Very nice to see you Ben!

3 days and half an hour :) God bless us all!

Thanks for the update. Im so anxious to know my decision, but I am so unwilling to check online. Its like the two sides of my brain are fighting each other.

Im not sure which side will win it out!

I don't know whom I should tell this but I have been waiting for a reply for the e-mail message I sent to finaid@mit.edu 1 week ago....

I know and believe that they are so busy but one week should be enough to reply an e-mail message with many crucial questions....

So, has DHL been threatened with dire consequences should they repeat last year's releasing-the-entire-recipient-list-to-a-random-caller debacle?

Ben, thanks for breaking the silence and providing this update. Matt hasn't said a word in over a week either. That together with your silence for the last 3 days was a bit unnerving.

Whoever said "Patience is a virtue" never had to wait for college admission decisions, I am convinced of that. This has been so hard since I heard from my safety back in September...and nowhere else until this coming weekend. Even then it will be another couple of weeks until the others roll in. Just the same, I am super-psyched to finally find out. I'll finally be able to stop praying after this weekend. Best of luck to everyone who applied, and I hope to see you in Cambridge come fall.

Glad to hear everything's been running smoothly.

Also, Anonymous (with financial aid question), I also e-mailed them because they said they haven't received my ISFAA yet. They didn't reply, so I called them. Everything got sorted out within two days. Thus, it's much better to just call them using the number Ben mentioned.

Everyone has 50%: either in either out.

sorry about the old one-liner

T-2:20:22 (=2.8493 days)

Hello, there is slight scripting problem with my dicisions.mit.edu verify page.

Here is a screenshot.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1039/2479/320/MIT_err.jpg

Is this problem with my account only?

FJ, isn't that screenshot a tad small?

" Whoever said "Patience is a virtue" never had to wait for college admission decisions, I am convinced of that. "

LoooooooL right you are Douglas :) This wait is so stressful...my message to everyone: enjoy the days before decision-day...really try to...go out have some fun talk to your friends...because if you get rejected, God forbid, you're going to be depressed (well most of you at least) and you won't really enjoy the next few days (weeks?)...and if you get admitted you'll really be happy :) So have some guaranteed fun before Saturday's climatic hour =D

(Easy for me to say, I know, although I'm probably one of the most stressed out about this =P)

Ben, thank you immensely for that update about packages for international students, and just for reiterating that information! Matt, my friend, please post or at least let us know you're still hanging in there :) Really, it's been a while since you've written anything...and Nance too!

Anyways, 2 Days (YES TWO!) 16 Hours and 55 minutes!!! That's around 2 and a half days ONLY...and in a few hours I'm going to sleep so that number's going to be greatly decreased...I don't know whether to be happy or sad?!

Good Luck everyone...I hope you're all with me on this website for the final countdown on Saturday before noon!!! Take Care!!!

Abdulaziz (Aziz) Albahar

FJ, I just checked the decision page and it works for me. Perhaps you need to download something to make the site run correctly (I'm a little computer illiterate for an MIT applicant).

Is anyone else checking the site every few minutes, or am I the only one hoping for the sudden appearance of the word "Congratulations?" lol

I am getting very very nervous. Its even worse then waiting for the answer after EA...

Ben, thanks for giving us this chance of sharing our agitation. Just like Leo Tolstoy wrote, its feels better knowing that there are many others who are in the same position as you are - not knowing what to expect.

So... I'm greatly progressing in the process of accustoming myself to receive a rejection letter. During the previous hours, I've been trying hard to come up with delightful idea.

And finally, at 10:22 AM GMT+1 of this busy day, (yeah, Belgium) I've finally found out a solution.

I would LOVE to have a rejection letter. ^^ I trully hope I'll get one!

That's not as absurd as it may sound. When you think about it, I'm an international applicant - and correct me if I'm wrong - my chances are pretty thin, somewhere around 5%. If I reverse this shaky situation, I suddenly have a 95% chance of being rejected!

Unfortunately, there is still this 5% chance of being admitted. In that case I wouldn't be too sad, because I could sell my identity card on Ebay for an exorbitant amount of money! (or not... hum.)

