You can also check out their music here with this nifty player:

Meanwhile, I've been coming across all these really cool stories of MIT in the news that I'll try to post (or more likely, tweet) to share with you all. Today, this mention of MIT was on CNN.com:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/08/26/mit.oil.robot/

And a few days ago, this article from Gizmag about work being done on batteries (designed by viruses!) that can be woven into clothing:

http://www.gizmag.com/mit-developing-werable-batteries/16110/

Some pretty cool research and development being done - it's stuff like this that makes me so proud (and in awe) to be associated with MIT. :)

As the new school year begins (and '14s are arriving this week and next!), I'm looking forward to yet another interesting year. In my plans for upcoming posts, I'm hoping to talk a little more specifically about my particular role in the Admissions Office, and some college-admissions-related issues near and dear to my heart. (And perhaps an obligatory "what I did this summer" post...)

Meanwhile, as the summer comes to an end, how was your summer? Do anything fun/interesting/cool?

While the weather attempts to dampen our moods, campus-wide excitement will not be contained once Orientation starts this weekend. I remember my Orientation very well; I had just come back from FLP (Freshman Leadership Program), a Freshman Pre-Orientation Program, and was so excited to explore MIT for a full week. There seemed to be events going on 24 hours a day! While this was exciting, it was also overwhelming.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to go to every single Orientation event. Freshmen, that’s why I recommend looking through the schedule, choosing what interests you, and saving time for last-minute decisions. Oh, and grab tons of free food. It’s pretty much the pivotal element to many Orientation events.

Believe it or not, Orientation is also a great opportunity to learn about internships. In their sophomore year, many GEL students were enrolled in UPOP (Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, not to be confused with UROP, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program), but it’s never too early to explore career opportunities!

If you’re interested in becoming an engineering leader, or discovering more about UPOP or the Gordon program, there are plenty of opportunities to do so during Orientation:

- Wednesday, September 1st (2-3:30, Johnson Ice Rink): The GEL program will have a booth at the Academic Expo. Stop by and talk to students about their experiences with engineering leadership!

- Thursday, September 2nd (1-1:30, room 12-196): An open house with snacks in the UPOP office. (More free food!)

The UPOP office is a great resource that teaches career skills and encourages leadership development. Next week I have a personal UPOP meeting in which someone from the office will show me how to improve my resume. Then, there’s another meeting for GEL students to review their internships over the summer and talk about plans for the next year.

But Orientation Week isn’t about UPOP or GEL or me; it’s about you! The people you meet, the activities in which you participate, the places you go during Orientation Week can really set a pattern for your time at MIT.

My advice: choose your activities carefully. Consider activities in which you could be interested. Throw in some random choices. And remember: go for the free food!

Oh, and enjoy the upcoming weather:

While that’s a great opportunity for you, it does make things much quieter on the old homestead. It’s not a complete “Night of the Comet” (or “28 Days Later” for those sadly uneducated in the ways of cheesy ‘80s movies) because there are research opportunities year-round, and we get to meet several thousand prospective students in our Info Sessions. Still, the campus doesn’t vibrate with the same lightning-in-a-bottle energy.

All that is starting to change. Shhhh, listen! Put your ear to your favorite graphing calculator or Petri dish* and you can hear the distant sounds of life returning to the Infinite. The new pre-frosh, sans pre, are arriving on campus!

* On second thought, that second one is probably a bad idea.

It’s been months since I could wander through Lobby 13, enjoying an echoing rhythm as two students practiced ballroom dancing, deftly winding their way around a hurrying, lab-coated young woman cradling a graduated cylinder of purple liquid.

A year ago a sight like that would have stopped me in my tracks. Now having been without the zany, ‘you wouldn’t believe me if I told you’ serendipitous moments that make up a normal day on campus, I can’t wait for summer to end.

I missed you guys!

But seriously, let's talk life and love at MIT. I'm not talking about the IAP Charm School (" Join special guests David Rogers and Jed Wartman to learn the ins and outs of dining etiquette and table conversation while enjoying a complimentary meal."), or the Tech's annual "Sex@MIT" survey. I'm talking true life (as opposed to the false, hollow, shadow life of the sort that vampires, actuaries, and Harvard students live) and true love (of the sort they make Disney movies about, albeit with slightly less merchandising).

