TELETHONNNNN by Connie H. '15
brought to you by Domino's
After my kickboxing class today I ran to the Bush Room and just finished a three hour shift of the Admissions Telethon, calling to congratulate Early Action students on getting into MIT.
It was… tough. What do you tell a high school senior during a surprise phone call on a balmy January evening?
“HimynameisConnieandI’mafreshmanatMIT… andIwasjustcallingtocongratulateyouonyourearlyadmissionanddoyouhaveanyquestions?”
The first few calls were just as surprising for me as they were for the person I called, but I understand if we caught you off guard or in the middle of homework. We had a team of roughly 25 students calling students on the East Coast, slowly moving across the US into the West Coast by 9pm EST. The best part of my job was calling students who were ecstatic that they were getting a call from MIT, their dream school!
The room, the fuel and the tool!
Luckily after two of my roommates joined me, the process started going a lot smoother. We got a chance to chat with students from Massachusetts, New Jersey (Anji’s home state!), Florida, Georgia, Washington (Nicole’s home state!), and California (my home state!)
Anji after a few successful calls… and Nicole after her first one!
We tried our best to answer as many questions as possible about CPW, housing, extracurriculars, athletics, campus life and everything in between. In case you thought of any questions or have more, please feel free to email me at connie.huang at mit dot edu or just comment on this post! I’d love to follow up with the students I got a chance to chat with and hear from the ones I didn’t get to reach.
After Nicole and I finished our eightieth call, we downed the last of our chips and were serenaded by the Chorallaries, in the middle of practice in Lobby 10 for their upcoming competition!
Lookin’ good, Hannah Wood.
Haha, first?
Awesome stuff. Asians FTW!
Also–I think I actually recognize one of those people, having seen them in real life. (As inferred by the smart people reading this, I do not go to MIT.)
Early admissions? I wish I could… /jealous
Alas, if only–but good luck and have fun!
It is a lovely day today~
It was awesome talking with you this evening, Connie! Now I’m even more pumped for CPW and everything awesome at MIT! :D
<3 That particularly awkward prefrosh ^_^
@ lovely
Who do you recognize?
@ Erin
It was great talking with you too, I’m glad you found my blog post. I’ll be here to answer any more questions if you think of anything else!
Oh, I just realized the email address you gave me is different from the one you put in this post… Are they both valid?
@ Erin
Yup, connie.huang and connieh both work!
Aaaah this is so amazing! I felt so special and loved
But I didn’t catch the name of the person who called me… all I know is that she lives in Maseeh! Oh well. She was awesome.
Lookin’ strong, Connie Huang.
The telethon was probably one of my favorite parts of IAP so far
All you prefrosh are awesome!
COME TO MIT. Visit Connie and me over CPW
Also… awkward photo of me on the blog -____-
@Aish… I’m wondering if I talked to you… but idkk…. LOL is it bad that I can’t really remember all the names?
@ Aman
Don’t die, you’d need to live to come to CPW! : )
@ Derp
You could do that… or it might just come as a total surprise on some random weekday. Both call for a good amount of exuberance, just at different times. : D
Connie Huang and Hannah Wood are hottttttt!
@ Hannah
ohoho
@ Kirsten
It was so much fun! I can’t wait for CPW : )
@ Sammy
ohoho you
Hi,
I am just waiting to receive a call from MIT :D
I think it would have been better if you could call the students before the online understanding. this way it is much more surprising.
just wait until I get in. I would probably change the rules. 10 X :D
Though I am applying RA but still I got too excited while reading all this … Do RA admits also get the call ??
@Kirsten- haha maybe? Whoever called me pronounced my name right (a miracle) and lived in Macgregor prior to Maseeh- so maybe you?
@ Aman
They should. Two of my roommates who got in RA remember their calls, so I don’t think anything will change this year. : ) I’d love to do another round of calls!
i agree kamran…
@ Aish
Haha just kidding :/ Wasn’t me because I’m a freshman… glad you met someone awesome though!
@Connie:
MEET THE BLOGGER EVENT. CPW. so excited!!