Now I can sleep on my two ears (isn't that a French idiom translated into English? 8-)).

Good night... and good luck (I'm not talking about my kind of luck, don't be scared... ;-)).

Hrm I am not sure, but FJ, did you make sure that your internet browser is set to accept cookies? =\ Hope everything works out well... if that was not the problem, I would probably e-mail MIT admissions. =)

Sebastien, are you french?

Abdulaziz (Aziz) Albahar, I shall take you advice to heart. In fact I shall begin to implement it right after I post this message. However, I still have Saturday to have fun. I am one of those waiting for snail mail. Being an international student residing in the US, I am taking advantage of my location to savour the moment of opening the mailbox. However, I can understand why as an International Student one would check online(the postal service in my country for instance was appalling). Well, I wish everyone the best. Speaking in faith,and quoting Douglas, See you in Cambrigde.

Hey Ben, what about EA applicants? Will we be getting anything in the mail? That is - if you are sending out Financial Aid award information with admissions decisions, will EA finaid stuff be sent out simultaneously?

FJ - the tech folks say your page is loading correctly but your browser is showing java messages that most browsers filter. Maybe it's a preference thing?

Discositdown - Yes, EA admits will receive another fun package from MIT, mailed simultaneously. :-)

Will 10,000 simultaneous hits bring the decisions server to its knees? I'd hate to sign on and find that things are loading at a snail's pace, or worse. This being MIT, I hope that problem has been forseen and dealt with.

Doubt it, the west side is going to be asleep for the most part, myself included. muhahaha

yea rite :P

whew it's really near!

i think it's easier for me, cuz i remember i have my birthday to make me feel happy the whole day whatever happens :]

anyone see this message "REQUIRED FOR PACKAGING" on the financial aid box?

I didn't see that before till today evening. Does it imply anything?

Nope, nothing here. Maybe try clicking on the 'required for packaging' thing to see what it means.

I think the 'required for packaging' thing means that there may be something missing or some additional info required for your finaid forms? I had something like that a few days ago, then I faxed over my parents tax form and it was gone a few days later.

Well if u click the indepth tracking of your financial aid, it shows two lists: one saying required for packaging if you are missing items, and another saying which have been received. I dont think the financial aid system is related to admissions in any way.

hm... so even we international students living in the US will get a DHL mailing if we get in? =)

thanks a lot Ben for all your hard work - and good luck to us all!

oh.....I get it now!

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^

2 days 16 hrs 24 mins

DDOS attack Saturday morning, anyone? Certainly even the mighty MIT server will fall under our combined powers!

Stop with the countdown! It gives me chills!

If you think this was rough, think about going through it twice. For us deferred EA ppl, its even more stressful. But now that I know I have safety schools behind me, I'm not as worried because I figure that it doesn't matter what college you go to but the amount of effort and work you put into college. If you go to MIT and party, what difference would it have made if you went there or another place? I hope for good results Sat. but even w/o it I know that I'll make it up to Cambridge for grad school.

2 days 14 hours 31 min

Awesome attitude, Charles. I think you've got it figured out.

2 days 13 hrs 13 minutes

*bites nails*

At least for EA we knew we would have another chance if we got deferred..

well... you've always got a chance in 2010

From here on out take this smiley: :) and add something onto on each post: here I'll start

<:) Added the party hat

Ben, I was wondering, if you and the rest of the admissions committee were to sit down and read all the applications again and select the class of 2010 except noone remembers reading the apps the first time through, what percentage of the current admits would still be admitted"? I guess what i'm trying to say is how reproducible are the decisions?

We all hope the answer is 100%, but we all now that isn't it. Although I'm pretty confident the group of admissions officers selects a great crop of kids every year.

One of my friends who got admitted to Harvard this year was telling me he had a conversation with a Harvard Admissions Officer. She basically told my friends that if they set aside all the current "acceptees" into Harvard and selected a group from the ones who were rejected, they would select a group equally as good as the first group.

I'm guessing MIT is no different, which means even if the same people may not be "reproduced" the same quality would be regardless.

Why does it have to be "rejected"?? Why can't it be "Unsuccessful"... It will sound much better to the ones who do not get admitted. You have been rejected, or sorry but you were unsuccessful... well that's just my point of view..

good luck all

if only no one could get a rejection...

