MIT MIT interesting facts. Admission to the best US universities using the example of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Brief information about applying to MIT

If you are an international student, you may not be familiar with the application process to MIT, including. This is a quick overview to help you understand how to apply to an American university, and in particular how MIT works. Some of the information presented here is also true for other institutions, but you should check it directly with them before applying, as MIT cannot be held accountable for them!

International students

Students who are already enrolled at another university—both at home and abroad—should apply to MIT as a transfer student.

How does MIT consider international applicants?

MIT receives many applications from very smart and talented international citizens. Of this large pool of candidates, MIT can only take a small portion. Each year, more than 4,000 international students apply to MIT, and fewer than 150 are admitted.

MIT limits the number of international students it can accept due to generous financial aid. MIT is one of the few that offers blind admission regardless of whether the student needs full financial aid or not. "Blind admission" means that you will not be disadvantaged in the admissions process because of your financial need. "Meeting your full financial need" means that MIT will give you enough financial support that you can afford to attend the university, no matter how much or how little your family can pay.

Even though the international application process is highly competitive, we still accept wonderful students from all over the world every year. MIT has students from 116 countries. About 9% of students in undergraduate programs are international, and in graduate programs 40% are citizens of other countries. MIT has a strong international community, so no matter how far you are from home, you can still feel at home here.

What do you need to do

To apply to MIT, you must pass some standardized tests and complete the MIT application process. Due to the high volume of applications in certain regions outside of the United States, only a limited number of interviews will be available. If you live outside of , and your interview was originally canceled or rescheduled, you will be notified if the interviewer becomes available. Requesting an interview does not guarantee that you will receive an interview. If it is not possible to conduct an interview for you, this will not be used against you in any way in the future.

Grades (points), courses completed

However, we do have minimum and recommended scores for the TOEFL. These minimums can be seen in the figure below to ensure that your English language proficiency is sufficient. Because MIT does not offer English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, and English is the language of MIT, all students must demonstrate that they will thrive in our society. Minimum TOEFL scores for MIT:

Your scores must be sent to MIT from the official testing agency; The scores you indicate on your application and the results shown on your school transcripts will not be considered official. We recommend that you designate MIT as the institution that should receive your results when you take the test. If you take the test in January, you must mark MIT as the receiving institution for your scores or they will not receive your results in time for review.

SAT and TOEFL code MIT (MIT) - 3514, ACT code MIT (MIT) - 1858.

It is important for all students - and very important for international students - to register for tests using the same name you provided on your application and in the MyMIT system. Your test scores will not be associated with the MIT system unless the names match.

You can learn more about and register for the SAT online at www.collegeboard.org, the TOEFL at www.ets.org/toefl, and the ACT at www.act.org.

MIT Application Process

International students complete the same application as domestic students. The step-by-step process looks like this:

  • Creating a MyMIT Account: MIT uses its own system. Applications for 2018 will become available in August 2017. Anyone can register.
  • Part 1: Personal Information: Filling out your personal information means you're off to a good start! Application fee is $75. You will need to provide information about parents and about areas of interest to you. Be honest.
  • Part 2: Abstracts (Essays), theoretical issues, activities. Essay: MIT asks you to write not one long essay, but several short answers to questions to get to know you better, who you are, what motivates you, what is important to you. Be honest. Your answers should be thoughtful, but don't waste your time with stress and the desire to "be the best." Activity: Use a form that has enough space to write 4 things. Choose the best thing you did in school. You may submit additional resumes, but do not do so in lieu of completing the MIT form. Self-assessment on completed courses- This is required for applicants studying under the American system.
  • High School - Certificate.(usually including your transcript, school profile)
  • Letters - recommendations. MIT requires 2 letters of recommendation from math/science and humanities teachers). The MIT recommendation process is online; you will need to create a separate account in addition to your MyMIT account. When creating this account, you will need the ID number available in your MyMIT account. Next, you will need to choose how you will apply: early cycle or regular cycle. Go to the Evaluation section to request your recommendations. Click on the "Start New" button, fill out the request form with your appraiser's name and email address, and submit your request. The system will send a request with instructions to his/her email. Your checklist will automatically update when the appraiser completes the recommendations. The system synchronizes with the main MyMIT account usually 2 business days after receiving recommendations. Who should I ask for university recommendations? First Teacher: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Technology, Scientific Research. Second teacher: English, History, Foreign Language, Economics, Politics and State, Psychology, Social Studies, Geography.
  • Decoding. One of the school's evaluators must also provide a copy of your school grades and progress report.
  • Interview (Interview). MIT doesn't just want to see how you look on paper: they're interested in you as a whole person. That's why, whenever possible, an interview with a member of the MIT Academic Council is offered, or a one-on-one meeting with one of the more than 4,500 MIT alumni worldwide who volunteer to meet with applicants in their home field and conduct an interview.
    Interview is highly recommended. In fact, last year, of eligible applicants, MIT accepted 10.8% of those who were interviewed (or whose interview was rescheduled) and only 1% of those who declined an interview. How is the interview conducted? You will receive your academic advisor's name and contact information through your MyMIT account. Please note that, unlike many other institutions, at MIT you must contact your interviewer! If you are applying during the first cycle, you must contact your interviewer by October 20; Regular applicants must contact their interviewers by December 10th. Where is the interview held? Your interview will take place in your region. Most educational consultants will offer to meet at a mutually agreed upon location: a local coffee shop, restaurant, bookstore, or library. If there are no graduates available to volunteer for interviews in your field, MIT may try to arrange a SKYPE interview for you. If not, your MyMIT account will indicate that it is not possible to offer you an interview with a local volunteer. Please don't let this get you down. Please remember that an interview is not a required component of the application and the Admissions Committee will know that MIT was unable to offer you an interview. What to expect from the interview? Typically, interviews last an hour, although they can vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Before you meet with your interviewer, try to anticipate some of the questions you might be asked. Talk to friends and family about their interview experiences or read MIT's interview blog. Think of stories and examples that will give your interviewer a vivid understanding of your passions and aspirations. Some students bring materials to illustrate their interests more clearly. Please feel free to do this if you wish. Although, MIT only requires that you show up yourself. There is no formal attire for an interview with an MIT representative. Clothing should be appropriate for the meeting location you have agreed upon. You don't have to be "dressed up," but you shouldn't be dressed in a way that might embarrass your grandma.
    And finally - as is true for all parts of the MIT application process - just beyourself!
    For more information contact [email protected]
  • February Updates and Notes
  • Submitting add-ons and portfolios While MIT does not require additional materials outside of the application, they know that many students are involved in many "interesting" activities outside of class, and MIT wants to hear about them! Researchers, artists, painters, and producers can submit a portfolio for review by MIT staff via Slideroom.
    Portfolios must be submitted by November 1 (early entry) or January 1 (regular entry).
    Research
    Students who have worked on a significant research project outside of high school can present a piece of research work through Slideroom. If you have worked on more than one project, we recommend choosing one that is more important. You will also need to provide references from your project manager.
    Music and performing arts
    Artists (musicians, composers, dancers, designers, directors, writers and actors) with exceptional talent can submit contributions through Slideroom. We recommend submitting work that represents a range of styles or skills, if any.
    Musicians: Submit two entries representing contrasting styles of approximately 10 minutes total duration.
    Composers: Add one recent work in PDF format.
    Actors, dancers, directors and designers: Submit up to three videos or images. The total video time is no more than 10 minutes.
    Screenwriters: You may submit one or two scripts, each about 10 pages long. If your work has been completed and recorded, you can submit up to 10 minutes of video.
    Fine arts and architecture
    Creative individuals with exceptional talent can present a portfolio using Slideroom. MIT recognizes all types of media arts, including design, drawing, painting, mixed media, digital media, photography, sculpture, and architectural work. You can submit a portfolio of up to 10 images of your work for review. Include a title, short description, and the date for each work when it was completed.
    Technical specialists
    A portfolio is an opportunity to showcase your projects that require creativity, technical skills, and a "hands-on" approach to learning by doing.
    For your portfolio, you can submit images, videos of no more than 120 seconds, and up to one PDF of technical documentation and/or specifications via Slideroom.
    Athletics
    If you are an experienced athlete and you plan to participate at the collegiate level, we recommend that you contact an MIT coach for your sport. All university coaches can be reached through. Because of NCAA rules, coaches may not always be able to respond.