Meet Erika Ebbel. Erika is MIT '04, and is currently pursuing a PhD in analytical biochemistry. Here she is on PBS/NOVA's "Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers" describing her work in 30 seconds:

She was your typical biochemistry "whiz kid", who geeked out as a lab rat from an early age, and now spends her time helping other students learn to love science:

What you might not have expected is that Erika Ebbel didn't only grow up to be a professional scientist with an MIT degree, she also...became a beauty queen!

And now, she's a happily married beauty queen!

Can you discuss proper hand waving, pageant butt glue, and biochemistry with equal aplomb, all while marrying the love of your life in Hawaii?

MIT graduates can!

Recently, two people who turned down MIT after being admitted have become quite successful, and I applaud them for it! Let me tell you a bit about Kevin Gillespie and J.R. Hildebrand.

In 1997-98, a student named Kevin Gillespie applied to MIT from a relatively small public school in Georgia. He was the first applicant from his school to MIT in a long time, perhaps the first ever. He was admitted. But he said no. Here's the story, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

One day, about eight years ago, Kevin Gillespie received an envelope from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Not just any envelope, but the fat one, with a letter of admission addressed to the Henry County High School senior.

Once Gillespie got over his shock, he hid the envelope. Hid it from his parents, friends and college placement counselors so he could rethink his ambition to become a nuclear engineer.

Gillespie eventually 'fessed up and told his parents he didn't want to go to MIT, despite the nice scholarship thrown in for good measure. He wanted to go to the Art Institute of Atlanta and study cooking. His mother — who may be eligible for sainthood — told him it was good that he knew what he was meant to do early in life.

It looks like she was right. Gillespie is now the chef and a partner at Woodfire Grill, the Cheshire Bridge Road restaurant that became an instant leader in Atlanta's nascent farm-to-table movement when Michael Touhy opened it in 2002. Gillespie is also a new television star, playing himself on the Bravo TV reality series "Top Chef."

[read more]

MIT alums have told me of their wonderful meals at Kevin's Woodfire Grill (I'm jealous). MIT is great, but not right for Kevin. By following his culinary gifts, he has made the world better through food.

In 2005-06, a student named J.R. Hildebrand applied to MIT from a strong public high school in the Bay Area of California. He was a bright young man who enjoyed cars and racing. Like Kevin, he was admitted to MIT. In response to the admission offer, he took MIT's offer to do a gap year(s) to focus on his racing career, looking to return to MIT if/when his racing career faltered. The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat has the rest of the story:

For 18 years, Maria and John Hildebrand raised a son, J.R., who was athletic and smart. Very smart.

In fact, J.R. was so intelligent that he graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur a semester early and was offered a full academic scholarship to the School of Engineering at MIT. Wow, huh?

Maria, a longtime elementary school teacher, was understandably proud. So was John, a CPA in San Francisco. But John, who also has a passion for racing vintage cars, could see something in J.R.'s future that his wife could not.

One day, John told Maria that it was possible J.R. was so brilliant in a race car that he may not attend college. Instead, he might take his 4.12 GPA, his soon-to-be-arriving acceptance letters to MIT, Cal and UCLA, and pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver.

Maria, of course, processed this information. And sort of flipped out, "I remember immediately saying 'There's no way he's not going to college.' I thought 'You have got to be kidding me.'"

No joke.

Fast forward about four years and J.R. Hildebrand's dream is a reality. Hildebrand, 22, will make his second career IndyCar Series start Sunday in the Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway, the track where he began developing his skills eight years ago at the Jim Russell Racing School.

Hildebrand, a Sausalito native, has swiftly ascended through racing's minor leagues since bolting for St. Petersburg, Fla., four years ago. In 2006, he won the Formula Ford 2000 championship, setting a series record with 12 wins in 14 races. Two years later, he finished fifth in the Firestone Indy Lights series. Last year, he won the Indy Lights title, joining past champions such as IndyCar megastars Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan.

[read more]

Now, J.R. is a very successful racecar driver (btw, "racecar" is a nice palindrome). Like Kevin, by following his gifts and turning down MIT, J.R. is achieving his dreams.