Guys, find something you love: something that isnt black/white, in/out, accept/reject. Something that you will ALWAYS have despite what someone else says. That way it doesnt matter what others say; it only matters what YOU do. Have fun, enjoy life, and have some more fun.

PS I could be happy even teaching, I know what I love; it's all i need to guide what I want to do with my life.

PS Keeping that smiley going!

<@:} added frilly hair

Guys,

I can see how excited you are, and how nervous. The best way to relax, as I've told people who've emailed me or IM'ed me, is to do just that: relax. Go enjoy yourself. Do something fun; play a game of ball or something.

Forget about decisions. Then when you find them in your mailbox on Monday or whenever it may be, think about them. Until then, just do what you normally do. Pretend you don't even know they're coming. :)

borski.

Hann - No, I don't think internationals in the US will receive DHL, because you're treated just like a domestic student when it comes to mailing :) I'm definitely checking online though!

Brian - I have full faith that the MIT server won't crash on March 18th, I mean, we're talking about MIT here, one of the most powerful places for technology in the world :) Anything is possible, however, I just hope you're wrong...More waiting would just drive me to committing suicide =D

Micahel Borohovski - You're absolutely right, and that's what I've been trying to tell people. My advice is do whatever you want, have fun, work, whatever, but don't come near your computer because if you do you'll always be inclined to type in "my.mit.edu" or for some others clicking on your favorites =P

ONLY 2 Days, 7 Hours and 24 Minutes left!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

Abdulaziz (Aziz) Albahar

Hey Everyone!

This countdown is driving me mad!! I keep on looking at my watch and calculating how much time is left until admission! I'm trying to convince myself that I'll get a rejection letter but I'm so optimistic that after days of trying I still haven't convinced myself. However I have been able to realize what a privilege it is even to get a rejection letter. Even applying to MIT means that you are probably an amazingly smart student and will be successful wherever you go. So even though the countdown is driving me mad I still do it:

2 days 7 hours and 34 minutes

Good luck to all!!!!

Well, I don't think about the addmissions. I just don't think I'm going to find out any good news on sateurday. so... i have accepted my fate. but... i wish there was hope for me.... =) anyway! good luck to all of you! /it's a pity we misses the e-time - i mean 2 days, 7 hours and so on../ please someone announce the phi-time =) have a nice day

so are any internationals going to call dhl to find out like last year?

24+20+9+52= 53hrs 52 minutes to go!

@gm: I'm definitely Belgian. ;-) But my mother tongue is French...

Mushal - No I'm not even going to think of calling DHL for a number of reasons. I think MIT and other colleges have pretty much warned them about the implications if they give out names again, because I tried to find out if a package from another university had arrived here in the local DHL but they refused to tell me based on name recognition only. Also, we have a saying that "Everything in its right time is good"...meaning that you shouldn't rush things....If something is meant to happen it will happen. Calling DHL will make no difference at all, so take it easy, try not to worry as much and stop talking to your friends and family about MIT MIT MIT every 2 seconds :) Hehehe, of course I just meant that jokingly, don't worry I hope that we will all get in to the place we want to go to, and for many of us, including myself, it is MIT :) Sorry for my long posts (nothing new here) ;P

Oops...2 Days, 1 Hour and 13 Minutes Left...!!

Good Luck!!

Abdulaziz (Aziz) Albahar

Hey Ben. when you said that all domestic applicants will receive their decision via regular mail, did you mean domestics abroad too?!

Hey everyone!

Aziz I agree with you. I was an advocate for online decisions because the difference might have been weeks. Calling DHL however will only give you your decision a few hours before the online decisions. Also I don't think it would be nice to call people working and interrupt their work just in order to know your decision a few hours earlier.

Aziz you said stop talking about MIT MIT MIT every 2 seconds and that's what I do but I'm pretty sure that's what YOU do too! :p (I'm trying to stop but everything seems to remind me of MIT) Good luck to all!!!