Dates and deadlines

MIT has two application cycles: Early Applications (EA) and Regular Applications (RA).

Who cares? Deadline dates only!

There is nothing positive or negative associated with the chosen cycle. MIT has no preference and no strategic benefit. Two cycles exist for two reasons: 1) It helps split up the work of the MIT Admissions Committee and spend more time on each application and 2) It gives applicants more options so they can choose what works best for them.

Rules and restrictions:

Early filing is an option for all applicants, local and international. But keep in mind that there are establishments where early check-in is only possible there and nowhere else. This means that if you choose this establishment for early entry, it should be your only choice.

(see picture below). Registration will allow you to work with your application, check the application, control financial issues, use interviewer contacts and much more.

Today, higher education is one of the best and most expensive in the world. It is in this country that there is a huge number of different universities, institutes, and colleges. As a rule, the best and most expensive ones are of the private type. Most successful and world famous ones have been around for 100 to 400 years.

The age of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology today is more than 150 years. Throughout its history, this university has graduated a large number of successful people, both from other countries and from the United States itself. At the moment, MIT provides an excellent education for those who want to connect their lives with robotics, engineering, and software.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as is already clear from the name, takes a focus on the development of innovative and in-demand technologies in our time. However, in addition to sciences related to technology, the institute also teaches others that have little to do with its main focus. For example, the institute boasts medical and philosophical faculties. In total, MIT offers its students 12 faculties, the main subjects of which will be the primary focus in the learning process. Here is their list:

  1. Architectural. This faculty is closely connected with the main professional activities of the university. Here the best specialists will teach you how to design various buildings. The MIT School of Civil Engineering can additionally provide knowledge to anyone in the architecture department.
  2. Astronomical. This faculty does not belong to the main direction of the institute, and therefore the quality of the knowledge taught here will be slightly lower than in any other educational institution where the main direction is space exploration.
  3. Aeronautical. Here you will be trained to design vertical take-off aircraft. Since the main scientific direction of the university is engineering and high technology, the quality of education at this faculty will be at a decent level.
  4. Biological. The main emphasis of the MIT biology department is on the study of chemistry, zoology, botany and other sciences that relate to biology. This faculty is not recommended for those who wish to become a professional chemist or zoologist.
  5. Humanities. The appearance of this department within the University of Massachusetts raised eyebrows among the public for obvious reasons. Now specialized humanists are trained here.
  6. Medical, or Faculty of Health. During his appearance, he caused some surprise among the public. Today the faculty trains high-level specialists.
  7. Engineering. This department was one of the first to appear at MIT. Today he is known throughout the world, and most of his students were able to build successful careers for themselves.
  8. Information technologies. During its relatively short time of existence, this faculty managed to become famous throughout the world and was recognized as the best in its country. Most of his students have already made successful careers in the IT field.
  9. Mathematical. According to some American experts, it was awarded first place in the country for the quality of education in its category.
  10. Management, or University of Massachusetts Dartmund. This is one of the best faculties in its category. It teaches accounting, effective marketing and financial management. Most of those trained here are now managers of large companies.
  11. Physicists. MIT has always been focused on the sciences, so physics students receive a top-notch education and are valuable experts in their field.
  12. Chemical. Recognized as one of the best faculties in the country.

