Massachusetts Institute of Technology

What field of study appeals to you the most right now? (Note: Applicants select from a drop-down list.) Reflect on what has led you to this interest.

While some reach their goals following well-trodden paths, others blaze their own trails achieving the unexpected. In what ways have you done something different than what was expected in your educational journey?

Reflect on how your personal and academic experiences have influenced the types of problems you would want to tackle with an MIT education, and who you would like to work on those problems with.

How did you manage a situation or challenge that you didn’t expect? What did you learn from it?

What do you do just for fun?

Who is someone you admire, whether you know them personally or look up to them from afar? Tell us why.

What’s a topic, academic or non-academic, that you could talk about for hours?

MIT values both ‘generalists’ with varied interests and ‘specialists’ who focus deeply on one or a few passions. Which do you think best describes you, and why?