The First-Year Application for the MIT Class of 2025 is now live by Chris Peterson SM '13

I’m writing to announce that the application for first-year undergraduate admission to MIT for the aspiring Class of 2025 is now live. You can access it here. 

While the application is always new for first-time applicants to MIT, this application is newer than most, and we’re very excited about it.⁠01 also excited about the small, adventuresome friends from <a href="http://instagram.com/nightlyfieldlog">@nightlyfieldlog</a> who you’ll meet along the way. We have been hard at work this summer completely overhauling the technical backend and applicant interface to make it more robust and user-friendly than the old system, which served us well for decades but was beginning to show its age.⁠02 like me, tbh So, while most applicants probably won’t notice a difference (since they never used the old system), we hope you’ll like it. 

Our short-answer essay prompts are the essentially the same as they have been in recent years. However, we have also added a set of optional questions across several sections⁠03 including the Self-reported Coursework, Test Scores, and Activities and Distinctions sections where students can describe, in 250 words or fewer, any extenuating circumstances that impacted them, including (but not limited to) disruptions due to COVID-19. We know that many of you have experienced such disruptions due to the ongoing pandemic and we want to give you an opportunity to provide us with brief explanations⁠04 Given the complexity and specificity of each individual's circumstances, it will especially benefit you to provide concise, clear, fact-driven accounts in these essays. Think technical communication, not creative writing. that would help us better understand your context and circumstances. 

And, as previously announced by Stu: a reminder that we have suspended our SAT/ACT requirement for this cycle and no longer consider SAT Subject Tests. 

Finally, I’ll close with some unsolicited but hopefully helpful advice about the application:

• As you fill out your application, remember that there are no magic words that get you in (or keep you out) of MIT. If you approach this process trying hard to impress a group of skeptical judges with your polished performance, it’s not going to work; if anything, it will probably backfire. Remember: you are more interesting than anyone you can pretend to be. Being yourself is enough.
• We know it takes courage to share such personal information with strangers on the other side of a screen. For us, working at MITAdmissions is more than a job: it’s a commitment to compassion, confidentiality, and always doing the right thing by our applicants and our institution. We are grateful for your trust.
• As you fill out your application, please remember to be kind to yourself. Exercise. Get enough sleep. Drink water. Support your family and community. Do not compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. Everyone is on their own journey; we’re glad yours has brought you here.

Good luck!