The university has an unusual building shape

Read also

Exchange program for schoolchildren and students in the USA

This is where the list of faculties ends and, as you can see, the university provides an excellent education for everyone who has the necessary amount or who manages to enroll for free. Some faculties are separate schools at the institute.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, history

The history of this originates in 1861, when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts adopted a charter from William Burton Rogers, who sought to build a new educational institution. According to Rogers' plan, this educational institution was supposed to be a step towards a new form of education in the United States, since, in his opinion, the education system in the 19th century did not keep up with the rapidly developing science of that time and, as a result, could not give adequate results. However, after the Commonwealth accepted the charter, construction of the university did not begin.

Pictured: William Burton Rogers

It took Rogers about two years to find funds, teachers, and a construction site. However, due to the outbreak of the American Civil War, plans were frozen for some time. The first students who entered in 1865 had to study in rented premises of one of the trading houses, which was located somewhere on the outskirts of Boston. Only in 1866 the university was completely completed and finally put into operation. After the completion of the educational institution, which was located in the Back Bay, it was nicknamed Boston Techno. Before 1909, there were no significant events in the history of the university.

Beginning in 1909, university president Richard Maclaurin sought opportunities to expand the university's campus, since the site that was initially allocated for construction was too small for the expanding MIT. Soon an anonymous donor was found who invested a large sum in the university fund.

All the money was used to buy old industrial land near the Charles River and develop a new place. In 1916, the university completely settled on the newly acquired land and remains there to this day. A short period after the move, the university set a course for exact sciences, such as engineering, mathematics, physics, architecture and others.

University laboratory

When World War II began, the university was involved in many military research projects to create new types of weapons. According to some reports, MIT students participated in the Manhattan Project. Later, during the Cold War and the space race of the 50s–70s of the last century, one of the main tasks that the US government set for the university was to catch up with the United States in terms of rocket science and reduce the country's backlog in this area. Today MIT cooperates with many countries, including Russia.

Read also

Comparison of education in the USA and Russia

What to do

Oddly enough, almost anyone can enter the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the main thing is that they have certain qualities and have enough money to study successfully. Among the main qualities that will help you get into MIT faster are the willingness to take justifiable risks, the ability to find a way out of the current extraordinary situation, the ability to work in a team, and take responsibility. For admission, it is not necessary to have any diplomas or other attributes of an excellent student; it is enough to provide a school certificate (preferably with positive grades). However, the conditions for admission are slightly different everywhere.

If you are going to get a bachelor's degree, you will need to go through a special competition, the competition in which will be very serious, since 20 thousand people apply for places. Only one thousand of the best will be chosen. To get an advantage over your rivals, it is best to register and fill out a special application on the website for applicants. When registering, you should leave your contact information, you will be contacted and asked to undergo an interview either online via Skype or directly at the institute itself. It is best to prepare for the interview as there will be several other small exams.

After you have passed the interview and answered all the questions from the institute representative, you will need to pass several tests. Among those that you need to pay special attention to are the TOELF and SAT English language tests. If you fail even one of them, it will be almost impossible to get accepted. Also pay special attention to tests in your specialty. After passing them, it is recommended to provide teacher recommendations translated into English and your diplomas, which should confirm that you are capable of studying well.

42.358889 , -71.092778
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In English Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Motto Mens et Manus
Head and hands»)
Founded in , accepted the first students in
Type Private
Rector Susan Hockfield
Location Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Campus Urban, 68 hectares
Number of students 4 136
Number of graduate students 6 184
Number of teachers 983
Symbol Beaver
Official site http://web.mit.edu

Massachusetts Institute of Technology(English) Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT ) is a university and research center located in Cambridge (Massachusetts, USA). Sometimes also referred to as Massachusetts Institute of Technology And Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT is a mecca for computer technology, a global leader in science and technology, and an innovator in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. The institute is also renowned in many other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science and philosophy.

Among the most famous departments of MIT are the Lincoln Laboratory, the Laboratory of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and the School of Management. 72 members of the MIT community are Nobel Prize laureates, a record number.

Story

Early years

In 1861, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts approved a charter by William Burton Rogers establishing the "Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Natural History Society of Boston." William Burton Rogers wanted to create a new form of higher education that would meet the challenges of rapidly developing science in the mid-19th century, to which classical education was pathologically unable to provide an adequate response. After the charter was adopted, Rogers began to seek funds, develop the curriculum, and select a suitable location for the institute. The Rogers Plan, as it is now known, was based on three principles: the educational value of useful knowledge, the need for learning through action, and the integration of the professional and human sciences. MIT pioneered the use of lab instructions. His philosophy is “learning is not about manipulations and instantaneous details of science that can only be applied in practice, but about knowledge and understanding of all the basic scientific principles with their explanations.” Because of the Civil War that began a few months later, the first classes at MIT were held only in 1865 in rented premises of a trading house in the suburbs of Boston.

Construction of MIT's first building in the Back Bay was completed in 1866 and was known as "Boston Tech" until the campus grew across the Charles River to Cambridge in 1916. Over the years, scientific and engineering training began to move away from Rogers' ideal and concentrated more on practical rather than theoretical subjects. Moreover, the institute faced financial problems and problems in recruiting faculty. MIT was so specialized that it was detrimental to other teaching. The “school up the river” sought a merger from the MIT administration; The original plan was canceled in 1900 due to protests from graduates of the institute. In 1914, the merger of MIT and Harvard's Department of Applied Science was officially announced, and was to begin "when the institution occupied its new luxurious buildings in Cambridge." However, in 1917, the merger with Harvard was canceled due to a state court decision.

