to school 3 days a week prior to transplant and returning 3 months after, to finish both semesters with full course loads). I really feel I did everything in my power to show my drive and will to learn. I do feel crushed but it makes me happy that there is a school that could deny admission to me in the sense that it must truly offer admission to people who are truly remarkable.
Anyways, I’m as healthy as ever, and there’s always gradschool ^-^.
Best Wishes In All Endeavors Everyone! (And thx again MIT)
-Justin Alexander Kim
If anyone would like to talk my email is [email protected]
denied…well, i kinda expected it, as did a lot of you. it’s ok though! i have a lot of great schools to choose from and i will survive
What does it take to get into this school?
well i tried, i know what killed me… they ddnt find my scores for the standardized tests in time, and they wernt able to hear how i was going to build an ir satilite this summer with nasa… Oh well, at least i know they didnt accept me for who i truly was… ill try next year ea, and maby then they will have some more insight to who i truly am.
best of luck everyone, and no matter where you get accepted;
Lets give MIT a run for its money.
dsiahvgoasbf
Oh, well… not going into debt now!
Even though not admitted, I want to thank Bryan for emailing me on Thanksgiving evening…that’s right folks…THANKSGIVING EVENING with a clarification before my alumni interview the next day.
These guys do live and breath their jobs and the MIT application process was one of my more enjoyable. Thanks for the trip MIT even though my destination will be elsewhere!
I didn’t get, but who cares. Who wants to be with a bunch of GEEKS anyway…I’ll just be living it up at Georgia Tech in the fall.
hmmm, darn, oh well. I’m proud of myself for at least applying though, we all should. Heck, if you didn’t apply, you wouldn’t have even had a chance, so everyone take the time to grieve a little, then cheer up!
Well in four years I will hold the same number of MIT degrees that Ben does
I’m not admitted but I’m OK
MIT for me is a dream, and applying is a part of the dream. I have many other dreams however, and I will keep going with my life.
Congrats for those who are admitted, and for those who aren’t, like me, keep your hopes up
this is truly an MIT experience…
well, its really unfortunate and sad, especially for intwrnationals, especialy for indians.how many indians did you accept this year? and how many applied?
Hey Everyone!
I didn’t get it, but I am not really sad. It just changed up my plans a little. I still got accepted into other really good schools. But now, I am stuck waiting for my second choice, CalTech, and its super hard to get in there.
Best of luck to everyone!
-Jamal
I didn’t get in, but who wants to be with a big group of GEEKS for the next four years of their lives…I’ll just be living it up at Georgia Tech in the fall!!!
I fully agree with Carly: It was worth a shot. I know its a weird sentence but: I was wondering whether anybody other than me was wondering whether we could be told of some specific examples of the “compelling reasons” that led to a student being admitted.
The worst part of the decision is that we are not even given a hint as to what led to our rejection!
Anyway, congratulations and good-luck to all the admitted students and thanks to Mr.Ben, Matt Sir and the entire admissions committee for doing a great job (no sarcasm!).
PS: Happy St.Patrick’s Day!!!
So that’s it. Well, I must say I’m very disappointed…>_So that’s it. Well, I must say I’m very disappointed…>_< but I still love this school and I believe I still have chances to get in for years to come~~*
Even though not admitted, I want to thank Bryan for emailing me on Thanksgiving evening…that’s right folks…THANKSGIVING EVENING with a clarification before my alumni interview the next day.
These guys do live and breath their jobs and the MIT application process was one of my more enjoyable. Thanks for the trip MIT even though my destination will be elsewhere!
well i tried, i know what killed me… they ddnt find my scores for the standardized tests in time, and they wernt able to hear how i was going to build an ir satilite this summer with nasa… Oh well, at least i know they didnt accept me for who i truly was… ill try next year ea, and maby then they will have some more insight to who i truly am.
best of luck everyone, and no matter where you get accepted;
Lets give MIT a run for its money.
Well in four years I will hold the same number of MIT degrees that Ben does
I wish I didn’t know why I didn’t get in.
This is truly an MIT experience…
They’re gonna wish they had me!! I’m gonna go far.
I’m used to failure… But I’m not down.
I’ll be back as a transfer, I promise you that!!
Love you all.
