🍦 Today's Scoops: Upcoming Visits and Info Sessions(Oct 1)

Good morning folks! Here’s what we have today:

1. School of the Day: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

2. Info Zone: Upcoming Visits and Info Sessions

3. Essay of the Week: MIT’s Leisure Prompt

SCOOP’S SPECIAL
We’re Hiring!

We’ve spent this last month getting our content down, figuring out what topics and formatting help you readers the most. Now, we’re looking to expand, and share our content out there. To do this, we’re looking for curious and dedicated high schoolers to join our team.

If you’re interested in joining our team, apply here.

Here’s the specific roles we have open:

• Content Writers

  • You don’t have to be amazing at writing, just be interested in researching and learning new things about college and sharing those findings with others

  • Takes 15-25 minutes a day, around 2.5 hours a week

  • Great opportunity to learn more about the admissions process, work on your writing skills, and understand the responsibilities that come with writing content read by 1k+ readers every morning

• Social Media Manager

  • We’re trying to market our newsletter and get new signups by sharing our content on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram

  • Ideally, we would have one person manage all three accounts, maintaining different personalities on each (understanding you can’t post the same stuff on LinkedIn as Instagram/TikTok)

  • Great opportunity to get experience making content interacted with by 10k+ viewers

SCHOOL OF THE DAY
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Every day, we cover a different school, helping you learn something new about your favorite schools or find a new school that could end up being your dream school.

📍 Location: Cambridge, MA
🎓 Undergraduates Enrolled: 4,576
📊 Acceptance Rate: 4.5%
📝 Average SAT/ACT: 1550/35
💸 Cost: $61,990
📅 Admission Options: Restrictive Early Action (Nov 1), Regular Action (Jan 6)
🏆 Top Ranking Programs: Undergraduate Engineering (#1), Computer Science (#2), Economics (#1) (US News)
📈 Most Popular Majors: Computer Science (27%), Mechanical Engineering (10%), Mathematics (10%) (US News)

Pros:

🧠 Cutting-Edge Innovation: MIT is at the forefront of technological advancements. With research centers like the MIT Media Lab and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, students are directly involved in groundbreaking projects. Whether you’re passionate about AI, robotics, or biotechnology, there’s always an opportunity to innovate and experiment. The school is a world leader in solving real-world problems through technology.

📚 Hands-On Learning through UROP: MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) offers students hands-on experience in research from their first year. Imagine conducting research on autonomous vehicles or quantum computing with top professors and scientists! This program is one of the most integrated undergraduate research opportunities in the country.

🚀 Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: MIT’s Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship and competitions like the MIT $100K foster a highly entrepreneurial culture. Alumni have founded over 30,000 companies, including Dropbox and Bose, reflecting the startup-friendly environment. Whether you want to create the next big tech startup or build a nonprofit, MIT gives you the resources to launch your ideas.

🌍 Global Impact: Through initiatives like the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), the school is tackling major global issues like climate change. MIT students and researchers are working on sustainable energy solutions that impact industries worldwide. If you’re passionate about making a difference in the world, this could be a great fit for you.

🔬 Makerspace Culture: MIT is home to countless makerspaces like the MIT Hobby Shop and the MakerWorkshop. These spaces offer students all the tools they need to prototype, build, and explore engineering concepts outside the classroom. If you enjoy building things and learning through hands-on projects, you’ll feel right at home.

🎨 Tech Meets Art: MIT isn’t just about science and technology—it’s also a hub for creative arts. The MIT Program in Art, Culture, and Technology (ACT) blends art with engineering in truly unique ways. You’ll find exhibitions, experimental art pieces, and art-tech collaborations around campus, adding a layer of creativity to the MIT experience.

Cons:

💼 Focus on STEM: While MIT does have arts and humanities programs, the culture is still heavily STEM-oriented. Students who thrive in non-technical fields might find it hard to fit in, as the focus on engineering, technology, and applied sciences overshadows everything else.

💡 Limited Flexibility in Majors: MIT has a structured curriculum that leans heavily on technical majors. Even though it has interdisciplinary programs, students seeking non-STEM flexibility in course selection might find it challenging to explore non-technical fields in depth.

💰 Expensive Area: The Cambridge/Boston area is one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S. While MIT does provide substantial financial aid, the high cost of living, including rent and dining out, can still be a burden for some students. You’ll need to budget carefully if you choose to live off-campus.

🌍 Competitive Environment: The collaborative culture at MIT is strong, but it’s also a place where competition can be intense. Students are used to being the best in their high schools, and some struggle to adjust when surrounded by equally accomplished peers. This can lead to imposter syndrome ****for some students.

INFO ZONE
Upcoming Visits and Info Sessions

USC Virtual First-Year Admission Information Session - Monday, October 7, 2024 at 3:30 PM until 4:30 PM (Pacific)

Discover Stanford Information Session + Student Forum - Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 3:30 PM until 5:30 PM (Pacific)

UCSB College of Engineering Presentation on Admissions Process - Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM until 5:45 PM (Pacific)

MIT Online Information Session - Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM (Pacific)

ESSAY OF THE WEEK
MIT’s Leisure Prompt

Prompt: We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.

Our thoughts on this essay

This essay takes the familiar idea of reading as an escape but makes it deeply personal through vivid examples and strong language like “devoured,” “gallivant,” and “pestering,” making the writing stand out. Instead of simply saying “ate,” the writer uses “devoured,” and you can almost picture them consuming the book as quickly as they would a plate of cookies. Beyond offering an escape, reading helps the writer understand and process chaotic events—like a shooting near their house—using examples from a cyborg mechanic and a girl in WWII France to connect the madness in stories with real-world issues they care about, adding a deeper, more meaningful layer to the essay.

LINK LOUNGE
Yesterday’s Resources & Scholarships

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we will be updating the Link Lounge section with links to great resources such as scholarships and tools during the college application process. You’ll find it at the top of your email on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and near the bottom during the rest of the week.

Regeneron STS - Win massive scholarships in the most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors.

Robertson Scholars Program - Full-ride scholarship to Duke or UNC, if you get into either school.

US Senate Youth - Leadership program and $10,000 scholarship for exceptional high school students interested in government and public service.

DAILY DEADLINE UPDATES
Important application deadlines coming up!

In the Daily Deadlines section, we will keep you updated on upcoming deadlines in the college admissions world. Remember to not procrastinate and stay ahead of these deadlines!

University of Texas/UNC Chapel Hill Early Action Deadline: October 15
Most ED, REA & EA Deadlines: November 1

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE
Have an idea for the newsletter?

Is there a question you’ve been dying to have answered related to college admissions? Or, is there something just nagging you about Scholar Scoops that you want to see fixed soon? We want to hear from you. You can submit feedback at https://forms.gle/7Rj2eBCiauEc5oNV8. Thank you so much!