@Aman:
I remember mine! Although I was kinda boring and didn’t ask any questions…
They definitely do calls for RA
hey i am an international applicant, and i don’t know what i am going to ask is some kind of valid question or not. I just sent all the required information, all forms AND EVERY OTHER POSSIBLE THING. I just want to know from you apart from what M.I.T wanted what else did you send to them that showed them your passion, devotion, interest in your dreams ?? O.o ??
YOUR REPLY WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL
I agree carfreak … :D
Dear Friends,
my plan only has a small problem and that is a increase in the rate of the deaths among RD students because of Sheer Heart Attack. :D
Ahhhh this seems so great! I’m an EA admit but didn’t get a call … did I get skipped or something? :( wanted to talk with you guys, I’m sure it would have been awesome and I have so many questions!
* RA
I just thought it was decision.
@ Mary
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that! We had a limited number of volunteers going through as many students as possible, but we couldn’t reach some numbers (no one picked up) and didn’t get to all of them. I’m happy to still talk to you though, I’ll shoot you an email. : )
Really … Thank you guys thats really good to hear … If I get lucky enough to get the call I will literally record the call … Just thinking of it is so cool …”FIRST CALL FROM MIT !! ” .. I will literally die from heart attack !!
Is it too early for RD Applicants to be exuberated by the prospect of getting a similar call sometime in the future?
@ Kanishk
I’ll send you an email. : )
@ Pam
Yesterday was the only day we called unfortunately. : ( What happened was we started calling states on the east coast and started moving through time zones by the hour with the hopes that we’d reach everyone at a good time. We tried to leave messages if possible (but not all callers left messages, so there’s a chance they missed you) and would cycle back to try numbers that didn’t pick up. But we had a limited number of volunteers juggling calling new numbers and going back to old ones, so we didn’t get in touch with everyone.
If you still have any questions or want to chat with a student, please feel free to email me. I’d be happy to do a make-up call for you. : )
CPW is a time to check out the MIT campus and get a better sense of the people and everything MIT has to offer (waaay more than just academics!) Both EA and RA students have the same CPW and there’s no distinction between the two — we all just run around campus and have an amazing time. : ) Even though CPW has events on four days, most of what really happens starts Thursday evening and ends by Sunday morning. In that sense, it’s more like 3 days!
And alas, I don’t have any secrets for getting into MIT. As far as I know, there aren’t any. : )
@ Connie
I was looking through the comments, and all this @ business is blurring all sense of cohesive conversations. Ahaha, but that aside–
I recognize the, um…guy between the two girls in the second picture in your post. (Ah, and the “um…guy” was not because I was unsure of his gender.) I think.
It’s a lovely day today, too~
(Oh, mind if I email you just for fun? Just curious, and in a non-creeper kind of way. Wait, that’s exactly what a creeper would write. Never mind, can I just email you?)
LOL people. That “secret” thing was just to be sarcastic as Connie said I would mail you so I was kind of wondering what is the “secret” that she cannot post it here and has to mail me.
What I really wanted to know was |after sending the documents that MIT asked for is there something left or is it just the endless wait now| just wanted to know your experience Connie
@kamran read the monk who sold his Ferrari. that too is on the same theme and is awesome.
and another book on the same kind of theme FIVE POINT SOMEONE – CHETAN BHAGAT, really humorous book
p.s @kamran not competing with you or anything, just thought if you liked that book you will like these as well.
Looks cool !
Do you call international admitted students too ?
@ Kanishk
I just wanted to clarify what I wanted to say. unfortunately I am so busy this year and lots of books are in my wait list. anytime I got free time I would check those more.
I am not very good as understanding the sarcasm.! same as Sheldon Cooper.
)
Just kidding! (really, it didn’t sound like sarcasm
I think you can send additional document anytime you wish.
I am actually waiting for a reply over here if everyone’s done reading with books ..
@ Aman
the problem is that we don’t have the answer to your question and it is Connie who should answer it, so you should wait until she answers you.
Sorry Dude,
@kamran Unfortunately, I myself am not very sarcastic person, I tried to be to match the mood of everyone, but failed
but anyways your reply was helpful, I had already sent my art portfolio but now I will also send my photography portfolio. 
And thanks for replying so quickly.
hahhahahahahahha … Well If I get selected I will definitely not die … But then too I will not be coming to the CPW … but on that note .. Do students starts residing in their dorms and join MIT at the CPW ?? Or is it just an official meet with the MIT community after which everybody again goes back home and then come back at the commencement ??