2 days 1 hour left

Sorry for the confusion; all admits (whether domestic or international) who are currently living in other countries will receive their package via DHL. All other applicants will receive their packages or envelopes via regular mail. I have amended the original post to clarify.

2 days and 23 minutes

added pointy beard

OK guys, post one thing in your life that will never go away.

1) The love of my family

Almost 2 dayz left ..... i can't take any more stress .....

@April:

God

47hrs, 9 minutes left

All cool, yet :D

46h 51m left

In fact, I'm thinking over the idea of waiting the ordinary mail.... I'm talking serious. It is a way to teach yourself to be patient and firm!

Waiting for the mail? No way! :)

Yup, Nina. I'm waiting too. I waited all this time, didn't I? So, I am counting down to possibly Monday or Tuesday after school.

Hey guys,

Are you sure about the DHL trick? I mean can you call DHL and find out if there's a package for you on the way? Will they give out this kind of information. If they do, that means finding out your decision one day sooner. Yey!

Another thing: at what hour will DHL pick up the packages on Friday?

Haha. If I were as patient and firm as you were, Nina, I could postpone the moment of "finding out" to about 10 days from now; I will be (most likely) gone then, you see. But I am very very curious now, so only:

45 hours and 40 minutes :)

hi csaba,

What's your take on the DHL ruse?

well, what can I say... I disapprove of it cause it *may* hinder DHL from working at optimum. Furthermore, such "advantages" can be only "few people's" because if 30k people called DHL, they wouldn't really appreciate it (applicants, mummies, daddies) :) So it's a bit unfair too, perhaps.. Otherwise, I don't care very much in particular. In fact, I wouldn't care very much if everyone got their decision an hour before me.. Or even a month before me, as long as I'm admitted :)

44 hrs 42 minutes left...

(i am enjoying this game cause i can excercise some substraction.. there was one girl who asked us to stop because we were giving chills all over her body. now, i may be nerdy -that's a prerequisite for mit community- but even i can see how the latter statement was very pleasently ambiguous :) )

Why call DHL?... just to know a few hours earlier? Check the internet and you will know even earlier...

good luck all

I don't think it would be right to call DHL and ask them if they have a package for me. The reason is that MIT clearly doesn't want thousands of people calling DHL in order to find out if they got accepted. Think about it this way, if 4 thousand people call DHL to find out if they got accepted that would waste so much time and might even slow down the delivery of the packages for everybody! So just wait for the online decision which is not long after. Good luck to all!!!

1 day 20 hours and 7 minutes left!

LooL...people...DHL probably won't even tell you if you have a package or not...I used an example of my friend who tried calling them to ask if a university letter arrived and they wouldn't tell him anything just by giving them his name! Then again, I might be wrong if it's in another country :)

Anyway, I'm against calling DHL...I think it's kind of immoral because what's the use..the decisions are probably going out on Friday evening...Less than a day earlier? Now really, you've waited for months, you can't wait a day for the real, authentic decision to come out? :) Come on everyone, let's show these hardworking admissions officers that we're more mature than last year's applicants!! (No offense intended ;) )

1 Day, 20 Hours and 2 Minutes Left!!!!

Good Luck to all!!!

Abdulaziz (Aziz) Albahar

I second Aziz!

You guys are funny. :-) If I remember correctly, last year the packages took about 24 hours to get into DHL's tracking system, which means you'll be able to check online @ decisions.mit.edu much earlier.

LOL

haha..nice one ben

anyways fadl are you lebanese?

are all the admit/denied packs completed now? Or do you guys still have some work to do tomorrow before they are mailed off?

Well, if the int'l admits are given to DHL tomorrow morning, the information may be available from DHLs tracking system before decisions.mit.edu goes live!

Oh, and Ben, if admitted, do we receive DHL tracking no.s by email, or do we just wait for their phone call?

41 hrs 16 min

I hate snow days (I've never said that b4). We're never going to start soccer season and this staying at home is doing nothing for my mental state as the countdown continues. Is there anyone else from WI out there?

Last year there was no notification of DHL tracking numbers provided to international recipients. Wait for their arrival, or use decisions.mit.edu. :-)

so ben, is it possible that people living in massachusetts within a few miles of cambridge could receive admissions decisions via snail mail tomorrow the 17th?

