While oldheads are out here complaining about TikTok this and ChatGPT that, the truth is that some things about adolescence never change. For example, applying to college has always caused high school seniors a significant amount of stress. And young, eager college hopefuls have always wondered if demonstrating interest — if finding a way to show how much they really care — would make it just a little bit easier to get into their dream school.
In short, the answer is no. But, if you’re panicking, wait — that’s good news, we promise! Here’s why.
MIT’s Policy
MIT, like most other top-tier colleges, has recently (finally) disclosed whether they use data on demonstrated interest during their application review process. And this just in: they don’t give a darn! Or, if we’re going to go the verbatim route, what they actually report in their common data set is that “level of applicant's interest” is “not considered.”
In fact, they don’t parse words at all on the “About MIT Admissions” fact page, which states that they seek to be transparent with prospective students about what they’re looking for and “avoid any unnecessary complexities or hidden preferences.” There’s a footnote here. Yes! They footnoted their own FAQ page, and what you’ll find at the end of the page is money. Here’s their useful, albeit fun and sassy, addendum: “6. For example, we don't care if you apply Early or Regular, we don't consider demonstrated interest, we're need-blind, and so on.” Heck yeah. Say no more, MIT!
What This Means for You
You don’t need to worry about doing a bunch of little things that waste your time and do nothing to add to your understanding of the school or enjoyment of life. In that category we put: stalking admissions reps (I mean, don’t do this anyway), worrying about social media engagement, and interacting with the MIT website just in case someone is tracking IP addresses.
However, that does not mean that you should stop learning about MIT. We (and MIT admissions) are simply saying that no one is logging this data and evaluating your behavior, so you can let go of the pressure to do things because of “how it looks.” It’s still incredibly important that you research MIT deeply so you confirm that it will best help you develop yourself academically and make progress toward your goals.
MIT has made this as achievable as possible, and they were leading the effort amongst organizations of higher education to prioritize egalitarian admissions. We pulled a sentence before, but they had a lot to say in their own words about the importance of providing comprehensible information to all future students.
“For us, accessible means that anyone should be able to understand how to apply to MIT, be able to complete an application, and, if admitted, be able to afford to attend. To do this, describe our admissions process, in print and online, in as comprehensive and comprehensible a manner as we can. We are as transparent about our work as possible: we tell you what we are looking for, publish admissions statistics, and avoid any unnecessary complexities or hidden preferences.”
What Should I Do?
Well, for starters, you should take advantage of all the resources MIT has made available to you. The more you know about MIT, the better you can focus your own energy or resources. Perhaps you find that MIT isn’t the best place for your studies, and that’s fine! Rather than wasted time, that research represents a useful redirection that points you toward a school that’s a better fit and prevents you from wasting an application fit.
The other possibility is that you confirm your belief that MIT is the place where you can become your best self and launch your future career. If that’s the case, a deep dive arms you with the data that says so. Your future application will show admissions that you’ve done the work and have concrete reasons why you’d be a uniquely good catch for MIT, and it will have the personal anecdotes and genuine feeling that make an essay personable, interesting, and believable.
So, what should you do? Focus on that part!
If you need help switching focus from demonstrated interest to stellar essays, contact us today.