Finally, before you ask -- the rumor that movie star Will Smith was admitted to MIT is unfortunately not true. He never applied, but if he had, who knows?

Already, I'm sinking into my MIT routine, having done laundry once (be impressed!), as well as having visited the professor I'll be UROP-ing with this upcoming semester. It's so nice to be back; I didn't quite have a whole lot of time to think about MIT while traveling about during the summer. But now that I'm here, I've realized that I've missed this place. Coming back to Boston feels like coming home.

And yet, it's Boston that I'll be leaving tomorrow, as I pack my bags for what seems like the hundredth time this summer and head off to what I think will be one of the best weeks of my life. Camp Kesem kicks off tomorrow at 8 am, and I'm so excited about it!! I've pseudo-met my campers via a brochure that was sent out, detailing their individual profiles. I'm part of the camp group called the Egyptians; we're definitely going to be the most awesome group at camp =P Sorry, Spartans/Aztecs/Greeks/Vikings!

These past few days, spent preparing for the arts/crafts portion of camp, have kicked up memories of my February CK counselor interview. I remember being asked what I was most worried or scared about when it came to Camp Kesem. At that time, I responded that I wasn't sure if I could handle the emotional side of camp. Each and every child at Camp Kesem has at least one parent who has or has had cancer, and I was and still am afraid that if these kids confide in me, I won't know how to respond or won't be able to keep from tearing up. The follow-up question to this during the interview was how I'd handle this situation if it should occur, to which I said that I would that I would simply listen, be there for the camper, and save my bawling for later. Fingers crossed that I'm able to do that. I cry pretty easily - sad movies and books have an unseemly amount of control over me and my tear ducts.

It might help if I go to the LSC (Lecture Series Committee) screening of Date Night tonight, just to offset the danger of crying in favor of crinkly laugh lines. The LSC puts on several movies throughout the school year, many of which - like today's screening - are free. I'm a fan of both Steve Carell and Tina Fey and have wanted to see Date Night for such a long time. Tonight's my chance, yayy!!

Prepare yourselves for a giant entry the in a week or so. When I come back from Camp Kesem, I promise I'm going to have tons to say :)

I was just thinking about last August … wondering how I felt a year ago … so somehow I ended up digging up my 2009 Guide to Residences … (it's still so pretty & so exciting to look at)...

I looked at the empty i3 DVD slot on the inside cover … and flipped to the Burton-Conner page (which is where I live now) … and reminisced a whole lot -- and then

OH-MY-FRICKEN-G’ – I know all the people on this page!
This is actually a group shot of Burton 1 - my floor!

This kind of revelation is strange and mind-boggling to me. Last year this time, I looked at these pages with no particular attention to faces – they were just students, yadeeyada….but now I know them all?

So I guess my point is - all of you heading to MIT soon, GET EXCITED 'CAUSE THERE WILL BE LOTS OF CHANGES. New People. Places. Psets… HA.

Really I just have two other relevant things to say- 1) Seriously don’t get caught up on first impressions… I’m constantly in awe at how different someone is once you actually meet them … or talk to them outside of the classroom … etc. and 2) Open up! …I can think of a handful of situations where had I decided …not… to put myself forward (e.g. HEY DO YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER??), I wouldn’t have met some good friends.

And just for fun, I dug up a personal blog post from a year ago –

HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL !!!

What's that, you ask? The top is a snapshot of a week in February 2009, when I was at MIT, while the bottom is a snapshot of the same week in February 2010, when I was at the University of Cambridge. Typical weeks, honestly.

Now clearly, some of this disparity is my own doing – I didn't have a job during the year (although few Cambridge undergraduates do) and I didn't note when I watched 24 this year. But the fact remains that no matter how you slice it, I was busy around the clock at MIT and getting several full nights of sleep a week at Cambridge.

At Cambridge, there are three eight-week terms, separated by two six-week breaks and a summer vacation lasting from mid June to early October. The average third-year engineering student has ten hours of lecture per week, but only during the first two terms (uh-huh, no lectures after mid-March); the final term is projects (not lecture, as far as I'm concerned) and exams (also not lecture). So, that's about 160 hours of lecture over 16 weeks.