Thanks!
whatever
hmmm, darn, oh well. I’m proud of myself for at least applying though, we all should. Heck, if you didn’t apply, you wouldn’t have even had a chance, so everyone take the time to grieve a little, then cheer up!
I’m used to failure… But I’m not down.
I’ll be back as a transfer, I promise you that!!
Love you all.
Thanks!
Does this mean I lose my MyMIT account?
I’m used to failure… But I’m not down.
I’ll be back as a transfer, I promise you that!!
Love you all.
Thanks!
there’s always grad school?
Failed. However, it worth a try right?
If anyone want a talk with me, add [email protected] please
Anyway, thank you MIT, at least you once gave me a dream and gave me the chance to pursue it.
Damn….It hurts a bit not getting in….:(
My friend didn’t get in either..
so that hurts more….
Oh well….I already got into somewhere else…
So I’ll just apply again for grad school…heh
hey ppl!!! as we say in our class, in hindi…
“HOTA HAI”. this means “it happens” and oy yes everything does. Being rejected is n experience in itself…savour it…it is a part of ur life.
enjoy it da best u can.move forward and do ur best.
ouch.
it wouldnt be as bad if i didnt have to wait another two weeks for ALLL the other decisions…
Didn’t get in. Oh well, I was kinda expecting it!
Congratulations to everyone that did get in, and I hope things go well for you!
Thanks, Daniel. I wish the same to everyone. MIT has rejected me for the second time. I don’t know which college I would attend.
I will achieve my goals without a brand name.
Even though not admitted, I want to thank Bryan for emailing me on Thanksgiving evening…that’s right folks…THANKSGIVING EVENING with a clarification before my alumni interview the next day.
These guys do live and breathe their jobs and the MIT application process was one of my more enjoyable. Thanks for the trip, MIT, even though my destination will be elsewhere!
By the way, you probably made the right decision ;o)
I can’t believe I didn’t get in. My dream was to study at MIT. I’m the best student at my school… perhaps the fact of being a Colombian…
Anyway I’ll not give up!!!
I’ll be back
well i have joined the list too. i knew i wouldnt get in but still i think it was worth trying for mit. maybe still have a chance to apply to mit for masters
but though i know it wont be same as undergrad life.dejected :( congrats to all the ppl who got in. have fun in college. i will too in another college though. to those who didnt get in……….there are many things in life worth more value than a college admission 
good luck for other admissions and everything in ur life ahead 
cAN WE ANYHOW KNOW WHAT LED TO OUR REJECTION??
THE CUTTING EDGE WE DIDNT HAVE???
IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO GET IN???
Hey… it hapeens, congrats to all who got in. As for us here, let’s take this as an experience; we’ve all obviously been tops or damn near the top of our classes, with only success to bask in. But here is a new experience, so let’s just learn with it… however… moping is alright for today… but ONLY today. : D
So that’s it. Well, I must say I’m very disappointed…>_So that’s it. Well, I must say I’m very disappointed…>_< but I still love this school and I believe I still have chances to get in for years to come~~*
Yep, a deferred deny. Well, I suppose life will be easier now. I will get more free time. ^_^
To those of you who were not accepted: Thank you for trying. I am sure you will make your stand in the world in your own special way. Just be sure to not let your dreams escape you. Best of luck in your futures, meaning: do not die early.
To those of you who were accepted and just wanted to see what is on this page: Congratulations on your admission; Best of luck to you as well. Make it a goal to improve the world with the resources presented to you. Thank you.
To those of you who were waitlisted and just wanted to see what is on this page: I am sorry that you have to wait even longer to see if you will get into the school. I hope that you make the decision accurately and quickly. Best of luck in your future as well.
I wonder if the courses MIT offers will be updated well in OCW, then those not attending will be able to get the resource material also. Just a thought, but I do not know too much about OCW.
a word of warning to everyone…dont visit/read the admitted blog…it’s quite painful :(
:( game over…
O well, it was worth a shot…
lot’s of dreams broken.
:’-(
i honestly didnt expect to get in. but i gave it a shot anyways. now i know. congrats to those who made it! and the ones that didnt make it: life goes on. there are a lot of other schools out there. hope for the best. best wishes you all.
hi
CONGRATS to all that made it.
Its not the end of the road for those who didn’t.
I’m just glad I was considered and NB. its not the last you’ve heard of me.
