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.]
word quota (Score:4, Insightful)
Has anyone considered that requiring a minimum length for an essay does not improve the quality of the essay? If a student can't create a convincing and well thought out essay without such a restriction, then I would think that it shows a flaw in their writing ability.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Care to suggest how they differentiate between the thousands of applicants with both grades and standardized testing scores smashed up against the limits of the scales? Along that point, how do you pick the kid who's going to make MIT look good rather than hiding out in a room in Baker for four years? They need to lean heavily on the more subjective portions of the application like the essays and work portfolios in order to get any sort of meaningful picture of the applicant. That's also why this move makes perfect sense, splitting up the essay gets them a view from different angles without sacrificing any depth. After all, the 500 word essays didn't have any depth to begin with, and a 125 word essay is less likely to get polished to death by outside help.
This can go both ways. (Score:5, Insightful)
Word count was NEVER indicative of writing skill.
I have seen 15 page reports that were an eyesore to read through. On the other hand, some of the most touching and enjoyable writing I've had the pleasure of coming across were only a few words.
With that said, this change could be looked at from two angles. The first is more acute, in that essays will now be judged on a much higher level than previous ones. MIT was always known as the creative school, and its students are largely responsible for that title. Therefore, they should be able to meet this challenge, which really isn't any more challenging than a longer essay would be.
Conversely, it can be argued that MIT is lowering their standards to appeal to a more "fleeting" generation. "The kids" now have Twitter, and AIM is pretty well-saturated in their environment. 500 words in a world where txtspk (that's textspeak to you old farts :-p) rules the roost? Are you mad? Think of the children!!!
Either way, if a prospective student really wants to get into MIT (or any other prestigious institution, for that matter), they will find the way. This is hardly the deterrant to that.
By the way, 500 words is HARDLY lengthy. For some essays, that's a warmup. For some research reports, that's the introductory statement. Talk to me when we're at six page minimums, mmkay?
sickening (Score:1, Insightful)
Good night. I just read the example essay and I think I puked in my mouth a little bit there. So much banal "I love life and I'm nerdy, tee hee" drivel, piled layer upon layer, with no coherent structure. Why is this student proud of it at all?
If anything, I would say it justifies the decision to remove the essay quite well.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not like you're going for a liberal arts degree there - grades and standardized testing scores are what matter at MIT. What you wrote in an essay's hardly going to influence what you do in a technical environment like that.
Which is incredibly short-sighted. 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.
I work in software, I am a tech writer. I find myself working with incredibly smart, talented people who often work next to each other and yet never talk to each other. So I end up acting as the catalyst in order to get anything accomplished. But it works.
I like to think good writers work as a creative lubricant between the anti-social and brilliant. Maybe MIT could use a few more of those types. Of course since I applied to MIT years back and wasn't accepted, maybe this is just the rejected ego talking.
Also, considering that more than 60% of the population are probably foreign, it might help to have a couple native English speakers there. Just my jingoistic opinion.
Also, 500 words is not a long essay. And standardized tests and grades are a poor judge of talent.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:4, Insightful)
That said, a first come, first served system would be appropriate when determine who gets accepted when scores are identical.
Essay (Score:5, Insightful)
I read that essay, and I can't see what would a better examle for removing the essay requirement than that essay itself.
Full of artificial, decorative use of language, presenting trivial details as meaningful by using way too many words to describe them, expressing unoriginal, standardized opinions in a supposedly creative way. It's bad enough when a journalist pads his writing with such nonsense, I certainly don't want to work with another engineer whose primary outstanding skill is writing of such garbage.
If I was asked to write an essay on such a topic, my answer would be:
I was a nigger.
Fortunately where I studied the school has a proper admission procedure -- that is, a sequence of tests with complex problems in varios areas of Math and Physics, interview, and if I remember correctly, minimal essay designed to test applicant's ability to express things. That was, of course, not in US.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Granted. But what good is a world-class education in research if one lacks aptitude in communication? The greatest insight is useless if its discoverer cannot appropriately convey it.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Insightful)
I re-read my old college entrance essay, and I'm horribly shocked anyone at all accepted me!
Especially Carnegie Mellon . . . must have been my technical skills =P
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
What you wrote in an essay's hardly going to influence what you do in a technical environment like that.