On the other hand, MIT has two 14-week terms, separated by a single six-week break in January and a summer vacation lasting from late May to early September. I'd estimate about twelve hours of lecture per week during thirteen of those weeks. So, that's 312 hours of lecture over 26 weeks.

But, of course, that's only the beginning of the story. Third-year Cambridge engineers rarely shoot for more than ten hours of lecture per week, but we all have that friend at MIT who's taking so many classes we wonder when they get a chance to eat (if you don't have such a friend, it's you). Basically, it's not unheard of for MIT students to take on 15+ hours of lecture a week (although probably not attending all of them), plus recitations. Oh, and MIT is four years, while most British universities are generally three.

But while I found the system at Cambridge a welcome change (and, let's be honest, preferable), I found myself missing my busy schedule. Note that most of the events in my February 2009 calendar are not required coursework, but the result of choice. At MIT, no matter what day of the week or what time of the day, there is always some interesting or obscure talk – formal or informal – or free food event or meeting for one of the seemingly infinite student groups on campus. At Cambridge, the lesser time devoted to coursework (and problem sets; they have fewer of those too) and the less exhaustive selection of student groups meant that there was more room for a casual social life. Again, that was wonderful, but there were times there where I just felt... well... unproductive. Ironically, that was especially true during Cambridge's last term, which, being devoted to make-or-break exams, means students there don't do anything other than study.

But no such period exists at MIT. Yes, we have important exams and problem sets, but for some reason, instead of completely drawing our attention away from those distractions, we simply go into overtime. I like that, and, while I know I'll eat my words come late September, I'm looking forward to three weeks from now. I'm already beginning to fill in my calendar.

By the way, as promised, I have the answers to the places pictured in my last post. I admit some of the pictures were nearly impossible to guess...

First Row
1: Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul (Turkey)
2: Along Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai (UAE)
3: Blue streets of Chefchaouen (Morocco)
4: The Taj Mahal, Agra (India)
5: The beach and hotels in Tel Aviv (Israel)

Second Row:
1: Train Station, Belgrade (Serbia)
2: The Acropolis, Athens (Greece)
3: The Coliseum, Rome (Italy)
4: St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
5: The Dome of the Rock and Western Wall, Jerusalem

Third Row:
1: The Wagah Border Crossing (Pakistan, from India)
2: Outside Petra (Jordan)
3: Island as viewing from the Aegean Sea (Greece)
4: Big Ben / St. Stephens Tower, London (UK)
5: Oslo Opera House, with my friend I met in Israel (Norway)

Fourth Row:
1: With a shopkeeper in the old souqs, Marrakesh (Morocco)
2: Chain Bridge, Budapest (Hungary)
3: Bradenburg Gate, Berlin (Germany)
4: Eiffel Tower, Paris (France)
5: The Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)

Fifth Row:
1: Canals in Amsterdam (the Netherlands)
2: Sixth Avenue, New York (USA)
3: Three Kings' Day Parade, Barcelona (Spain)
4: Travelling by train (Bulgaria)
5: Streets of Cordoba (Spain)

It was an incredibly tough job to do. With an acceptance rate of just under 9.7%, it's actually more difficult to land a job as a blogger than it is to get into MIT in the first place!

However, as with our undergraduate applications, the cruel difficulty of the decisions is no excuse for not making them. Decide we must, and decide we did.

So, without further ado, let me introduce to you our new bloggers!

