MIT-Admitted Essays (ED) How to Write the MIT Essays / Sarah O’Neill Chester County, Supreme Editing

How to Write the MIT Essays / Sarah O’Neill Chester County, Supreme Editing

MIT Excerpt

“Be honest, be open, be authentic — this is your opportunity to connect with us.”

“You should certainly be thoughtful about your essays, but if you’re thinking too much — spending a lot of time stressing or strategizing about what makes you “look best,” as opposed to the answers that are honest and easy — you’re doing it wrong.”

MIT is looking for a connection between you + MIT, primarily. An MIT student is: a risk-taker, hands-on, and optimistic towards others. Most essays are varied in topic — dismissing the notion that MIT only looks for one type of person or one activity.

According to MIT admissions (via their website):

Personal essay:

Although we can’t give you an opinion of what your chances are, we can give you a sense of what we look when selecting students for admission. Basically, we’re looking for students with broad interests, both academic and non-academic, who have taken a rigorous academic curriculum and done well. We want to see that students are involved in things because they care about them, not just because they think certain activities would “look good” on their resume or college application. We look for students who are willing to take risks, and who will bring something special and unique to the MIT community.

In history, the types of students admitted consisted of: those with varied interests, but certainly at least a single spike of interest in which they excelled or was passion-driven. People who think “outside of the box” and artfully consider the prompt questions are seen most often. They are not afraid to take risks…even in their application essays.

REAL EXAMPLES BELOW:

MIT brings people with diverse backgrounds and experiences together to better the lives of others. Our students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way you have collaborated with people who are different from you to contribute to your community.*

225 words or fewer

In 2021, a once-in-a-century rainstorm hit XinXiang city, displacing a million and a half people. Shocked by images of the devastation, I joined a team of online volunteers when local police forces were severely overloaded to help collect information and communicate with local rescue efforts. As the situation worsened, one volunteer team was not enough — so, Bob and I were recognized as the leaders of a new team. Our personalities were pretty opposite. He treated patience and standardization as doctrine, while I was a firm believer in speed. But I soon realized that these opposing personalities made for the perfect leadership combo for our rescue operations.

24 hours after the storm, 12 a.m. when Bob and I were on duty, a family desperately reached out to our hotline for help. Thanks to Bob, I could pull out a neat form which listed 20 numbers of frontline rescue teams in one second and started calling. The darkness, roaring floods, and rescuers’ exhaustions were all obstacles. I didn’t remember how many calls I made until I got a positive reply. 3 a.m, as I rushed to confirm with the rescue team, Bob has finished all standardized processes, making sure of the availability of hospital and shelter. Getting the family’s call back at 6 a.m, I knew our mission succeeded — a result of perfect collaborations.

Challenges and opportunities

Tell us about the most significant challenge you’ve faced or something that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?*

In the morning before our annual dance show, I woke up to a flurry of email announcements that replaced weekend activities with dorm meetings and advisory sessions because of a serious medical emergency the night prior. Our other captain didn’t want to perform due to overwhelming sadness. Thus, as co-captain, I had the responsibility of reaching out to all of our dancers to share our thoughts: maybe dance could be an emotional outlet to help us heal. Being the last weekend, rescheduling was impossible. With this notion, more than half dancers decided to perform, but we had no time to modify it.

To convey the healing behind the show, I delivered an impromptu opening speech. It was my first school speech ever, but my wish to support my community transcended the nervousness. Stepping on stage, there were no empty seats or dry eyes. After the show, a student approached me to express his gratitude for offering him a chance to feel the Kent Spirit and feel connected to his friends through the show. When I mentioned that there were multiple dancers who couldn’t perform, and I felt sorry for not giving the perfect performance, he said, “It doesn’t matter. All I felt was our strong bond.” I was relieved because it was all I could hope for — it was the coming together that mattered.

Share your story

Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?*

250 words or fewer

I come from a world of math with a strong side of dance. I have been on math teams and dance troupes for 12 years. Holding a high passion for both, I always wondered what marvelous sparkle would come if my two worlds collided. By chance, I discovered the Dance Your Ph.D Contest where Ph.D students explain their research through interpretive dance. Are you kidding? What a dream! Watching videos from past winners, I was inspired — maybe I could do something similar!

I seized an opportunity this summer when I proved the non-existence of the 5-fold wallpaper pattern group with geometric graphs at Stanford University Mathematics Camp. With the proof’s large connection to geometry, I chose classic ballet to dance the proof as the preciseness and strictness of moves in ballet happen to coincide with the properties of logic in math. With the dance choreographed and video recorded, my teammates, either from the dance troupe or math team could get a sense of how the proof worked. This is the magic dance brought to my math world — and vice versa.

Now, I can proudly announce: I come from the dance world as well as the math world…equally. I am ready to pursue my dreams — to glide and twinkle on each stage that moves me.

Tell us more about why this field of study at MIT appeals to you.*

100 words or fewer

Course 18, especially applied mathematics, entices me most. Researching Signature Schemes and Shor’s algorithm at SUMaC, I became completely drawn-into Professor Shor’s work in quantum computation, so I hope to join UROP to work in theoretical computer science with Professor Peter Shor after taking his 18.424 course. I seek to participate in DRP for directed self-study in Cryptography, Topology…talking with Jerry Sheng, from MIT class of 24 in course 6–3, I learned that with stem heavy academics, diverse activities are available. This is what I desire — to join ADT, Marauders, and volunteer at MPFG and HMMT.

What you do for fun

We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it.* 225 words or fewer.

I always loved baking. During Covid, I could finally be a real baker. I loved stirring egg whites into puffy clouds, hearing the whizz of sifting powdered sugar, and dabbing the Chiffon cake to see it bounce. Performing all these steps to produce something so rich and delectable pleased me, washing away the weariness of online classes. Even more so, I accomplished a “first” on my baker’s journey — whipping up mom’s birthday surprise, Hami Melon.

Inspired by mom’s favorite fruit, to make her the birthday cake, I cut one-fourth of the Hami Melon to scoop out the flesh, so that it became a container for the cake. With careful measurements, I placed spongy cake pieces of corresponding sizes into the melon, with layers of cream and fruit in between as filling. I readjusted the melon lid I cut and tied a silk ribbon for a bow. My mom’s delighted eyes widened when she cut through the melon and saw the cake made “flesh”, bringing me unquantifiable joy. For me, baking is all about creating and sharing. Trying out several new recipes every week was a rewarding time. Sitting tableside and sharing mochi cakes, egg tarts, and red bean buns with my family, I anticipated their responses to what was bursting in their mouths, and — to my mom’s criticisms of adding too much sugar.

Sarah O’Neill Chester County Coatesville Supreme Editing