35 hrs 35 min

127170 seconds

Finally found a way to deal with it. I'm going to be unsuccessful. Over 2500 international applicants, and all amazing I'm sure, and just over 100 seats for international students; that's only 4% people! I can't help see my chances fading away and if possible see that the admissions team’Äôs job is even more hectic.

Therefore, since this might be the last chain we all join in, as we the unsuccessful folk will probably not sign in anymore, I just want to say thanks guys; you've been great. Enjoyed the last couple of months greatly, whether it was the wait for financial aid tracking, the release of whether or not decisions will be released online, or just our discussions, it will be missed! Also thank you Ben, you always flared up the conservations, and kept us updated, really appreciate it.

Good luck to all, and to the 100+ who do make it, great job and just go all the way!!

I think I might still have one more post, don't know if I will be anonymous or not

Well, even if decisions were out via DHL earlier, I wouldn't want to call them. I totally agree that it's a very very immoral thing to do.

I've got to wait an extra day anyway. Spend every Saturday night at our new place which doesn't have an internet connection yet, and I told my folks I'd be content with checking on Sunday night.

Good luck all!

Sid.

yeah...i agree with the not-bugging-DHL thing, it kind of seems against the spirit of it all...and after what ben said...it really makes no sense:) read ann's december blog entry about it...its fun:)

32 hrs 33 min

1 Day, 3 Hours and 3 Minutes!

Good Luck to all!!!

Abdulaziz (Aziz) Albahar

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound "immoral". It's just that I'm so anxious to see my decision. (positive or negative). I am of the opinion that the sooner you find out about sth the sooner you can deal with it.

As for impeding the mailing of packages by calling, I find that idea absurd. There are local centers which you can call, and I doubt it that there are more than 10 applicants in the area of such a center. Besides, you'll be speaking to a phone operative, not to an actual delivery person.

Can't wait to check online tomorrow..I can imagine myself sitting at the computer at 11:59am waiting for 'those words' (accepted/denied admission) to show up..haha..

Good luck to all!

good luck you all guys!!!

with nothing productive or interesting to say i will just wait

25 hours and 56 minutes

to post another comment. hopefully it will begin with a capital Y and another few hundreds of e's but it might be something like "it wasn't to be. dang"

Good luck everyone!!

http://www.MakeACountdown.com?id=171632

here's a countdown till the decision are released

Ben,

When the envelopes will leave the office?

Are you going to post after you are sure that they all reach the post office?

Sorry, couldn't resist with almost a day left...

1 Day and 35 Minutes :/ *eep* !!

Good Luck to us all...we'll defintely need it :/

Abdulaziz (Aziz) Albahar

Am I the only one going crazy?? I've been counting down until online admission all day and I think about MIT every minute. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one out there right? Good luck to all and only 1 day left!!!!!

@Fadl ... Yeah ... You are right ..... I am with you .... & all other folks ...... best of luck ......

23 hours & 40 minutes ....

yup, it sure is driving most of us REAL crazy!

well i found this wonderful thing written about MIT in Erich Segal's Prizes:

"Those who believe that science is a religion regard the Massachusetts Insititute of Technology as its Vatican, with the many Nobel Prize winners on its faculty as its College of Cardinals."

and i hope many of u wud agree to it like me. have your say Ben, enlighten us with ur comments on this one.

hav a great time!

Hang on just 22 hours 44 minutes to go!

22 hours and 57 minutes to go,

I'm of the same opinion as you csaba. In my case, I'm sure it will more likely be 'it wasnt to be", but I'll be thrilled to be one of the 100+ int'l admits.

Someone once told me this simple, yet meaningful set of words, and I think its relevant:

If it is to be, it is up to me to do it.

So, whether or not I/we get into MIT, we will still want to make a success of our lives, and the only way to do that is to get over the sad news of rejection and press on with working hard to achieve our dreams and aspirations, and make successes of our lives.

Good luck everyone.

Mahul.

P.s.: sorry about the poor grammar in places

Its just sooo nice to see all of you here going crazy or sensible or heroic or depressed the way I am. I am not alone:) Love to be with u in uni.:P