Class of 2014

• Anna Ho was born in Singapore but has lived in London for the past eight years. Though currently on crutches after a brütal Ultimate Frisbee injury - a dangerous sport indeed - she will be living up high in French House come fall. Anna, who performed her valedictory speech with her friend and salutatorian Sameer in a "Kanye West style duet", isn't yet sure about what she'd like to study, but with interests ranging from FIRST Robotics to MedLinks, she's sure to find something here at MIT.
• Kate Rudolph hails from the Chicago suburbs and is a world-class mathlete. She attended the IMO Training Camp and her research at last summer's RSI was voted one of the top-five papers out of the program. In her long experience writing for a few different blogs Kate excels at sharing how math enters her life in new and interesting ways. As someone who personally never even completed calculus - long story - I loved how much I loved reading Kate's blogs, whether about math or otherwise. Kate will be living in East Campus, although she is envious of how the Simmons elevators play random musical tunes when certain chords of buttons are pressed.
• Natanya Kerper comes to us from the San Diego suburbs. Born in Super Tuesday in an election year, Natanya's been an activist and debater all of her life (JSA Best Speaker '09) and will be a double major in Political Science and Biology here at MIT. Natanya, who plays girls lax and powderpuff football, is tough as nails - as a junior, she broke her wrist playing football, which didn't keep her from acing the APs the following weekend. She toured Harvard, but a toilet there ate her phone, so she'll be coming to MIT and blogging for us instead!
• last but not least of the freshman bloggers, we have Emad Taliep. Emad was born in South Africa but emigrated at an early age to the greater Boston area. He'll be studying Brain and Cognitive Science here at MIT, and writes blog entries with titles like "Eggs and Curry: The Cross-Cultural Culinary Story." When he gets to campus, Emad hopes to join Live Music Connection; I'll post his answer to the "zombie apocalypse question" to illustrate why:
  

  The smell of decomposing flesh abounded. The nation was cast in eternal darkness, allowing the dead to rise. The shrewd cretins had shut down roadways and laid waste to supermarkets. The end seemed nigh. And the gigantic flamethrower I ordered was stuck in Beijing.

  "I've gotta beat them somehow," I said, in an impromptu dramatic monologue. "Wait...beat! That's it!"

  I called my friend David - a man so metal, he frequently drew suspicion from airport security - and told him to bring his guitar. My plan? To defeat the zombies with a logic bomb.

  We'd play death metal loud enough to wake the dead, yet heavy enough to cripple the living. I took a gamble by thinking death metal could be so intense, it could actually be lethal. But, in paranormal situations, risk-taking is essential.

  David plugged in his axe, amp, and mic, cranking up every dial. I put on my headphones, ready to unleash percussive chaos. As the zombies approached, David and I chugged out a window-shattering riff of sonorous death with a pounding rhythm. Our righteous metal threw the zombies into existential limbo, with the conflicting commands to die and reawaken putting their lives in flux.

  "Finish them!" I screamed.

  David growled into the microphone, rending the skies with his resonant voice. The Gods of Metal replied by raining down utter carnage. Lightning bolts fiercely incinerated the undead oppressors, leaving naught but scorch marks where they once stood.

  That'll show my mom not to call my drumming a nuisance...

Upperclassmen

We also are hiring two upperclassmen this year to join our blogging team!

• Elizabeth Choe, '13, is a Course 20 major from Missouri who lives in Simmons. She plays cell in MITSO, wants to be a comedian, rejected our "Team Jacob vs Team Edward" challenge to write about "Team Leibniz vs Team Newton", and draws things during class:
  
• Becca Heywood, '12, is a Course 1 major from Colorado who lives offcampus in an independent living group. She's traveled the world while at MIT, with a MISTI internship in Mexico, an exchange trip to the Czech Republic, an an Engineers-Without-Borders trip to Uganda, blogging throughout them all. She's on the varsity crew team and is terrified of zombies, so maybe she'll make friends with Emad and his Drums of Doom.

These six special folks won't start blogging right away, as we have to wrangle them here to campus, get 'em trained, and set up into the system in early September. When that time comes, they'll be able to tell you more about their own personal stories, which I assure you are more interesting, compelling, and better written than anything I provided here.

Once again, thanks to all those who applied, and everyone say hi to the new crew!

I consider myself an avid daycationer. When you live within an hour and a half of Lake Tahoe, the bay area, wine country, and Monterey, you tend to be a daycationer.

I started this summer with some easy trips. A day on Folsom lake in June…

was followed by a walk around Sonoma, and through an amusing grocery store, in July.

As for running, I don’t have many pictures of that because this is what happens when my mom tries to take a picture of me.

But I can say these shoes were once black…

and these containers were once full.

Of course, there was plenty of Jamba Juice (a popular smoothie chain) and frozen yogurt along the way. The toppings are the best!