Yeah, cause creativity and communications skills contribute nothing to technical accomplishments, right? I've worked with people who think this way. The smallest issue takes three emails and a face to face meeting to resolve because it never occurs to them that how they write actually matters. Having skills and interests outside of your field makes you smarter within your field, and easier to work with too.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
As in a job interview, the criteria for accepting an applicant for college isn't going to reliably measure potential, ability, or intelligence.
It's really a crap shoot hidden behind a facade of plausible but ineffective practices.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Honestly. She's not that good.
On her blog she writes,
I liked my essay every bit as much as I remembered I did, so I thought I'd post it on here. I must say again, this is a piece I am awfully proud of... Word count: 447. Couldn't have done it in less.
Emphasis on the "Couldn't have done it in less."
Please. She starts her essay with a sentence reminiscent of a dark and stormy night,
The world I come from is full of oak trees and rain, warm cats on cold nights, and raucous college parties across the street.
And continues to non-inform us of anything but her ability to fill space,
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.
And she concludes her first paragraph with a phrase cleverly coined yet meaningless for all but one,
My world is eight friends in a bed meant for two, the hidden tunnels of the mall, and semi-weekly trips to ogle gadgets at Best Buy.
I could go on, but I've been terribly bored.
Her essay could easily have been summed up in 250 words. She has demonstrated that she can connect subjects and verbs and direct objects in an acceptably understandable way. Mission accomplished. But she certainly did not need a 500 word limit.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
For concrete ways to downsize essays like hers, refer to the Elements of Style [bartleby.com].
My favorite quote from the book,
Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:4, Insightful)
The problem with all test is that they assess the rote knowledge, but not the creativity of the applicant. Even the GRE and tests like that test facts that can be recalled, albeit in an indirect manner, not ability to see solutions. This is why we have all these graduates from major colleges all saying that we can't possibly live without oil without severely impacting our standard of living. They can't see anymore than what is in front of them. They can't think of anyone that is not directly connected to their extremely myopic reality. Mostly they cannot imagine a world any different form what they were raised in.
Of course, since the people in charge are the exact same myopic people I speak of, the creative activity will be building a tower our newspaper. Something that looks creative but has little risk.
Re:That essay provided bugs me. (Score:5, Insightful)
No. But I puked the most at this:
In most places, they cook hamburger (which would destroy most vegetative bacterial cells); wherever this young lady is from they obviously must put the lettuce on the raw burger and then eat it. No wonder she wanted to leave there at all costs! Perhaps that's where she got the barbed wire scar from.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:2, Insightful)
Engineering has nothing to do with the problem. (Score:5, Insightful)
If the scores are all the same, then it really doesn't matter who gets in. An essay is a shitty way to select engineering students and doesn't gauge anything other than their ability to make up 500 words of bullshit.
If there's any reason why these kinds of things tend to be bullshit, it has nothing to do with the fact that these are engineering students, or that engineers can't or shouldn't learn to use language as a tool (or, for that matter, that they shouldn't learn to bullshit).
The problem comes in the intersection of the purpose of the essay and the formation of the questions. It's an admissions essay, which means that whatever you're asked to say or whatever you're ostensibly saying, the purpose is to say whatever impresses admissions officers and get admitted to the college. Everybody knows this, and it reduces the ability of most people to speak authentically (and increases their tendency to bullshit). Particularly with essays that ask people to talk about themselves, because no matter how many distinct things there are about individual people, even smart people, there's an awful lot of sameness running through the human condition. Meanwhile, admissions officers are looking for distinction. Talk about cross-purposes.
Clare Bayley's suggestion "change the prompts, not the length [mit.edu]" is some clear thinking. Prompt the applicant away from a self-focus and you untangle the better part of the tension I describe above, while still allowing applicants to reveal expressiveness and distinctive thinking.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
The grandparent post said that identical scores mean identical potential, and that is utter bollocks. Two people might both be intelligent and perform well with tests. One of these might get on well with others, have good listening skills while the other is only interested in their own opinion. One may may be liked and respected by his team the other resented and ridiculed. How are these two even remotely identical?