Best wishes to ya’ll wherever you go.
merely a bump in
the road.
but it was cool
to apply.
Even though not admitted, I want to thank Bryan for emailing me on Thanksgiving evening…that’s right folks…THANKSGIVING EVENING with a clarification before my alumni interview the next day.
These guys do live and breathe their jobs and the MIT application process was one of my more enjoyable. Thanks for the trip, MIT, even though my destination will be an elsewhere yet to be determined!
And everyone else who is in my position? Six months to a year from now you will be so happy to be where you will then be but, then again, life is what YOU make it.
Why on earth didn’t I get in? Why wasn’t I admitted??? What more were you looking for? Your loss!
This is what’s going through my mind right now. I know that I said I would be mature and handle the decision well, but I have to admit that I am finding that very hard to do at the moment. I was so shocked I burst into tears. I feel like screaming and crying myself into an sleep, but that won’t do me much good, will it? I really didn’t expect to be so angry and upset.
Anyway, I’m not crying right now, and I will sign off saying that I did have hope, and that I am crushed, but not dead.
merely a bump in
the road.
but it was cool
to apply.
To Mrinal and others,
This isn’t the end of your dreams, this is just a closed door. You are all bright, talented, and wonderful young people. There will be many other open doors along your future path.
Best regards to everyone here.
Do you know what’s more stressful than waiting for an MIT decision?
:(
I hope my letter contains something more sincere than this generic letter: The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application, and I am so sorry to tell you that we are unable to offer you admission to MIT.
Please understand that this is in no way a judgment of you as a student or as a person, since our decision has more to do with the applicant pool than anything else. Most of our applicants, who like you are among the best in the world, are not admitted because we simply do not have enough space in our entering class. This year we had over 12,000 applications for less than 1500 offers of admission, from which will come our 1000 freshmen. Since all of our decisions are made at one time and all available spaces have been committed, all decisions are final.
Despite what you might think, the admissions process is not an exact science. Our applicant pool is more self-selected than most, with a very high percentage of top students, virtually all of whom have distinction in demanding academic programs as well as outstanding achievement in their lives outside of the classroom. We evaluate each applicant’s materials carefully and select those we judge to be the best match for our community.
I am very sorry to bring you such disappointing news when you have worked so hard. You are a terrific student, and I do wish you the very best as you continue with your education.
Thats pretty much all i can ask for now..
Chin up guys + girls
-Justin Alexander Kim
Hey everyone…….. :(
It feels pretty bad I had to join this list…though was kinda expecting it since I am an international and only 1 person gets admitted from my country each year. Oh well, life goes on I guess……
Goodbye to everyone in this blogging community, I had a great time reading the blogs and responses and I hope to meet some of you later in life.
Like I said up there ^ (do you know what’s worse than waiting on an MIT decision?)…
Getting your decision on backwards day.
At the end of my alumni interview, my interviewer gave me a talk about how “it doesn’t matter which school you go to,” “you can be happy anywhere,” etc. Basically, the whole pampered rejection talk. I can’t say that what he said makes the rejection softer, but when you’re told in November that you’ll probably be rejected, you can’t be very disappointed when decisions come out months later.
Hey everyone…….. :(
It feels pretty bad I had to join this list…though was kinda expecting it since I am an international and only 1 person gets admitted from my country each year. Oh well, life goes on I guess……
Goodbye to everyone in this blogging community, I had a great time reading the blogs and responses and I hope to meet some of you later in life.
I was denied, I expected it, and I don’t think it’s a big deal. All I can do is echo what the rejected letter said. Getting into MIT (or whatever your dream school is) isn’t a particularly important thing in life. Being denied admission isn’t a judgment on your character, nor is it some kind of “huge mistake” or “big loss” on MIT’s part. Lots of very very capable people apply to MIT, so if you’re in my boat, and didn’t get in, just take it in stride, and keep doing what you’re doing. Kudos to those who made it, and kudos to those who are good sports about their rejections. My only raspberries go to people who are sour about their rejections, such as
“I didn’t get in, but who wants to be with a big group of GEEKS for the next four years of their lives…I’ll just be living it up at Georgia Tech in the fall!!!”
Please folks, keep it positive. That’s all.