By the time August came, my family and I were ready for a real adventure. It all started with my mom’s DVD set on National Parks. Or did it all begin when I read an article on the epic Dipsea Race this summer? Either way, somehow Muir Woods, a beautiful national monument of Coastal Redwoods near the bay area, came into family discussion and we decided it’d be worth a daytrip.

One thing I noticed is that my hair is definitely not used to the bay area climate. We left dry, mid-90s Sacramento only to arrive at the extremely foggy (extremely, I tell you!) mid-60s Muir Woods.

When we got there, we had a variety of paths to choose from, although some of the trail names were misnomers:

We passed the “not-really-an-ocean-view Ocean View Trail,” crossed a bridge, and journeyed into the forest. Of course, there were tons of Kodak moments along the way.

But eventually I got bored of “posing by trees” pictures, so I started looking for new angles. I thought, “hey! I’ll take a picture of my brass rat so I can say my MIT ring was at a national monument.” Success! Although you can’t really tell it’s in a California forest.

I upped my game and suspended my ring on a branch, right next to a spider web reflecting sunlight, and just as I’m snapping the photo, someone on the trail behind my family says, “Is that a brass rat?” We all slowly turn around, basically thinking the same thing: what did you say?

Turns out, an MIT alum happened to be walking by at the exact moment I had my ring off, on the same trail in the middle of the same forest 3,000 miles away from Cambridge. Wow. Better yet, he was wearing his ring, too. Photo opp!

The true brass rat aficionado will notice the alum’s bezel is turned outwards, with the beaver facing the world, while the current undergrad’s bezel is inward.

Brief intermission: remember when I was telling you about how people ask a lot of MIT questions? This unexpected meeting reminded me of the importance of the “elevator speech.” I learned about this in my Foundations of Engineering Leadership (FEL) session over IAP.

It’s no secret that people will want to know what you do at MIT, so it’s helpful to have a 30-second spiel about yourself ready. Of course, you might need to tweak it a little depending on who’s asking the question (future employers won’t be that interested in what dorm I live in; alums probably will be), but it makes things a little smoother when you know what to say when faced with the typical MIT questions. I’m sure it’ll come in handy in my classes for the GEL Program!

[Intermission is over; please return to your seats.]

By the way, the alum at Muir Woods also mentioned that his daughter would be attending MIT this year. Hey, Sarah ’14, how’s it going?

But our adventures were far from over. A few miles away was Stinson Beach. When most people think of California beaches, they might think of, oh, I don’t know, sun. And maybe Katy Perry. Neither were present at the beach this day. It was freezing and windy and we were just about to pack up and leave when we saw—get ready for this—Bubble Man.

I don’t know if he really goes by the name Bubble Man, but he does now. He’s a Steve Martin look-alike who has this bubble system that makes GIGANTIC bubbles. The kids were going crazy. Okay, I was too.

Not to be outdone, the Lloyds decided to pursue our own mega bubble capabilities back in Sacramento. If there were ever a family that personified the saying, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” my family would be it. We love science; we love engineering; we love weird things. Apparently, you only need a few ingredients to make mega bubbles. Unfortunately, these aren’t your everyday ingredients. Things like restaurant-quality Dawn soap and, to put it nicely, veterinary supplies for horses.

Once we got the ingredients, we mixed them in a pot that we definitely cooked dinner in the night before. I really hope we don’t use this pot again. Equine pasta sounds just wrong.

The learning curve for this process is fantastic. You make a lot of little bubbles, you change your technique, you make a freakishly large bubble that goes into traffic and pops on some innocent driver’s windshield. I’ll let the pictures below tell the rest of this story.

]]> http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/misc/miscellaneous/veni_vidi_jamba.shtml http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/misc/miscellaneous/veni_vidi_jamba.shtml Miscellaneous Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:27:39 -0500 Maggie L. '12 You can now log onto MyMIT to access the application for freshman admission to MIT. Your MyMIT page includes interview information, personalized MIT recommendation forms and cover sheets, and the ability to track the different parts of your application.

On your MyMIT site, you will find the contact information for your MIT interviewer, or Educational Counselor (EC), within a couple days of registering. You should contact your EC as soon as your are ready to schedule the interview, but well before the application deadline. Remember, if you are applying for the November 1 Early Action (EA) deadline, you should set up your interview before October 20th. If you are applying for the January 1 Regular Action (RA) deadline, you should set up your interview before December 10th.

