Massachusetts Institute of Technology

College editor Rachel Hu ‘22 interviewed Yhiedania, an undergraduate student at MIT. She is in her 4th year and is majoring in Biology.

 Pixel Journal: Can you tell us a little bit about what makes your school special?

Yhiedania: I think what makes MIT special is that we emphasize learning through problem-solving. MIT believes the best education occurs when students are self-motivated and engaged participants in a dynamic community of learners. Rigorous academics are combined with a learning-by-doing approach.

PJ: What program is MIT most proud of?

Y: It’s hard to pick just one! I think it depends on who you ask. The program I am most proud of is MIT’s Mental Health and Student Support Services. The programs are not perfect and people have various experiences with these resources but for me, they have really changed my experience at MIT for the better. I am proud of these programs because MIT saw that they had a mental health crisis among their students and took measures to set up proper support systems for us. Again, they’re not perfect and they could be better but they are a great step in the right direction.

PJ: How would you describe the student body at your school in three adjectives?

Y: Passionate, creative, compassionate.

 PJ: Which aspects of a prospective student's application does MIT prioritize?

Y: As much as MIT loves formulas, you’re not going to find one here. They really don’t have a formula or weigh any part of the application. Basically, They’re looking for students with broad interests, both academic and non-academic, who have taken a rigorous academic curriculum and done well. They want to see that students are involved in things because they care about them, not just because they think certain activities would look good on their resume or college application. They look for students who are willing to take risks, and who will bring something special and unique to the MIT community.

MIT doesn’t have cutoff scores for the SAT or ACT, or SAT Subject Tests as scores are evaluated within an applicant’s context.

They don’t have any required classes, but a strong academic foundation in high school both improves an applicant’s odds of getting into MIT and will help them make the most of the Institute when they’re here.

PJ: How is an online school like Stanford OHS evaluated in the admissions process? Are there any questions or concerns about students from online school that we should address in our applications?

Y: Online schooling is viewed the same as traditional schooling. As long as students have access to a transcript and people who can write evaluation letters, then there’s nothing in particular they have to worry about. For more information on the evaluation letters please go to Letters of Recommendation.

Thank you Yhiedania for sharing!