Hey everyone…….. :(
It feels pretty bad I had to join this list…though was kinda expecting it since I am an international and only 1 person gets admitted from my country each year. Oh well, life goes on I guess……
Goodbye to everyone in this blogging community, I had a great time reading the blogs and responses and I hope to meet some of you later in life.
well…was expecting it…. I dun know why do I run out of luck only for this case when it comes to college…anyways MIT you’re not gonna get freedom from me so soon….I’ll try agan for TRANSFER…and if u wudnt let me in from there, then may be POST GRAD….OR Ph.D. or may be R&D…anything!!! but u’ll need me one day for sure….
I got rejected last year, so this isn’t really a place for me, but whatever. I promised Ben last year that I would keep him updated, and I have, and he encouraged me to write something to all of you about how being rejected to MIT was a good thing (like I claimed last year). I had a whole long letter written about it, going point by point about the benefits of not attending MIT. Well, I decided that was worthless as it didn’t really say anything and I’m sure someone would dismiss it anyway. Instead, let me say this:
MIT can’t be the best at everything. It’s not the end all, be all school. You will all be able to go somewhere where you learn a lot and have fun doing it. Your life isn’t ruined by not being accepted.
It’s ok to get upset. You don’t have to hide your emotions and say “Oh well, I was accepted to 2 Ivy’s” or anything. It’s ok to be upset. Just realize that there’s so much more to come.
Therefore, I encourage all of you to go celebrate the day when everyone’s Irish as best you legally can. I will be tailgating at my friend’s rugby game with other friends, despite the freak snowstorm we got.
Good luck to all!
J. Clark Poland
Truman State University ’09
Rejected MIT ’10
jcarkeys.deviantart.com
Yeah… Whatever. My credentials exceeded MIT’s average admissions statistics, and I got rejected. I guess its because my Dad’s not a billionaire or a rich aristocrat. If I learned anything, its that things are not what they seem, and you will be judged not by your merit, but by your background and ability to pay (why else would I get bullied in to sending in my parents tax forms). To sum it up, don’t be too hard on yourselves. Chances are, you have what it takes, but just aren’t a part of the establishment. To get in, you must either be the next Newton, or filthy rich. Good luck to all of you who did not get accepted, and remember, MIT isn’t the sole shining pillar of education it implies it is. Just another rich geek school.
Hey everyone…….. :(
It feels pretty bad I had to join this list…though was kinda expecting it since I am an international and only 1 person gets admitted from my country each year. Oh well, life goes on I guess……
Goodbye to everyone in this blogging community, I had a great time reading the blogs and responses and I hope to meet some of you later in life.
MIT U turned down my app!
SAD!
I hope Caltech and Stanford give some more respect to my application
okay .there is one thing i really hold against the office.
why dont u simply put up on the international page site that you will admit only 5 indians or near that every year. in short if youre indian and dont have internaitonal olympiads dont apply and waste you time.i think the office can be frank about such issues, becaus application costs money and for mortals like us 70 dollars is a lot of money and three days is a lot of time.
I mean come on matt or ben can you tell me how many indians you accepted this year WHO DID NOT HAVE OLYMPIADS (INTERNATIONAL )?? i know you rejected a lot of them with olympiads (my freind for example ..who had three diffferent olympiads at the ntional level. )
i am sorry for being harsh matt, but it is just an opinion, because a lot of my freinds andi wasted a lot of time on our applications after looking at the encouraging words on your website(like:we view everything in context)
If you did veiw everything in context, dont tell me you dint find indians who matched MIT. I am sure you did. you just din want too many indians or chinese for that matter.
I mean in an application pool for international i am sure that 80-90% are indians and chinese. Doesnt this mean they desreve atleast 50 seats out of the 100 for intnls. or atleast 30? 5? that is ridiculous matt, really ridiculous.
Looks like I get to prank on the other team :D
REJECTED!! But I guess it was expected :(
I still remember someone’s post at CollegeConfidential about how heartless MIT decision (rejection) letter are from last year, and it was even then that I felt that I would be having the same feelings as those of the author of that post, and indeed there are bits and pieces of these feelings especially at the text of the decision..alas!
Anyway, Ben, and/or whoever read my application, thanks for your time in reading (and reviewing, if i made it to that level) my application. Thanks!
I guess that was as close to MIT I will get. The application was Dream>Fervour>Hope>Expectation>Tension>Reality :(
And here it ends!
