Hey there, everyone. I've been looking into MIT as a prospective college and I'm a little puzzled about their admission requirements. Hopefully, someone on here can help provide some clarity?
Surely, I can provide some insight into MIT's admissions requirements. They aren't vastly different from other top-tier colleges, but there are a few unique aspects.
1. High School Coursework: MIT highly recommends that students have taken the following courses:
- One year of high school physics
- One year of high school chemistry
- One year of high school biology
- Math, through calculus
- Two years of a foreign language
- Four years of English
- Two years of history/social sciences
2. Standardized Testing: MIT has reinstated the SAT/ACT requirement for the 2024-2025 application cycle. So you will need to submit either SAT or ACT scores.
3. Essays: MIT does not use the Common Application, so be prepared to write supplemental essays unique to MIT. They use their own system, called MyMIT. The essay prompts usually aim to understand your perspectives, intellectual interests, and how you work in a team.
4. Letters of Recommendation: MIT requires two letters of recommendation from two teachers - one from a math or science teacher and one from a humanities teacher, social science, or language teacher. They also require what they call a "secondary school report," which includes a counselor recommendation and your high school transcript.
5. Interview: After you submit the application, an education counselor may reach out for an interview. This is only for getting to know you better and doesn't greatly impact the admissions decision.
6. Application Fee or Fee Waiver: There's a $75 application fee, but waivers are also available if this poses a financial hardship.
In addition to these requirements, keep in mind that MIT, like many selective institutions, uses a holistic admissions approach, where they aim to get to know each applicant as a whole person. Thus, participation in extracurricular activities and demonstrated passion and drive in a particular field (your "spike") also weigh into their decision-making process. Moreover, MIT will request additional material from some applicants such as maker portfolios, music portfolios, research papers, etc., if the applicants want to showcase an exceptional talent in those areas.
Remember, these are the requirements, not a recipe for admission. High-scoring applicants with rigorous coursework are unfortunately turned away every year, so beyond meeting these requirements, it's important to work hard and try to excel in your chosen area of interest.
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