MIT Axes the 500-Word Application Essay 441
netbuzz writes "No longer will those applying to MIT have to write the storied 'long' essay — long as in 500 words. 'We wanted to remove that larger-than-life quality to that one essay and take away a bit of the high-stakes nature of that one piece,' says the dean of admissions. Not everyone agrees with the bow to brevity, including a current MIT student who penned a scathing critique in The Tech and offers up her own essay as an example of what the form can provide to both MIT and the applicant." [125 words, including these.]
Coming soon to MIT: Apply Via Twitter (Score:5, Funny)
I had my two word essay planned, too (Score:5, Funny)
"Frist post!"
Re:Coming soon to MIT: Apply Via Twitter (Score:5, Funny)
They can ... (Score:1, Funny)
That essay provided bugs me. (Score:5, Funny)
The world I come from is full of oak trees and rain, warm cats on cold nights, and raucous college parties across the street. The sky over my home matches the grey in my eyes; the barbed wire fence around Lake Sequoyah is commemorated eternally by the disfiguration of my left hip.
Am i the only one who puked at that?
I wouldn't have... (Score:5, Funny)
Per tradition, I carefully avoided reading the fine article. And then you come along and toss that nauseous paragraph at me anyway.
Re:Coming soon to MIT: Apply Via Twitter (Score:5, Funny)
RT @MITadmissions @masmullin sorry rejected #fail
That's not the worse part (Score:2, Funny)
Here's what the writer said. Note that she got into MIT.
"I still feel that it's one of the most creative, introspective, and thoughtful pieces I have ever written, and I sure couldn't have done it in 250 words."
WTF.
Who told them? (Score:3, Funny)
Just asking... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Funny)
The world needs more diverse, creative types who can communicate with everyone else. - people who can write. They serve as a bridge between the fierce logicians of the world to whom everything is a computation.
And to invent the jump to conclusions mat.
Writing skills not required (Score:1, Funny)
In my career of twenty years as a software developer I have yet to be asked to write an essay. The closest I have come to that is a few comment blocks is source code that nobody reads. I'm not saying that reading and writing skill aren't useful, just not applicable to my job.
Re:Writing skills not required (Score:2, Funny)
so, what's the weather in India like this time of year?
Re:That's not the worse part (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Just asking... (Score:5, Funny)
Do you get extra points if your essay begins with the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night." [bulwer-lytton.com]?
Yep! Another favorite is:
"I put on my robe and wizard hat..."
Re:Writing skills not required (Score:1, Funny)
In my career of twenty years as a software developer I have yet to be asked to write an essay. The closest I have come to that is a few comment blocks is source code that nobody reads. I'm not saying that reading and writing skill aren't useful, just not applicable to my job.
In my career of twenty years as a understudy I have yet to be asked to do live acting. The closest I have come to that is a few rehearsals that nobody watches. I'm not saying that acting skills aren't useful, just not applicable to my job.
Re:That essay provided bugs me. (Score:4, Funny)
Well, yes. Maybe not recognizable as such, since heat can denature the proteins in the cell walls. If we are being that pedantic, I'll argue that since the cow is made up of molecules derived from grass, air and water, hamburgers are an acceptable part of a vegan diet.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:2, Funny)
obligatory old parody (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Who told them? (Score:4, Funny)
Who did they axe about this?
Whom did they axe.
(... no, that's too subtle, the mods will never work it out. In any case, I'm pretty sure that MIT would "ax" rather than "axe".)
Re:Just asking... (Score:5, Funny)
Do you get extra points if your essay begins with the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night."?
That's nothing. You should see the entrance essays to get into Westpoint. They have to begin "I am the very model of a modern major general"
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Funny)
You put them out in the wilderness with no food and water. If they make it home alive, you take them both. If one eats the other to survive it's an epic fail ;-)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:That essay provided bugs me. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Funny)
The alternative is hiring competent middle managers that doesn't judge ideas based on presentation?
I think this has been tried already but they were all fired the next week by the upper level of management who couldn't stand their smugness.
Remember to tighten your ties, the more starved for oxygen your brain cells are, the easier it is to deal with corporate culture.
Re:Well, there's more applicable tests..... (Score:2, Funny)
And something similar happened with me after my A-Levels in England. The A-Levels (university admittance exams; 'A' for advanced) were the real test of one's technical knowledge, but the S-Levels (Scholarship) were really a little bit different and were their for those _expected_ to get A grades in the A-Level. These were about _interpretation_. Two questions I remember from my biology: "Dogs would be better with wheels. Discuss" and "Describe the biological response in your response to this statement to this statement".
And lapped that sort of open-endedness right up.
Re:I wouldn't have... (Score:3, Funny)
Your fault, for still reading the comments. While nowadays everyone else just reads the subjects, and then post an answer. But we're planning to also change the comment language to perl, and make it write-only.
Keep up with the times!
Re:And why should they care? (Score:4, Funny)
I'll take a brilliant engineer who knows how to communicate difficult concepts (such as "why I should get into MIT instead of some other valedictorian") over a brilliant engineer who does not know how to communicate every time.
So will employers of brilliant engineers, by the way.
And remember, MIT isn't only looking for who's the smartest, but who's going to make it to graduation without a) killing himself, b) killing one or more of his classmates, c) killing a member of the faculty or staff.
I say keep the essay.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Funny)
I'm sure that a post in slashdot isn't going to make them change their policy. Since MIT has now removed the 500 word essay, it seems that it might not be a good way to measure the "drive, ambition, etc.". It seems to me that such an essay helps just as little in determining these important attributes as the xkcd capcha [xkcd.com] in differentiating humans and computers. With a little help anyone can write 500 words of bullshit like the "great" essay in the article.
I think the most important argument against the use of subjective measurements like these is that they can be used to pervert the selection system.
Here's my sample essay (in 33 words):
My dad is the CEO of Big Corp and is willing to donate millions to the university I'll be attending. So you see that I'm a very good candidate for MIT.
I agree that skills other than pure math are important for success in a top engineering school; test for those, but don't put people ahead of others because the say they're motivated.
Re:obligatory old parody (Score:3, Funny)
Summary: "I am Chuck Norris".