From MyMIT, you should print out personalized teacher recommendation forms. Teachers may use their own forms and format, but please include the personalized teacher recommendation form with each recommendation letter.

You will submit your part of the application online via MyMIT. However, if there are additional materials that you need to mail to us, note that we will read your application online; printed materials that are mailed to us will be scanned. I recommend that you consider things like staples and binding, and ability to be viewed in a 2-D environment, before mailing us any additional materials.

If you need to mail us any additional materials, please include the personalized cover sheet at MyMIT with those materials. If you send us additional materials more than once, please be sure to include the personalized cover sheet each time.

You should be sure to frequently check the email account that you list on your application. If we have any questions or announcements, this will likely be the place for such communications.

Please note that MIT is not a member of the Common Application. MIT has its own application, which is only available at MyMIT.

Also note: if you have in previous years applied to MIT or started an application to MIT, you will not be able to create your new MyMIT account and begin your application until September. Please be patient -- besides, you already know how the app works.

...I think that's it, for now, anyway. As the admissions season progresses, we'll have lots of application updates and tips here on the blogs. It should be an exciting year ahead.

I look forward to reading your application!

]]> http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/the_mit_application_is_now_ava.shtml http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/the_mit_application_is_now_ava.shtml The Freshman Application Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:39:34 -0500 Matt McGann '00 Every so often, during the Q&A portion of an MIT information session, I am asked a question like this: Is it true that MIT has the highest suicide rate? The answer to that question is: No, this is not true; in fact, MIT is better than the national average¹. However, this is a serious question, and it deserves a longer response.

The reality is that today's MIT is a warm and friendly community with many support resources. Most people who come to MIT are happy, well-adjusted people, and leave MIT as happy, well-adjusted people. That's not to say that MIT is never hard or stressful; certainly, MIT's rigorous curriculum will lead to some hair-pulling by even the brightest students. But in the rare cases of students taking their own lives at MIT and places like it, the causes -- to the extent they can be determined -- are almost never academically related. Usually, it is related to personal problems or preexisting mental health issues.

I think some people assume that MIT must have a high suicide rate because it is an academically rigorous school where most students study science and engineering. This shows a lack of understanding of suicide. Neither academic rigor nor course of study are among the top risk factors noted for suicide². Also note in the article below:

We also know that elite colleges do not have higher rates of suicide than others. Academic competition and pressures are not frequent precipitants of suicide in undergraduates. More often, suicide is precipitated by family or relationship problems, often in the context of substance use.

The assumption may also come in part from two heavily publicized deaths at MIT nearly ten years ago; most suicides at colleges are not heavily publicized. (See also this year -- a number of suicides at "famous" schools made the news; thousands of other suicides at colleges went mostly unmentioned.) These deaths at MIT occured around the time I was finishing my undergraduate years on campus and beginning as a staff member; many of us were deeply saddened by the loss of our schoolmates. As a result, MIT reexamined its own practices and culture. MIT didn't brush this under the rug; the report was made public. You can read it here.

Earlier this year, the folks at Inside Higher Ed published an important article on suicide on college campuses. It is well worth a read:

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Suicide Realities
April 22, 2010
By Victor Schwartz and Jerald Kay

The recent suicides of college students at Yale and Cornell Universities are rightfully cause for shock and sadness, but also a call to action. No doubt, we wonder how young people with so much talent and promise could end their own lives. In struggling to make sense of these tragic events, it is all too appealing – and unhelpful – to resort to simple explanations and casting of blame. In fact, the science of suicide is highly complex, and suicide prediction and prevention present mental health clinicians, and college administrators, with formidable challenges. Even institutions with quality prevention services, like Cornell and Yale, are not immune from these calamities.

Consider that, after accident, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. It is estimated that in any given year approximately 7.5 suicides occur for every 100,000 college students, a figure that translates into some 1,400 suicides. Nevertheless, while any death of a young person is heartbreaking, suicides are numerically rare.

