MIT Essay Guide

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts founded in 1861.

  The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship. The institute has a modern campus right next to the Charles River. There are also a number of off campus facilities like the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the Bates Center, and the Haystack Observatory. 

The average cost of attendance is 73k before aid and 18k after aid, aid includes grants and scholarships from the institution, state, and federal government. According to an analysis from PayScale, MIT graduates are the second highest-earning workers in the country. 

The famous school is not only known for its outstanding accomplishments in math and science, but also for its unique traditions. It has expressed its unique humor through “hacking” on campus, around Cambridge, and beyond. The institution also offers its students the opportunity to become certified pirates after completing four physical education courses - archery, fencing, pistol, and sailing. Who wouldn't want to be a pirate?! Pi day (March 14) is also an important day to the institution and many students around the world as it is the day MIT releases its admission decisions.

 Speaking of admissions, MIT announced that they admitted a total of 1,340 applicants to the Class of 2025 out of the 33,240 applicants received resulting in an overall admission rate of 4 percent. 

Admission information + Statistics

Employees : 12,852, including faculty 

Faculty (As of October 2019) 

•  Professors (all ranks): 1,067 
•  Other teaching staff: 948 
•  Student-faculty ratio: 3:1 (undergraduates only) 

 Once you complete your application it will be read by a senior admission officer who will consider your application holistically. Then strong applicants will be evaluated and summarized by more admission officers to be sent to the Admissions Committee. Worried that excellent students from your area are also applying? Don't worry because the institution puts in extra effort to make sure every decision is made in the context of the overall applicant pool that is not a school or region-centered process. Each applicant stands on their own. There are no quotas by the school, state, or region. 

Things to consider: Remember that “community” can mean anything from an organization you are part of to your friend group. So don’t limit yourself on the topic of this prompt. Usually, I find it useful to list out a few possible ideas and match a theme to each idea while asking myself if this is the theme I want to show through this question. The overarching goal is to show a quantity about yourself through your interaction with a community to the admissions. In this response, the student used her experience as part of an all-girls robotics team to highlight my passion for bridging the gender gap in STEM.

Essay Example

If you walk into Room 006 after three O’clock, you’ll only see girls. We all have something in common--we are proud members of the Robotics Team. Being part of an all-girls team is both a privilege and a burden. Instead of being the good team at competitions, we can only be the good girls team. I realized that this persisting gender gap was not only limited to the robotics community but also present in the STEM community as a whole. Using FeMaidens as my platform, I aim to bridge this gender gap by mentoring rookie all-girls robotics teams. Math and science have always been my favorite subjects, but I never fully grasped the real-life applications of these disciplines until I pursued robotics. Throughout my high school career, I have prioritized developing my interests in STEM -- more specifically, using STEM to impact the world for the better. Robotics introduced me to engineering which sparked my dream of becoming an engineer. However, in the male-dominated field of engineering, self-doubt is often the biggest challenge that many girls, including myself, face. Nonetheless, this tight-knitcommunity of 40 girls with similar passions became my support system: encouraging me when difficulties caused me to question my abilities. I believe the only way to fill this large gap is to inspire girls at a young age to pursue their dreams. One of my aspirations is to see the girl’s section at toy stores filled with not only Barbie Dolls, but also LEGOs and GoldieBlox kits.

Things to consider: This is a classic “why us” prompt. On the surface, it asks about your academic interests and achievements. However, you can pursue your interest at any college. What they are actually after is why you want to study at MIT. Thus, it is important to do research about what is available at MIT that supports your interests. I recommend looking into and mentioning some research labs, professors, and clubs that relate to your interest. 

Essay Example

I was first introduced to CSAIL through its soft robotic fish, SoFi. Composed of a single camera, motor, and lithium polymer battery, she wiggles along other marine animals and documents what she sees. The simplicity and practicality of SoFi inspire me to dive deeper into this level of AI. While attending BWSI, I visited CSAIL and saw projects such as the self-driving car and big data storage systems. Through conversations with the director, Daniela L. Rus, and fellow researchers, I was inspired by the process of creation and the obstacles they encountered and overcame. I would love to do research at CSAIL while expanding my interest in robotics and EECS. 

Things to consider: This prompt is asking you to show your life outside of academics. They want to know what motivates you and brings you joy on a daily. You might be worried that you don't have an impressive hobby. That is completely okay because they want you to be honest. Anything can be a potential topic. Spending your time with your friends, watching films alone, etc. As long as you have something to say about it. I would say it is acceptable to “package” your experience to emphasize some points. 

Things to consider: Another community question. I think it is good to have a balance between formal and informal experiences. Since I wrote about an academic team for the first community question I wrote something more personal for this question. A good tip is to lay out a topic for each question before you start writing. 

Essay Example (excerpt)

After a decade as my family’s princess, I stepped down from royalty to take on the role of Secretary the day my siblings were born. As my mom’s sole helper, I fed, showered, and changed the diapers for my siblings. These responsibilities gradually became a part of my daily routine. Simultaneously caring and providing for the family is a strenuous task for my single mom. Seeing my mom in the kitchen early in the morning after a sleepless night taking care of two crying babies gave the eleven-year-old me a new goal: to take some burden off her shoulders. Ever since, I have insisted on making my own breakfast and lunch, allowing my mom to sleep for an extra hour. My overcooked dumplings and sandwiches with uneven fillings weren’t terrific, but they helped my mom in the small ways they could... 

Things to consider: This is a very common essay prompt in all applications. It is not a question about failure or struggle but instead, you want to focus on how you were able to overcome the failure. 

The college admissions process is not easy but I know you got this. The best advice I can give is to stay true to yourself. When I was applying I asked many people to edit my essays. I ended up realizing that after all the edits the writing does not even resemble me anymore. So I had to change it back. When choosing a topic to write about, it is often helpful to plan backward by asking yourself what you want to show the admissions committee. Wish you all the best!

Written by PathIvy College Admission Experts