Quick hello from Albuquerque by Matt McGann '00
I'm in New Mexico for ISEF.
A quick shout out from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I am attending the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair. (Wikipedia tells me it was in the cartoon “Herr Meets Hare” where Bugs Bunny first talked of making a “left turn at Albuquerque”) (No sign of the High School Musical kids yet, either) Tomorrow, I will get to have breakfast with the ISEF finalists who are members of the MIT Class of 2011, then I’ll get to check out the projects, and finally a reception (now with fabulous prizes).
Back at the home office, folks are busy at work considering the waitlist. I’ll post more news about the waitlist when things are official (as of this moment, we have not yet admitted anyone from the waitlist). Apparently the weather was pretty crazy today (“the sky was like at the end of Ghostbusters II“); even the Red Sox game was canceled (Bostonians can tell by the flashing red). I wasn’t there to see the daunting skies, but it reminded me of this photo I recently saw on a blog:
richietown via Bostonist
Short one today. Off to bed, then ISEF. Talk to you soon…
Imagine Marilee Jones who stamps admit! on your application, bungled it up so bad. What is the authenticity of such a A rated Univeristy, where aspiration of some children is only to go to MIT! Very disappointing. At the same time hats off to the American system where transperancy still hits the top on the charts. I would still think of MIT as A1++ I cannot fathom what she must be feeling when she signs off, admit, not admit and waitlisted.
FNB, please try not to spark any discussion about that incident and open the wounds again. It does not serve any purpose at this time. MIT is trying to get past that incident. Thanks.
FNB, please try not to spark any discussion about that incident and open the wounds again. It does not serve any purpose at this time. MIT is trying to get past that incident. Thanks.
Hi Ellen! You may want to look around the MIT site for information on transfer admissions. For instance, this page: http://web.mit.edu/admissions/transfer
Cheers=)
(By the way, are you from Shanghai?)
Oh, yeah 1st Post! Harvard didn’t admit any off the waitlist, I wonder about MIT??
wait, harvard announced it??? so i guess i’m coming to MIT then?!
(2nd post– i just had to… i was so close! not in time, but this is the closest i’ve gotten so far)
there’s nothing on the harvard admissions website… how do you know?!
sorry for spamming you so much, matt, but i just have one more post.
this article says that harvard will likely admit around 30 people off the waitlist. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=518919
Why not spark discussion? Jones runs around babbling some psychosocial BS about how one shouldn’t worry or stress about the college application process. Why should you when you can just fake it and pretend you went anywhere you pleased?! We’ll just ignore the fact that this year was a total nightmare and next year promises to be even worse. As a MIT alum I am personally disgusted by the tainting of the admissions process and by the seemingly arbitrary criteria apllied by the Institute in selecting students. I know several students who were far more qualified than the student I knew was admitted who were “waitlisted” (and BTW, what kind of idiocy has a 500 person waitlist?) Their fault seemed to be that they were of the wrong “demographics.” Well MIT, don’t come looking to me for future handouts, because as far as I can see your standards are diminished.
And before you write me off as a parent who is bitter that their child wasn’t admitted (and I am), I was even more shocked that the child who was even more qualified than my son was also waitlisted. It was this action more than anything that has opened my eyes.
Can you all please just leave these discussions in a different place? Seriously, I cannot believe that so many weeks after the fact, you all are still rabble-rousing. Just leave MIT at peace with this. I don’t care if you don’t agree with Marilee’s philosophy, I don’t care if you’re a bitter parent, I don’t care if you’re a bitter student. What’s past is past. Please just leave it that way. Let us all move on.
To “A parent” on May 17, 2007 02:53 PM– as a student who was very frustrated with four waitlist offers this year, who was told countless times, “you could go to school anywhere you want” and “you didn’t get in because you’re a Chinese girl”, I know this process sucks. It really does. However, I am still glad, as I’m sure your child is, to have been accepted to some of my schools. I would have willingly gone to any of my schools on my list, excited to be there. Of course I am still disappointed by getting rejected and waitlisted, but I truly feel proud of what I have now in my grasp. Ultimately though, the student and the parents aren’t the people deciding in this situation. The outcome is out of our hands. I’m not saying to not be disappointed. That’s inevitable. I’m saying that you should accept it, and let it be.
“There is no formula for success except perhaps the unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings”– Arthur Rubinstein
That’s just my philosophy, anyways.
To “A Parent on May 17, 2007 02:53 PM”:
GROW UP.
Hello Matt,
I am a student from mainland China and I need some more information about International admission process. I am already a freshman in a university, but I still want to come to MIT as an undergraduate. It is somehow difficult, and I need some help from you. Thank you for your consideration.
Ellen Qu
To the parent:
Yes, having your child not get into a college is difficult, especially when you believe that someone less academically qualified person is waitlisted and your child is not. As a student who also applied to many schools, I also faced a similar situation. I, myself, got rejected from Stanford whereas a guy (minority) from my school who is way less academically qualified than I am got accepted. When it comes to these highly selective schools, sometimes even the best minds do not get in. Schools don’t necessarily look for the best brains, but someone who they believe will fit their school. Yes, your student probably could have done just fine, but would the atmosphere really fit him?
I didn’t stress. When I got rejections I wasn’t upset. Don’t stress.
well, it is just a personal choice to think about where to spend one’s university life, being admitted or not is another thing, and i don’t worry about that too much.
by the way, i am from Suzhou.