Extension

The consolidation efforts described above occurred in parallel with MIT's outgrowth of the lecture and laboratory facilities of its building in Boston. After taking office in 1909, President Richard Maclaurin sought ways to expand the institute's territory. An anonymous donor—George Eastman, as it later turned out—gave funds to purchase miles of industrial land along the Cambridge side of the Charles River. By 1916, MIT finally moved into new stately buildings, designed in the neoclassical style, and remains there to this day. The new campus meant some changes to the stagnant curriculum; President Carl Taylor Compton and Vice President Vannivar Bush overhauled the program in 1930, increasing the importance of "real" sciences such as physics or chemistry and reducing time spent in workshops or drawing. Despite the challenges of the Great Depression, the reforms strengthened confidence in the institute's ability to maintain its leadership in science and engineering. As luck would have it, they also bolstered MIT's academic reputation on the eve of World War II, attracting scientists and researchers who would later make major contributions to the Radiation Laboratory, the Instrumentation Laboratory, and other military research programs.

MIT changed significantly as it became involved in military research during World War II. Bush—the institute's vice president and provost—became head of the National Defense Research Committee, which later became the Office of Scientific Research and Development, responsible for the Manhattan Project. Government-supported research provided a fantastic increase in the institute's research staff and physics laboratories, shifting the focus from undergraduate to graduate students. During the Cold War and Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s, there was growing concern about the technological gap between the United States and the Soviet Union. MIT's involvement in the country's military-industrial complex has become a source of pride on campus. However, in the late 60s and early 70s, students and faculty activists actively protesting against this research demanded that the administration of the institute allocate such laboratories into what became the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and the Lincoln Laboratory. The scale of these protests reflects the fact that MIT had more names on President Nixon's "enemies list" than any other organization; these people include the institute's president, Jerome Wiesner, and professor Noam Chomsky. Memos revealed during the Watergate scandal indicated that Nixon had cut federal appropriations to MIT because of "Wiesner's anti-defense view."

Trials and controversies

MIT has been nominally coeducational since 1870, when Ellen Swallow Richards was admitted. Female students, however, remained a small minority (several dozen could be counted) until the opening of the first women's residence hall, McCornick Hall, in 1964. Women made up 43% of all undergraduate and 29% of graduate students enrolled in 2005. Richards became the first female faculty member at MIT to specialize in environmental science. In 1998, MIT became the first major institution to recognize the existence of a systematic bias against women faculty and supported efforts to correct the situation. In 2003, the institute's news published a large number of quotes, from which it follows that the status of women has improved in recent years. In August 2004, Susan Hockfield, a molecular neuroscientist, was approved and became the first female president. She accepted office as the sixteenth president of the institute on December 6, 2004.

MIT was not free from other disagreements. In 1986, David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate, and his colleague Teresa Imanishi-Kari were accused of falsifying research results. This was followed by a congressional investigation that required Baltimore to decline his appointment as president of Rockefeller University, although Imanishi-Kari was cleared of the charge and became president of Coltec. In the mid-1980s, technology historian David F. Noble, who was not renewed, blamed MIT for his firing without cause while he was publishing several books and papers critical of MIT's relationships with corporations and the military. This case became public knowledge, raising the question of the extent to which a scientist has the right to freedom of speech. In 2000, Professor Ted Postol accused the MIT administration of trying to keep quiet about the falsification of research data at Lincoln Laboratory regarding a ballistic missile test; The investigation into this case has not yet been completed.

A large number of members of the MIT community are involved in free software, like Richard Stallman or Hal Abelson. The MIT student newspaper, MIT Tech, became the first newspaper on the web. In 2001, MIT announced that it planned to make a variety of course materials available as part of its OpenCourseWare project. Also, Nicholas Negroponte from the Media Lab is the head of the Laptop for Every Child initiative.

Positions and reputation

MIT is ranked number 2 among the world's top two hundred universities according to The Times (2005-2004): number 1 in technology and engineering and number 2 in science. The National Research Council, in a 1995 study of U.S. universities, ranked the institute number 1 in reputation and number 4 in citations and awards. The Lombardi Program for Measuring University Performance has consistently ranked MIT among the top 5 national universities since 2000, the program's inception.

MIT's chemistry, computer science, economics, engineering, mathematics and physics programs were each ranked No. 1 in the 2007 US News and World Report rankings. The School of Engineering has been consistently ranked No. 1 among undergraduate programs since the magazine first conducted its voting in 1988. The School of Management was ranked No. 2 for undergraduates and No. 4 among all MBA programs in the 2006 U.S. News rankings. The Washington Monthly ranked MIT number one in its ranking of colleges for applicants in 2005 and the same in 2006.

Cultural and student life

MIT has never given out honorary degrees; the only way to get a diploma is to earn it. In addition, the institute does not award athletic scholarships, degrees for outside work, or Latin honors upon graduation—the philosophy is that it is a great honor to graduate from MIT. The Institute sometimes issues, on rare occasions, honorary degrees to professors; Winston Churchill received this degree in 1949, Salman Rushdie in 1993. Staff and students can only be proud of themselves on the basis of intelligence and achievement, and professors often say that they rank students "in alphabetical order." Because of the pressures of science, MIT's culture is often characterized by a love-hate relationship. The school's informal motto is the acronym IHTFP ("I hate this fucking place, " "I have truly found paradise, " "Institute has the finest professors, " etc.)

In 1970, Institute of Relations President Benson R. Schneider published The Hidden Agenda, in which he argued that a host of assumptions and demands controlled the lives of MIT students and stifled their ability to think creatively. Schneider argues that unwritten rules often matter more than the “official program,” and this situation is not unique to MIT.

The values ​​of the institution influence the ethics of hackers. The term "hacker" and much of hacker culture comes from MIT, starting with TMRC and the AI ​​Lab in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The list of local hackers includes Richard Stallman and professors Gerald Jay Sussman and Tom Knight.