Bill Sievert was right, perhaps (Score:5, Insightful)
I went to MIT back in the late 70s early '80s and got a BSEE. One of the instructors in course 6 was well known for his opinion that engineering was too limited in scope and that in order to understand how to be useful in the world, students needed a much stronger liberal arts background. He argued for a 6-year undergrad program, the first 2 years of which were to be essentially non-technical.
At the time I thought I was some smart kid. Now I am in my 50s and I agree with him 100%. Honestly, the technical stuff was easy, and the people who really made an impact understood the human and emotional dimensions alongside the technical. Engineers dismiss this, and I believe they are poorer for it.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Absolutely not. MIT's interest is not to find the most capable geeks, it is to find balanced individuals with a broad range of interests, who are are likely to become the leaders of tomorrow. Communication skills are essential for that.
Being technically strong is only one ingredient of success, even in technical disciplines.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Also, I know I'm splitting hairs here; but the University doesn't want 'talent' . They want someone who is willing to dedicate themselves and work hard. Talent is nice to have, but ancillary.
Actually, they want people who are likely to be successful, and become leaders of tomorrow. These are the people that will go out and advertise their alma mater to the next generation. They are also the kind of people who end up making the big alumni donations.
Re:That essay provided bugs me. (Score:3, Insightful)
Looking at the eassy provided in the last link i can only think to myself "geez i'm glad i didn't have to write bullshit like that to get into my university".
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 went into why the lake/hip bit was important above, but I'd like to take on the start of that bit as well:
She's attempting to establish character, here, and that's hard to do. She can't simply say, "hey, I've seen college life done UofState style, and that's not for me," because it doesn't convey anything that gives a sense that she understands what that means. By describing the things she enjoys and the fact that she takes her joy from her environment rather than from partying, she's establishing a fuller picture. You might "puke" when you read it, but someone in admissions sees enough of these essays to understand what's being said.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Since when is "leader" synonymous with "politician"?
Do you really think being technically smart is all it takes to make things happen, even in technology? Tell me: even if you do invent the next internet or the next google, etc, how are you going to: communicate your idea to possible investors? Come up with a decent business plan? Raise the funding to turn this idea into a successful enterprise? Find and properly motivate employees?
Even in basic science the picture isn't much different. Look at the Nobel laureates announced this week. Brilliant scientists? Sure. But also excellent communicators and leaders.
Re:US universities (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
I am not saying to get rid of looking at test results to find the best ones, I am saying to use *some* measure of communication skills and personality to be able to find which ones are the best from the pick of the crop.
I would rather have a shut in engineer who does the math right vs an engineer with a hangover from last night going ehh ill just sign off on it.
I agree, but if I had two engineers who do the math right, I would rather have the one that gets along with the rest of the team and can add additional value to his/her colleagues than the shut in who sits and is grumpy and moody all the time.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
And now explain it to your middle-managers in a way that makes them comfortable with your decisions. Hint: staring at the floor, twitching, obsessively rubbing the food stain on the right side of your shirt, and stuttering are not helpful. No matter how much you'd like everyone to be a computer, they are not. Communication skills are important. Endless good ideas have been lost to the ages because the person who came up with them could not explain them, clearly, to the people who are actually in charge.
And what happens? Bridges collapse. People die of radiation poisoning. Rollercoasters fly off the rails. The fact that you must be articulate to be heard may in fact be a problem with the system, but some fault also lies with myopic techies who refuse to admit that there is any value outside of their figures. I'd rather have a single articulate engineer with a liberal arts background than a dozen shut-ins who get defensive when you ask them about their circuit board designs because OF COURSE IT ARE RIGHT YOU FOOL, I AM GENIUS!!!!.
And yes, I speak from experience...sigh.
Re:Irony... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:That essay provided bugs me. (Score:3, Insightful)
Good luck trying to find a food product that isn't covered in bacteria, dead or alive.
Re:Bill Sievert was right, perhaps (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Insightful)
the first thing we look at is the cover letter rather than their actual CV content. Once in an interview, sure, discussions about past experience and the like are valued, but just as valuable is the ability to communicate and to mesh into the current staff we have.
