Overview
This lecture explains the key steps, lessons, and free resources that helped the speaker gain admission to MIT, including advice from current students and strategies for building a competitive application.
Path to MIT Admission
- Take initiative and act on your interests, especially in STEM fields.
- Start learning to code using free resources like YouTube and Harvard CS50.
- Avoid "tutorial hell" by applying knowledge to real projects.
- Complete foundational courses (CS50, CS50 AI, CS50 Web Development) to gain coding and AI skills.
- Advance learning with Andrew Ng's free machine learning and deep learning courses.
- Publish research papers, even if independently; persistence is key despite initial doubts or delays.
- Seek opportunities to work with faculty for more impactful research experiences.
- Make connections with professors by personalizing emails and targeting smaller schools for better responses.
- Build projects and startups, learning from failures and iterating for improvement.
- Form small, passionate teams for successful project development.
- Talk to experienced founders and students to gain insights and open new opportunities.
Lessons & Advice from MIT Students
- Demonstrate focus and intellectual curiosity in one main area, especially within STEM.
- Integrate projects and research into your application to show genuine passion and initiative.
- Use MIT's Maker Portfolio to showcase your best work and narrate your creative process.
- Maintain strong academics, including high test scores and rigorous coursework.
- Don't pursue activities just for college applications—passion shows through authenticity.
- Aim for excellence in a few areas rather than mediocrity in many.
- Manage course planning early to maximize GPA and academic opportunities.
- Work hard and balance extracurricular commitments to build a strong application narrative.
Recommended Free Resources
- Harvard CS50: Comprehensive, free coding course to break out of tutorial cycles.
- Andrew Ng’s AI & ML Courses: Free on YouTube for deeper AI knowledge.
- MIT OpenCourseWare: Free courses on a wide range of topics for self-study.
- MIT Admissions Blogs: Frequent updates with actionable tips for supplementals and application insights.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Tutorial Hell — Getting stuck watching tutorials without applying skills independently.
- CS50 — Harvard’s free introductory computer science course covering coding essentials.
- Maker Portfolio — An MIT application component to showcase personal projects.
- Supplementals — Additional essays or materials submitted with college applications.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Start Harvard CS50 or other recommended courses.
- Identify and reach out to potential faculty for research opportunities.
- Build and document projects to include in your application or portfolio.
- Read MIT Admissions Blogs for supplemental essay strategies.