At MIT, the term "hack" has several meanings. "Hack" can mean physically exploring an area (often inside the campus, but sometimes outside) that is usually inaccessible - roofs and ventilation shafts. "Hack" also means well-prepared hands-on fun, not just clever technical wrestling.

The desire for anti-authoritarianism sometimes goes overboard in other forms. In 1977, two sophomore students, Susana Gilbert and Roxanne Ritchie, were disciplined for an article they published in MIT's alternative weekly on April 28. Titled "The MIT Young Man's Buyer's Guide," the article was a sexual study of 36 young men whom two girls decided to sleep with; all 36 were then ranked by their performance. Gilbert and Ritchie set out to revamp the ranking charts and photo books boys used to find girls, but their article led not only to disciplinary action, but also to a petition signed by two hundred protesting students and the conviction of President Jerome B. Wiesner. who published a vehement critique of the article. Another campus gaffe occurred when the traditional registration day movie was replaced with Star Wars in the late 1970s.

The suicide of student Elizabeth Shin in 2000 brought attention to suicide at MIT and led to controversy over whether MIT had an unusually high suicide rate. An article in the Boston Globe claims that students at the institute are far more likely to kill themselves than at twelve other comparable institutions, and quotes a psychiatrist who recognized "contagious suicides." Whether there really are more suicides at MIT is constantly debated; For example, a licensed clinical social worker wrote an article in the Psychiatric Times noting that “MIT has about the same suicide rate as the national average, given the school's overwhelmingly male staff.” In late 2001, an institute task force recommended improvements to mental health services. Chancellor Philip L. Clay announced that MIT will implement recommendations, including expanding staffing and hours at the mental health center.

MIT offers athletic programs in 41 collegiate-level sports. The institute teams are called “Engineers”, their mascot since 1914 is the beaver, “natural engineer”. (Or sometimes: “The beaver is an engineer among animals—MIT students are animals among engineers.”) Lester Gardner gave the following interpretation: “The beaver not only symbolizes technology, but its habits become our own. The beaver is remarkable for its engineering and mechanical abilities and habit of work. His habits belong to the evening. He does his best work at night." They compete in the NCAA Division III, New England Men's and Women's Athletic Associations, New England Soccer Association, NCAA Division I team and Western College Rowing Association. They competed on several big college teams in 1980, winning national and world championships.

MIT teams have won or placed at national championships in pistol shooting, track and field, cross-country running, fencing, and water polo. MIT also has a campus radio station, an annual mystery hunt during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and one of the oldest modern Western dance clubs in the country. The MIT Science Fiction Society has set itself the goal of amassing the world's largest publicly available collection of science fiction books in English. The MIT Symphony Orchestra records after supporting Daffyd Epstein in the 1970s. It has become a tradition that at each start of the LSC lecture series they watch a thirty-five-millimeter film from the 1970s, before the screening of which there is a collective sigh of “LSC ... sucks”; it can sometimes be heard in other theaters around Boston. They brought many famous speakers and entertainers, including the likes of Gary Larson, Weird Al Yankovic, and former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Despite the harsh New England winds, severe weather has caused MIT class cancellations only three times: the blizzard of 1978, the blizzard of 2003, and the blizzard of 2005.

Student accommodation

MIT guarantees hostel accommodation for four years for all students. The assigned team leader and commandant serve a dual role, assisting students and screening them for existing medical or psychological problems. Students are allowed to select their residence hall and floor prior to arriving on campus; As a result, different communities emerge among the living. Although the large number of residence halls provides a variety of housing options, the residence halls on and east of Massachusetts Avenue are stereotypically more accommodating of countercultural activities. Older residence halls like Bexley Hall and East Campus have a lot of latitude in decor, which in some cases includes wallpaper, trellises, pitch-black hallways, and wall aquariums.

Many undergrads choose to live in single-sex, single-sex, and mixed-sex communities, most of which are located across the river in MIT's historic Back Bay area. Until 2002, freshmen who received membership in these organizations could move there immediately, leaving the dormitory system. Following the death of Scott Krueger from alcohol in September 1997 as a newly minted member of Phi Gamma Delta, the institute began requiring all freshmen to live in residence halls.

Famous University Alumni

Nobel laureates

  • George Akerlof, PhD 1966 - Economics, 2001
  • Sydney Altman ( Sidney Altman), S.B. 1960 - Chemistry 1989
  • Kofi Annan, S.M. 1972 - UN Secretary General, World 2001
  • Elias James Corey Jr., S.B. 1948, Ph.D. 1951 - Chemistry 1990
  • Richard Feynman, S.B. 1939 - Physics 1965
  • Leland H. Hartwell, PhD 1964 - Medicine 2001
  • H. Robert Horvitz, SB 1968 - Medicine 2002
  • Henry Kendall, S.B. 1948, Ph.D. 1951 - Physics 1990
  • Lawrence Klein, PhD 1944 - Economics 1980
  • Robert B. Laughlin, PhD 1979 - Physics 1998
  • Murray Gell-Mann, Ph.D. 1951 - Physics 1969
  • Robert Merton, Ph.D. 1970 - Economics 1997
  • Robert S. Mulliken, S.B. 1917 - Chemistry 1966
  • Robert Mundell, Ph.D. 1956 - Economics 1999
  • Charles Pedersen ( Charles Pedersen), S.M. 1927 - Chemistry 1987
  • William D. Phillips, Ph.D. 1976 - Chemistry 1997
  • Burton Richter, S.B. 1952, Ph.D. 1956 - Physics 1976
  • Paul Samuelson - Economics 1970
  • John Schrieffer, S.B. 1953 - Physics 1972
  • Phillip Sharp Phillip Sharp - Medicine 1993
  • William Shockley, Ph.D. 1936 - Physics 1956
  • Joseph Stiglitz, PhD 1966 - Economics 2001
  • Carl E. Wieman, S.B. 1973 - Physics 2001
  • Frank Wilczek, Physics 2004
  • Robert B. Woodward, S.B. 1936 - Chemistry 1965