Again, thanks to all of you, and my regards!
I’d posted this on CC, but I thought I’d cross post this here. It’s the first time I’m posting here, and probably the last, but this is my way of saying ‘thank you’.
I’m posting this at least in part because I think a few MIT Admissions officers read this forum, and in part just for CC in general.
I’m an applicant to the class of 2011, I’ve just been rejected, as I suppose have most people , but I still can’t help feeling what I feel, so I’m posting this thread.
Like most of the applicants here, I’d fallen in love with MIT early in the application, (the blogs had much to do with that). Here’s to Matt, Mollie, Bryan, Jessie, Mitra, Sam, Melis, Anthony, Laura, Lulu, Jess, Keri and all the others. You’ve made all of our journeys magical, wondrous occasions.
You’ve helped each of us in some way, made us laugh, cry, and just enjoy the application process a little more.
Thanks for the jokes, for the insane stories, and most importantly, thanks for making us, just numbers in the applicant pool, feel like part of MIT.
To the Admissions Officers, all of you, (on behalf of my twin Kaushik (k_twin) and myself):
We know you’re probably resting right now from the roller coaster that the past few months have been for all of us, but we’d just like to thank you as well. We know that regardless of the outcome, you’ve read our applications with dedication and perseverance, and we thank you for that. (We also thank you for MIT Idol, but that’s another story )
To those who’ve been accepted, congratulations. Treasure what you’ve received, and just well freak out a bit, you’re going to MIT!
As for us, well, we’ll live. The 29th and the 1st still await.
P.S: There’s always Grad School!
Regards, from an MIT Applicant.
continued. from”ridiculous..really ridiculous”
Ok matt here goes. What if i was from Namibia? wouldnt i be a sure admit? with the qualifications that i posted above, if I was from the arctic circle, i would have been a sure admit. Thats the point. you simply dont want asians. why not matt? If you truly aim towards high class education and building leaders of the world, you wouldnt bother about the kind of people who applied.
I’m really sad that I wasn’t accepted at MIT, and I must say that I was quite despondent upon first hearing of it.
But in retrospect I’m glad I applied – it helped me to understand myself better (reading my essay on finding value in the negative just raised my spirits); and, more importantly, it helped me make some new friends.
I’d call that a silver lining….
dissapointed but expected it. Why don’t you reject 70% of the EA’s rather than keep them stressed out with no chance of acceptance?
Be that as it may, this is the best admission department of any of my son’s choices.
Thanks
OH Well….
SH*T happens….
My whole process wasnt so ceremonial anyway.
all rushed and stuff (SATs were good though)
I guess it was never meant to happen.
mm…..
Glassy dreams lie shattered in my eyes,
Now and again, the shards sting.
:'(
kinda expected…but still stings a bit…this is the first decision i’ve gotten and its a rejection. oh well…my heart goes out to all the others on the thread..
You know how they deal with those kind of things.
They try to coat it with a sincere apology,
then they wrap it up with layers of tissue papers, soft and fluffy,
then they put it into a little box,
and, finally, they put it under your pillow.
For days and nights, you sleep on it, and you dream about it.
Sometimes your dream looks happy, sometimes sad,but always fuzzy.
You don’t know what’s in that box, you are obsecessed with it, but you don’t want to know.
It feels like that the little box has been there forever.
Its content is an eternal speck of dust, insignificant but unchangeable:
whether you open the box or not will never change the thing inside.
When you, with trembling hands, decide to unwrap the box,the air you breath thins out.
At last, when you see that speck of dust,like thousands of people before you,you let out a little cry.
You know it is just dust.
You stare at it and the dreams you’ve had for days and nights all burst at once.
Their corpse flow upstream to gather at one point in your throat so it becomes swollen and itchy.
And, at the same time, the weight of your soul diminushes.
Not much, it only loses a tiny speck of dust,
a little dust who dies with the thought that it isn’t wanted.
Anonyomous @ 01:01 PM –
Man! You’re unhappy with 4-5 Indians! From most other countries (including mine) They admit only 1 person. So what if most of the applicants are indians or Chinese? People from other countries deserve a fair chance. How could you think so selfishly?
By the way, it costs money to apply from all other countries as well and there are many other poor/middle-class applicants out there too!