Typical HR error (yeah you're "not in HR")... you don't hire the best potential, you hire the best cover writer and most likable to HR person kind of person. This is why you people should never hire real talent. You wouldn't be able to identify it. Just like the University, it is not about the essay, it is about the potential to bullshit and work towards the greatest common denominator. In essence it is about the ability to corrupt oneself for the organization you're applying to. If you want excellent people, it is exactly not the way to get them. They are not your bitch. This will get you average people.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:4, Insightful)
how are you going to: communicate your idea to possible investors? Come up with a decent business plan? Raise the funding to turn this idea into a successful enterprise? Find and properly motivate employees?
Find someone who CAN do that, and have them do so, for a cut of the result.
Different people are good at different things. Why is communication so highly valued in areas where it is not essential?
Re:hard pressed to find a single great scientist.. (Score:4, Insightful)
How about Isaac Newton? Neurotic, no communications skills, died a virgin.
Paul Erdos? Maybe the greatest mathematician ever but no life skills at all.
etc.
Which is great for them. Really, it is.
But let's be honest, if you're reading this you are not the next Isaac Newton. And you never will be.
That kind of ability comes about a couple of times in a generation. If you (or anyone) is going to be part of some fantastic discovery which will change the world, the immense likelihood is that you'll be making that discovery as part of a team effort. Which requires communication.
Re:Essay (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And why should they care? (Score:4, Insightful)
To paraphrase Scott Adams; "You don't want someone to design a nuclear power plant which just looks like it'll keep the radiation in".
Re:And why should they care? (Score:5, Insightful)
The alternative is hiring competent middle managers that doesn't judge ideas based on presentation?
I know it is unlikely by we can all dream can't we?
Re:Not as simple as that. (Score:2, Insightful)
keep ramping up until you kind of level off at getting 50/50 right, which is where it decides you belong.
Once the machine has pegged you at the lower half, say, there is no way for you to break out of that, because it's never going to give you those harder questions.
It seems like you're contradicting yourself here - if you're getting more than 50/50 right, why won't it give you harder questions?
Only 500 Words? (Score:2, Insightful)
No, he wasn't. (Score:5, Insightful)
I went to MIT during the same time period. I wrote well when I arrived, so guess what? I wrote well when I left. The Humanities courses were a total waste of time for me. Thirty years on, I can't recall a single inspiring thought or insight that was transmitted to me by the unhappy and unpleasant faculty in the MIT Humanities Department.
You may have been some kind of weird-ass nerd genius ("the technical stuff was easy"), but please don't assume that everyone else requires two years of remedial training in order to become a human being. We don't.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Insightful)
A very important part of a selection system is fairness: it's very hard to objectively measure differences in "Drive, ambition, ideals, character, motivation", so it's better to stick to the skills that can be measured and are relevant to the subject.
I think you'll find that the better universities won't be completely persuaded by a "this is is incredibly important but it's hard to do so we won't bother" argument.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Insightful)
So you end up with the best bullshitters winning.
Welcome to real life.
Good luck with that (Score:2, Insightful)
Middle managers only exist to facilitate communication between technical specialist workers and policy generalist upper management. If you can't manage to do that, blaming your subordinates will probably not get you very far.
Trqanslation (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:That essay provided bugs me. (Score:3, Insightful)
I wrote a longish reply, but lost it to a "[tab][backspace]." Anyway, the short of it is that I'm not reading into it. There are some points made about college parties and trespassing that are clearly targeted at an MIT sensibility. This is a carefully crafted essay whose audience is MIT admissions.
Re:And why should they care? (Score:3, Insightful)
No one was claiming engineers failed to communicate dangers, only that they were in no way effective at communicating them. There's a difference between just communicating something and persuading or influencing someone to change a position. The former is the "I sent an email" model of communication while the later requires communication skills.
NASA management wasn't tied to the idea of killing astronauts so I think the idea that they were completely unconvincable is a silly and defeatist point of view to take. Even Feynman agrees:
This is a direct call for engineers and scientists to inform management of technological problems, and that role requires the ability to write far more than a 500 word essay.
And this speaks volumes. Interacting with others under the assumption that "I seek the truth while they peddle in bullshit" is precisely the attitude that will get you sidelined and ignored. Technical ability isn't worth a damn if you can't convince anyone your ideas are worth listening to. If your idea is so important, your insight so invaluable or your invention so world-changing why not spend 25% of the time you spent on the technical side of things figuring out how to convince others of its merit?