Famous university researchers

  • Hal Abelson - computer scientist
  • Manson Benedict - nuclear scientist
  • Stephen A. Benton - physicist
  • Emilio Bizzi - neurologist
  • George Boolos - philosopher and mathematician
  • Rodney Brooks - robotics and behavior researcher
  • Vannevar Bush - electrical engineer, inventor of the hypertext principle
  • Noam Chomsky - linguist
  • Morris Cohen - materials researcher
  • John Deutch - chemist
  • Peter Diamond - economist
  • Mildred Dresselhaus – physicist, computer scientist and electrical engineer
  • Harold E. Edgerton - photographer
  • Jerome Friedman - physicist
  • Morris Halle - linguist and psychologist
  • John Harbison
  • Alan Lightman - physicist and writer
  • Graham Lauren R. Graham Lauren R.) - professor, well-known specialist in the field of history of science of the USSR.
  • James Mason Crafts James Mason Crafts) - chemist
  • Chia-Chiao Lin - mathematician
  • John Little - Management Advisor
  • Francis Low - physicist
  • Thomas Magnanti - management advisor, computer scientist and electrical engineer

17-year-old Oleg Saitov from Ufa shares with Oncampus readers his experience of entering one of the most prestigious American universities - the Maccachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Find out the details of this, as well as very useful practical tips first hand. Hello everyone, my name is Oleg, I am 17 years old, and today I will tell you about the admission process to MIT.

When I entered MIT, I was surprised to discover that in RuNet there was not just a more or less edible “success story” related to admission to MIT, but in general at least some kind of guide to entering top American universities on your own.

Especially for undergraduate studies. I thought, “Well, I guess I’ll have to write to me.” I will try to convey the information in the most understandable way.

Start

I wanted to enter MIT about a year and a half ago at the beginning of the tenth grade, but for the time being this intention seemed just an unattainable dream, an ideal. Then I knew only approximate requirements, in the spirit of “you need to pass, there, SAT, TOEFL, uh... what else?”

At one point I really asked the question - what else? In September I visited the site MyMIT (www.my.mit.edu/uaweb/login.htm) - a site that accepts applications for admission. I read the information, it was not there - I decided to register.

The registration process took me about twenty minutes, after which I, terribly happy with my first step, began to wait for the interviewer to be assigned.

After registering for MyMIT, you must be assigned an Educational Counselor (EC) to interview you. If you are not assigned an EC, you should email the admissions office.I was assigned an EC ten minutes after registering and, oh my God, he turned out to be Russian! Kirill, if you are reading this, I say hello to you.

I I began to more carefully re-read the information on the website regarding the requirements for applicants. They are as follows: In any case, you must take two SAT Subject Tests: one in mathematics and one in the science discipline: physics/chemistry/biology. You must also choose one of three exams to choose from: SAT, ACT or TOEFL.

A little about exams

SAT or Scholastic Assessment Test- a standardized test that is accepted by almost all American universities. Consists of three parts: Math, Critical Reading and Writing. For each you can get up to 800 points, usually taken as the sum of all three parts.

Renting it in Russia costs about 90-100 USD. SAT Subject Tests - tests on specific subjects, about twenty subjects in total. Consists of 40-100 questions at the level of parts A and B, which must be answered in an hour. You can also score up to 800 points. Five answer options, all in English, of course.

Regarding subjects required at MIT: Mathematics comes in two levels: Level 1 is designed for knowledge of statistics and combinatorics, Level 2 is designed for knowledge of trigonometry, stereometry, logarithms, and principles of analysis.

There are 50 questions per hour. Physics - 75 questions per hour, you need to take into account that the American approach to teaching is different from ours. Biology is also divided into two types: Ecological and Molecular. I can judge them only by their name. I'm also not familiar with chemistry. For two tests: Math Level 2 and Physics - I spent 78 USD. Hosted by CollegeBoard.

TOEFL- a test for knowledge of the English language, in this case we take only the Internet-Based Test. Consists of four parts, for each you can get up to 30 points: Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing. The maximum, respectively, is 120 points. There is a lot of information about TOEFL on the Internet that you can find yourself. Taking the TOEFL costs 250 USD. Organizers: ETS.

ACT- some kind of esoteric alternative to the SAT. Don't give him up, guys. In addition to the exams, you must submit two letters of recommendation: one from a humanities teacher, one from a math or science teacher.

You should also have your head teacher or principal fill out the Secondary School Report - this is your grade point average (GPA) and a questionnaire that evaluates you according to various criteria. Also in your application for admission, you must write two essays (100 words) and three essays (250 words) about yourself on specific topics.

Deadline- January 1, 23:59 EST. In general, there are two deadlines: November 1 and January 1, but take your time, my little applicants: the November 1 deadline is only available to US citizens. Well, Canada, sort of.

It must be said that in most top American universities deadlines range from December 1 to January 3. At mid-level universities, deadlines are much more democratic. Now let's talk about everything in order.

Interview and registration for exams

6 September. Panic. At the time I thought the deadline was November 1st, and registration for the last available SAT date of October 7th seems to close on September 7th.

I was afraid that I would have to take exams in a month, but then I read everything and my heart was relieved.I decided not to pull the cat by the tail and immediately wrote to my interviewer.

He responded by saying that he was busy with other things for now, and it would be possible to sign up for an interview in October. In the meantime, I decided to deal with the exams. I decided to take TOEFL and SAT Math II/Physics.

