How to Write the MIT Essays

Your answer to prompt #1 should include a clear reason(s) for why the selected field of study appeals to you, as well as how it connects to your personal, academic, and/or professional pursuits. Include specific examples of courses and/or related academic opportunities (e.g., study abroad programs, field work opportunities, senior projects, internships, etc.) offered by MIT that are of interest to you and explain how they will aid in your pursuits. Finally, research relevant MIT student organizations and/or local Boston-area organizations that will similarly help you achieve your goals. Ultimately, your answer should demonstrate that you want to pursue a particular field of study specifically at MIT—not just at any college. Given that the word count is relatively low, you should be concise in your explanations. Note that you should seek to engage with the specific examples in a creative manner rather than simply listing them out. Also, note that MIT does not necessarily offer every field of study listed as a major (or even minor), so be sure to connect your interests to a relevant course of study if the connection is not immediately evident.

Linguistics (from dropdown menu)

As an avid language learner and prospective ESL teacher, I am excited to explore the intersection between language acquisition and cognition at MIT. Through Linguistics courses such as Laboratory in Psycholinguistics, as well as the Scheller Teacher Education Program, I hope to enrich my understanding of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and its real-life applications while also learning about relevant pedagogical practices. Given MIT’s strong theoretical and practical foundations in psycholinguistics and STEP’s focus on research-driven educational tools, I’m confident that studying Linguistics at MIT will prepare me to develop effective ESL resources for my future students.

The activity you choose does not necessarily have to relate to your academic or professional pursuits, although you can certainly choose to write about a related activity if applicable. Most importantly, you should demonstrate and engage with a specific quality or value that characterizes you through the activity rather than just describing the activity itself. This can range from what motivates you, how you’ve personally grown from the activity, how you problem-solve, etc.

Like many people, I started out as a quarantine baker. In the past two years, however, my passion has turned into what my mom dubs “science experiments.”

I’m most proud of my banana chia trail mix bread, which has transformed from a simple chocolate chip banana bread into a Frankenstein-looking creation (that thankfully still tastes great). To account for my mom’s diabetes, I’ve had to constantly ruminate over how to tweak the recipe. How can I replace the chocolate chips? Will coconut sugar affect taste? Is gluten-free flour less likely to spike blood sugar?

As I’ve hypothesized my way through these trials and errors, I’ve racked up our grocery bills buying almost every ingredient available at the store. Despite my mom’s consternation, when I present her with my newest experiment and see the smile on her face as she digs in to her heart’s content, it’s worth it.

Use this space to dive into a specific anecdote and explain how it has shaped you, whether it’s what you want to major in, what you want to pursue as a career, or how you think about the world. You can start with a mundane experience—it doesn’t necessarily need to be big or life-changing—as long as you clearly explain how it affected you and changed your perspective and/or resolve to do something.

When I was 9 years old, I listened to my dad tell my great-grandmother that my grandmother had fully recovered from leukemia. In reality, we had just laid my grandmother to rest earlier that afternoon.

For years, that memory stuck with me. Had lying been the right thing to do, to let my great-grandmother happily live out the rest of her life thinking that her daughter was alive and well? Or would it have been better to have told her the truth and let her come to terms with reality, even though it would have broken her heart?

Since then, I’ve noticed that my dad will go to great lengths to maintain a lie if it means everyone will be happy. I, on the other hand, have aspired to always tell the truth, no matter how ugly it is. Whether it’s by telling my doctor parents that I don’t want to follow in their footsteps because I want to become a teacher instead, or by telling one of my ESL students that I know they could live up to their full potential if only they were a little more open to making mistakes, I’m guided every day by my belief that telling the truth will end up being better in the long run—for myself and for others around me.

Here, you can describe a challenge (whether physical or mental) that you overcame in collaboration with others. This question helps the admissions committee understand how you react to challenges and difficult situations, as those moments often reveal a person’s true values and character. Be careful to be neither too self-deprecating nor too arrogant in your response to this question — it’s okay to admit weakness, but be sure to emphasize how you grew or learned from this moment. Ideally, your response to this question should combine an anecdote with introspection and reflection. Most importantly, explain how your previous experience will allow you to better contribute to your community at MIT.

At 10 AM sharp every Sunday, I eagerly wait for my Cantonese language exchange partner Allen to enter the Zoom room. Across the 13-hour time difference between New York and Hong Kong, we’ve met weekly for almost three years and discussed anything and everything that comes to mind, from parental expectations to our deepest fears.

In the beginning, I used to dread Sundays. As a U.S.-born heritage speaker of Cantonese, I knew I was making mistakes left and right every time I opened my mouth. As Allen and I continued to meet, however, my clumsy missteps were all met with a smile and a gentle correction, saying an incorrect word changed from something I was fearful of to something that I appreciated—and, sometimes, even found fun. In the end, what better way to learn a language than to make mistakes? (Nothing is more mortifying, yet simultaneously motivating, than confusing window for brothel and proceeding to say that you want to re-paint your brothel).

Whether in my weekly language exchange or in my interactions with the diverse community of MIT Engineers, I hope to continue openly communicating with others regardless of our different backgrounds, powering through any potential “mistakes,” misunderstandings, or awkward situations with the intent to use them all as learning experiences.

Admissions readers are looking for a deep dive into your personality and thought process as you had to face this unexpected situation or challenge. As you answer this prompt, don’t be afraid to be honest and vulnerable, but be mindful not to overshare. Ultimately, you should describe not only how you reacted to the situation/challenge, but also what you learned from it, as well as how you will apply that to your future endeavors (whether personal, academic, professional, or all of the above). Ideally, you should choose something that is uncommon and does not fall into cliches—try to come up with an experience that is unique to you! Finally, strive to connect the experience to how you will contribute to the MIT community.

“Me llamo Ella y estoy en mi tercer año de secundaria.”

This sentence haunted me for weeks.

During my junior year, I decided to take Spanish as an elective. However, it was with no shortage of embarrassment that I had to introduce myself as a junior—amongst 20+ freshmen.

Every look of surprise became yet another hit to my self-esteem. Why is she taking Spanish 1? Is she just really bad at Spanish? In the worst moments, I even considered dropping the class.

I knew, however, that I couldn’t let my anxieties eclipse the rewards I would glean from learning a new language—I just had to own it. We were all conjugating ir and haber incorrectly anyway. What mattered most was that I was still trying. Who cared if I was older by a few years?

Now, whenever I volunteer as an English tutor for adult immigrants through Bridges, my goal is to encourage my students by sharing my experience of feeling like I was lagging behind my peers. Although our motivations for language learning aren’t necessarily the same, one thing we have in common is the belief that trying to learn a new language is no less rewarding just because you’re a little older–and a little wiser–than the rest.