@connieh
i did send u an email long time back oct 21 2011 but i never got a reply i have written down many thing from this email in my application now..and i wish that the admission officers pay attention to it and value it.. the email i sent you was on your address… [email protected]
@connie a simple question ….
the dates mentioned are april 19 to april 22 and it reads CPW(campus preview week…i guess my question is clear though unsaid..) y do they call it CPW when its for 3 days?
next, will it be the same CPW dates for we, the regular action applicants also?
@connie
But you don’t know my email and if you do know it please reply fast. I am really eager to know the secret XD
@ Kanishk
Have you ever read the book The Alchemist?
there is no secret (at least for this university’s application process). everything is only inside yourself. if you had searched the MIT website and read the blogs you would probably know that whether you are capable of enrolling in this university or not. there would be a felling inside you that you and MIT have chemistry. if you could answer the question : Why do I want to come to MIT? what is the differences between MIT and other top universities that I am so eager to come here? and you were satisfied with your answer you have done everything right up to know.
I am so sorry that it is a bit hard to understand it. I can’t explain any better.
wish you luck,
@ Kanishk
I forgot this one :
just be yourself and do whatever you enjoy. if you are doing something just to get admitted to MIT. you are doing it wrong.
this is what I think.
So…what happens if you didn’t get a call/missed it/don’t know if you missed on account of not having been home at all yesterday? Do I get a call back?
WOWEEEEE!!!!Do RA admits also get calls miss connie?????
You people are really exciting…….@connie…btw do u live in USA?
CONNIE YOU’RE AWESOME.
You’re roommate’s cute. Give her my number
She’s taken by some weirdo who comes into our room and sings Katy Perry with us… sorry!
Hey Connie,
Do the admissions depend on our extra curricular activities in high school? Actually I will be admitted to the eleventh grade this year and if the admission givers check upon our extra curricular activities I must not give up my guitar!!
I’m not sure if international students get calls — I haven’t heard anything about it, but I don’t want to say anything for sure!
Beyond putting all you can into your application, there isn’t much else to do but to enjoy your time before college! Do as much as you can in what is hopefully a relatively carefree time of your life. : )
Nabhajit, I’m originally from California, so yes!
Nilanjan, extracurriculars definitely add a lot to an application but they don’t guarantee anything. I think that when it comes down to applications, the readers won’t make any decisions like “oh this student has played guitar for 10 years, and this other student has played for 11… so the second one is better!” It’s far from that. All the extracurriculars you have just tell the readers more about what you’re really interested in and what makes you unique. I think it’s very impressive if you’ve been playing guitar for a while and it would be great if you continued, but don’t do anything for the admissions readers. If you’re really passionate about everything you put your time into — your academics, extracurriculars, volunteer work, even random hobbies — it will show in your writing and hopefully throughout your application, and that is what helps an application stand out. : )
As for myself and why I chose MIT, my old blog post (https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/fit) might help! It sounds like I’ll have to write a new one soon… : )
@Kamran … Class of 2015 is for the entries of 2011 .. MIT is a 4 year engineering school for you general knowledge ..
@Connie .. I am still waitin for a reply over my question ..!!??
@ Aman
Thanks. yep you are right. this mistake was made because I thought we would be the entries of the year 2013 :D and the reason was mistake in changing our own calender into the American one.
Thanks for the call!
And thank you so much for the Valentine’s Day card!!!!!!! It seriously made my day! No, it made my life! I love you guys!
* Calendar
Thanks for the advice Lady Connie but what is that H.’15 after your name?
Hey Connie!!
Your post is really awesome. And I’d be glad if you mail me those particulars((” I just want to know from you apart from what MIT wanted what else did you send to them that showed them your passion, devotion, interest in your dreams ?? O.o ??”))…part that kanishq asked for.
Would be glad to meet you sometime on MIT campus.
Thanks!
@ NIilanjan
H is the beginning of her family name and ’15 is her class number. (it indicates the year she entered MIT) as I know class 2015 is for the entries of the year 2012.
O.K. Last question,
How many courses can we take at MIT?For example,can we take only maths or do we have to take any additional with maths.
@connie : STILL NO MAIL RECEIVED :(