A very important digression for those entering the States

One very important point needs to be noted here. I only applied to MIT, ignoring other universities. Only later did I understand the recklessness of my action.

If you intend to enroll in several top universities at once, then you should take into account that MIT has a fairly logical policy for choosing tests for foreigners. Many other universities don't have it. Caltech, for example, requires both the SAT and TOEFL, and so do most universities. On the other hand, you can get into Princeton without the SAT at all (though if you do that, I will erect a monument to you, but this possibility still exists).

Despite the fact that my English was pretty good, I had to go to a TOEFL tutor for the first time in my life. Surprisingly, my English has improved significantly since then. My confidence has especially increased. I would recommend that you find a specialist one way or another.

September and Octoberpassed quite quickly, I went to a tutor once a week, completed a large number of TOEFL assignments, and scored on the subject SATs, considering them to be elementary. This is also my mistake, the consequences of which I will discuss below.

I decided that I would take the SAT Subject Tests on December 1 in Moscow, and the TOEFL on December 22 in Ufa. I contacted the interviewer and we agreed on November 11th. The interview was via Skype and lasted an hour and a half. The interview is conducted by MIT graduate students, so it consists of two parts: the first half of the time you answer questions about yourself, the second half of the time you answer questions about MIT.

The interview went smoothly and I was told the report would be good. I was happy as an elephant. Meanwhile, December approached.

Exams

I spent two months preparing for the TOEFL, and only on November 27 did I turn my attention to the SAT. And I got desperate because it wasn't easy at all. Yes, the questions were tolerable, but there were too many of them.

I found a wonderful site that I recommend to you -SparkNotes (www.sparknotes.com/testprep/)- on this site you can immediately take several SAT, GRE, GMAT tests, see your results and their in-depth analysis.

I was unlucky enough to get sick then, and for the remaining three days I tormented this site, squeezing everything I could out of it. I must say that the first attempts at mathematics and physics were not particularly great - 670 points in each subject.

On the second attempt, I wrote mathematics at 780 points, but I could not get physics above 710. I started a special notebook in which I analyzed each of my mistakes and looked for solutions.

Test day.You had to take with you a printed Admission Ticket, a passport and, just in case, a foreign passport, and go to MUM at 7:45 in the morning (a barn for majors on Leningradsky Prospekt, where Luzhkov is the dean of the Faculty of Management of Large Cities, lol).

The problem is that I had to get there from the Minsk highway, and besides, I didn’t even know where it was. When I arrived at the Belorussky Station, I realized what a terrible pile of buildings Moscow is, I “fell out of love” with it that day.

We arrived, there were probably thirty or forty people there. Everyone was quite knowledgeable, which made me depressed in my sleep, but then it turned out that almost all the people there were Muscovites who were taking the SAT more than once because they had already screwed up.

And it was a pretty cool feeling, but it only came to me after the test, and during the exam I wasn’t myself.

How the exam works

You are seated in classrooms, given books with tests in all subjects and forms in which you can write up to three tests. You can change the list of subjects on the day of the test, unlike the Unified State Exam.

You listen to the instructions, fill out the forms, then one by one you mark the subjects you are passing, the timer starts, you open the book in the right place and write the test. The book is a draft. They will give you pencils there.

The calculator can only be used for mathematics, but it can be the most sophisticated, you can even use graphical ones like TI-86.The hour is over - you leave the classroom for a break. If you are afraid to fill out the form during the test, leave five minutes to spare.

I was already burned so badly: I didn’t have time to fill in the circles in mathematics, and they barely, with begging, allowed me to fill out the form in physics. I went out and was shaking all over, although I am usually calm. I thought I had failed physics and was hoping for math.

The results were due on December 20th and it was a very nerve-wracking three weeks. In the end, the results came. I was the happiest person on Earth! My results: SAT Subject Math Level 2 - 800 and Physics - 760.

Some statistics.Most MIT students score between 760 and 800 in math and between 740 and 800 in science. I fit into these indicators more than perfectly. It's up to TOEFL. I took the TOEFL on December 22 in Ufa.

After an hour of waiting in a cold auditorium, I again became terribly nervous. I was very worried about Speaking because I don't know how to answer these questions quickly - this is a problem for me.

I won’t go into detail, but I’ll just say that I also thought I failed the TOEFL and scored 60 on it. To enter MIT, you must write a TOEFL score of at least 90 points, the recommended score is more than a hundred.

4 January my results arrived, and I was dumbfounded again: Overall score - 104, Reading -29, Listening - 28, Speaking - 22, Writing - 25. My chances of admission were growing rapidly.

The New Year was inexorably approaching, and, therefore, the deadline, and I had neither the essay nor the recommendations ready. I had a very awkward situation with the recommendations.

I asked for them at the beginning of December, they agreed to give them to me, then they sharply refused at the behest of the left heel, and then, already in the twenties, they took back their words. In general, by the end of December I had no recommendations. To be honest, I had to write it myself.

However, the problem was that they had to be sent on the official letterhead of the educational institution, and I did not have time to do them before the building of my lyceum was sealed. Thus, I was left without a recommendation, but, fortunately for me, the deadline for documents was extended until the first of February!

I immediately ran to the lyceum when it opened and did everything. They did write one recommendation to me, and the second was approved by its “author.”

At the same time, it was necessary to fill out an application for admission. I'll tell you a little about the essays that were required to be written, the best art of writing essays for MIT is described in the article by Chris S.Show, Don't Tell! (www.mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/show_dont_tell_the_college_ess)

For those who are too lazy to read the article

For MIT, you must write two extended answers to two 100-word questions and three 250-word essays. The first essay is essentially about something you do for fun.