At the same time, we know from our own work and much other research that each year about 10 to 15 percent of college students seriously think about suicide, and approximately 2 to 4 percent will make an attempt. This means that for every college student who dies by suicide, there are hundreds who have tried and thousands who have thought about it. Yet, we still have no overarching psychological theory to explain exactly what moves someone from thinking about suicide to taking action.

We do know that most young people who die by suicide have a diagnosable, and often treatable, psychiatric condition, and, frequently, they have told someone of their plan. Regrettably, numerous studies have found that less than 50 percent of depressed college students seek help. And not all manifest obvious signs of their depression.

Recent research has shown that the brain continues to mature throughout one’s 20s, with the area most responsible for decision-making developing last. Some young people, therefore, may act impulsively, without fully appreciating the real consequences of their actions. As a result, suicide in young people sometimes occurs without any apparent warning, either in a setting in which the young person -- most often a young man -- has hidden his despair from others, or as the result of an abrupt and intense impulse, often in the context of judgment-blurring intoxication.

Despite this, it is important to keep the issues in perspective. While universities are seeing larger numbers of students with psychiatric difficulties -- in part because improvements in treatment make it possible for more students with such problems to successfully attend college – the number of suicides on campuses has remained stable over the past 10 years. This suggests that we may be doing a better job at identifying and treating the underlying causes of suicide, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and substance abuse.

We also know that elite colleges do not have higher rates of suicide than others. Academic competition and pressures are not frequent precipitants of suicide in undergraduates. More often, suicide is precipitated by family or relationship problems, often in the context of substance use.

Moreover, we have learned quite a bit about college suicide prevention in the past 15 years. We know that keeping the means used for self-harm out of the hands of potentially suicidal people will save lives. College students have about half the rate of suicide of non-college-attending young people, in part, it appears, because few guns are allowed on college campuses. And there are definitive measures that can prevent an impulsive young person from taking tragic action. The securing and alarming of windows and roofs have been helpful deterrents. Actions such as Cornell’s adding barriers on its bridges are therefore prudent and sensible.

Educational outreach programs are also effective in assisting students, faculty and administrators to identify psychological problems and decreasing the stigma often associated with seeking treatment. Preparing entering students with previously treated disorders to establish a system of continuing care while on campus is vital, as is communication with parents on the importance of such care.

Interestingly, we have learned that we don’t prevent suicides by focusing solely or even too intensively on suicide prevention. Rather, it is essential that colleges offer comprehensive, accessible and affordable systems of general physical and mental health care, and that they utilize community and public health approaches to educate parents, students, faculty and administrators about the need to communicate, support and care for each other. Steps such as "gatekeeper training," in which people most likely to have direct contact with troubled students (resident assistants, writing instructors, academic advisers, athletic coaches and chaplains, among others) are taught to identify and refer such students for counseling and peer education programs, have a proven track record. For example, the award-winning Active Minds on Campus, with chapters across the country, provides a forum in which students present programs focused on promoting acceptance and understanding of people with mental illness.

Many colleges employ online surveys to help students identify problems and utilize other technology-based modes of support, including appointment and medication reminders, to engage troubled students in a way they feel comfortable.

Among all key members of the college community, communication focused on the support and care of students in distress, while respecting the students' privacy, is also essential. Finally, we know that whenever possible, it is best for troubled students to remain in school among their friends and working toward a positive future. At the same time, colleges and universities must allow for students who temporarily cannot function to return home for more intensive assistance and treatment.

In fact, it turns out that when it comes to suicide prevention, students, faculty, administrators and parents are all in this together.

Victor Schwartz is university dean of students at Yeshiva University and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Yeshiva's Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Jerald Kay is professor and chair of the psychiatry at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine. They are the editors of Mental Health Care in the College Community (Wiley).

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Some resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Suicide Prevention
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
The Jed Foundation

Footnotes:
¹ Ellen, E.F. (2005). Suicide prevention on campus. Psychiatric Times, XIX. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/54106
² American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Risk Factors for Suicide. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?page_id=05147440-E24E-E376-BDF4BF8BA6444E76

]]> http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/misc/miscellaneous/talking_about_a_difficult_subj.shtml http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/misc/miscellaneous/talking_about_a_difficult_subj.shtml Miscellaneous Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:14:11 -0500 Matt McGann '00