MIT goes on the road

MIT goes on the road Beginning Wednesday until the end of October, my Admissions colleagues and I will go forth across this continent to tell you tales of MIT. This year, the first meetings are in Maine, Connecticut, Ohio, and Rhode Island, followed quickly behind by Virginia and Pennsylvania. For a complete list of sessions, click here. You might be wondering, what happens at these meetings? What should you expect? First, the admissions officer and the local Educational Counselors (MIT alumni interviewers, also known as ECs) will greet attendees at the door. Please note that no RSVP is required. The meeting itself will last no longer than 90 minutes. Each admissions officers presentation varies somewhat, but will cover the same information. Well talk about MIT: academics, research, student life, Boston/Cambridge, MIT culture. What makes MIT different from other universities? How might you know whether or not MIT is a good match for you? We will of course talk about admissions, including the different application components, the deadlines, what makes an applicant competitive, how we make decisions on which students to admit. Well provide advice and tips wherever we can. Money and financial aid will be discussed. How do you apply for financial aid? Should you apply for it? What should I expect? Also, the local ECs will introduce themselves. Theyll talk about what MIT looks for in an interview and give you some advice. This is also a good chance for students to meet their interviewer face-to-face and to set up a time for their interview. We will always finish with an open QA. Well take as many questions as we can and do our best to answer every question fully. Ive found that even students and families who dont have any questions find it interesting and helpful to hear other peoples questions and the corresponding answer. This year, my travels will take me to Northern California, Downstate New York, and Toronto, though, for reasons Ill talk about in a future entry, my first meeting isnt until the very end of the month. For those of you who have attended other college road shows: what has been most helpful? What hasnt been helpful at all? And for those of you planning to attend an MIT Central Meeting this year, what are you looking forward to hearing about? MIT goes on the road Trivia: By population, which US states are most and least represented in the MIT undergraduate student body? And, which foreign country is most represented, and what is the most populous country to have no MIT students? [answer at the end of the entry] Beginning Sunday until the end of October, my Admissions colleagues and I will go forth across this continent to tell you tales of MIT. This year, the first meetings are in California, Michigan, and Massachusetts, followed quickly behind by Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Virginia. For a complete list of sessions, click here. You might be wondering, what happens at these meetings? What should you expect? First, the admissions officer and the local Educational Counselors (MIT alumni interviewers, also known as ECs) will greet attendees at the door. Please note that no RSVP is required. The meeting itself will last no longer than 90 minutes. Each admissions officers presentation varies somewhat, but will cover the same information. Well talk about MIT: academics, research, student life, Boston/Cambridge, MIT culture. What makes MIT different from other universities? How might you know whether or not MIT is a good match for you? We will of course talk about admissions, including the different application components, the deadlines, what makes an applicant competitive, how we make decisions on which students to admit. Well provide advice and tips wherever we can. Money and financial aid will be discussed. How do you apply for financial aid? Should you apply for it? What should I expect? Also, the local ECs will introduce themselves. Theyll talk about what MIT looks for in an interview and give you some advice. This is also a good chance for students to meet their interviewer face-to-face and to set up a time for their interview. We will always finish with an open QA. Well take as many questions as we can and do our best to answer every question fully. Ive found that even students and families who dont have any questions find it interesting and helpful to hear other peoples questions and the corresponding answer. RSVPing is not required, but we did send out a letter (and emails are forthcoming) to all students on our database (MyMIT registrants and others) inviting them to the meetings and also inviting them to RSVP. If you received one of these letters or emails, it would be great if you could RSVP so that we can get a sense of attendance, but RSVPing is not required. And if you didnt receive a letter, now is a great time to sign up for MyMIT! Its also worth noting that attending one of these meetings will not give you any sort of bonus points on your application. We do not look more favorably on those who attend. However, you may pick up some good application tips by attending, and hopefully also get a better sense of MIT life culture. But you wont be at any disadvantage if you cant come. For those of you who have attended other college road shows: what has been most helpful? What hasnt been helpful at all? And for those of you planning to attend an MIT Central Meeting this year, what are you looking forward to hearing about? Trivia answer: The most represented US state in the MIT undergraduate population by far is California. The least represented is North Dakota. Of foreign countries, China tops the list. The only one of the 30 most populous nations with no students at MIT is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire and Belgian Congo). [source: MIT Registrars Office]