I wrote about drawing epic pictures and the desire to become like Toshihiro Egawa, but there were absolutely enchanting essays, for example, one person wrote about how he tries methods for treating myopia. In the second essay, you should write which major at MIT is closest to your heart and why. Hello Electrical Engineering And Computer Science!

The first essay is the feature of your personality that most appeals to you. Here I was simply in a stupor, I will not say what I wrote about. The second essay requires you to describe your environment, your everyday life, and how they influenced your aspirations and dreams.

The last essay is the biggest test of your life. You can also describe some situation in life when something did not go according to plan, but you took it and somehow corrected everything. I started writing the essay on December thirtieth and finished at five o’clock in the morning on January second, so the most important advice is:Never leave everything to the last minute!

At this point, all I needed to do was submit my half-year grades. I did this and thus my application for admission was complete.

Financial issue

Probably, those who have not yet fallen asleep at this point are concerned precisely with the issue of paying for training. The cost of tuition with accommodation on campus this year was57,010 USD, 42,000 of which goes towards tuition and the remaining fifteen goes towards campus, books and food.

I must say that I come from an ordinary family, so I don’t have that kind of money. In truth, MIT was a relevant issue for me only with 100% financial aid, which could be obtained - difficult, but possible.

To qualify for financial aid at MIT, you need to do a few things:

  1. Complete your CSS Profile at Collegeboard.org. It costs 25 USD.
  2. Send a letter from parents' employers with information about income. With a notarized translation, of course.
  3. If your parents are divorced, complete the form for the parent who does not live with you.

I filled out the CSS Profile, but didn't meet the deadline for the rest. I decided that if I entered, they would allow me to send the rest. And a month of waiting came...

Letter

At night eighth of MarchI received a rather interesting letter in the mail stating that the results will be published on March 14 in my personal account on the university website.

I immediately followed the link and made sure the system was working. But I lost the screen. And then day X came - everything was to become known on March 15 at 3:28 Ufa time, everyone wished me good luck, but I was in a slightly apathetic state, they say, I did everything I could, come what may.

Today, March 15, I accidentally woke up at 4:50, immediately went to the website and found out that I didn’t get in. That's all the return for my efforts. I think I had a good chance, but it didn't work out.

However, to my own surprise, I am not too upset. After all, this is a great experience, besides, now I have the opportunity to tell you about admission and, perhaps, encourage you to new achievements. I sincerely congratulate you, those five to ten lucky students from the CIS who entered MIT!

Finally, I want to leave a small list of tips for those applying to top American universities:

  1. Always apply to multiple universities. A backup option in this case is simply necessary.
  2. If possible, take both TOEFL and SAT.
  3. Be careful and don't worry.
  4. Never, ever leave submitting documents until the last minute.
  5. To avoid problems, do not spoil your relationship with your teachers. They can ruin your whole picture.
  6. Please fill out all forms carefully and correctly. This is especially true for Finnish people. help.
  7. Believe and you will succeed.

Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Yale, MIT are universities that, in the minds of the average applicant, are in a different reality: with green lawns, wise professors, ancient libraries and tidy campuses. T&P found out how much tuition costs, what the admission procedure looks like, and what requirements the world's top universities have for applicants. In the new issue - a techie's dream - MIT.

What people come to MIT for is the sea of ​​scientific opportunities that exist for students from the very first year. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program allows undergraduates to search for an interesting research topic and join a working group at any stage. This program allows students to gain research experience and by the age of twenty have several publications co-authored with famous scientists. Approximately 60% of students participate in it, and by the end of their studies their number reaches approximately 89%.

Document submission deadline

You must create an account on the site no later than November 1 or January 1, depending on which stream you are submitting documents in.

Admission procedure

MIT has high language requirements. TOEFL results are accepted: paper version - minimum 577 points (recommended 600 or more), computer version - minimum 90 points (recommended 100 or more). IELTS results are not accepted.

Entrance tests

SAT is a standardized assessment test for US college admissions - in two disciplines: one in mathematics and the other in the natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology).

To enroll, you need to pass a test (each program has its own), send an application and pass an interview. The interview can be done at the institute itself or via Skype. Mandatory tests are TOEFL and SAT. International and U.S. students complete the same paperwork when applying: first create an account on the MIT website, then complete the first application, which must include biographical information. After this, the next part of the application is filled out, containing an essay about yourself, information about the disciplines that the applicant has studied. Applicants will also need three letters of recommendation: two from school teachers (a teacher in the field of exact or natural sciences and a teacher in the humanities) and a school psychologist. The test results must be received by the university in an official way - from the agencies that conducted these exams. The next step is an interview. This step is not mandatory, but statistics show that those who agreed to be interviewed are more likely to be students at the institute (about 10% of the total) compared to those who refused to be interviewed (about 1% of them are selected). You can also attach your portfolio or some additional material to your application that demonstrates the candidate’s special talents, but the admissions committee advises you to carefully weigh your chances, as sometimes this only harms the candidate.

Leading areas

Physics, chemistry, engineering, astronomy, information technology and others. The institute offers education in one of 46 bachelor's programs. The most popular school is engineering, 60% of students enroll here. The second most popular is scientific, about 20% of students study here. It was this school that produced the most Nobel laureates (32) in the United States over the past 20 years. The largest bachelor's programs are electronic engineering and computer science, mechanical engineering, physics, biology and mathematics.

Cost of education

In the 2014-2015 academic year, the average cost for an undergraduate student was $62,946. Of this: $46,400 - tuition fees, $13,730 - accommodation and food expenses, $2,816 - literature and personal expenses.

Available Grants

MIT is an expensive institution, one of the few that considers applications from students regardless of whether they can afford tuition. The policy is this: if a student can get into MIT, then the money will be found for tuition. For example, last year, 91% of undergraduate students received scholarships totaling $129.7 million from various sources. The scholarship may be partial, basic or full.