I wish we had these programs available in my country too!! I didnt get an oppurtunity to benefit from such programs, but i hope things will get better in the future and students from developing countries like ours would have at least, equal if not more opportunities to show their talents, as compared to their counterparts in the developed world.

Say that again, Anonymous. We in developing countries are seriously deprived but I still maintain that we should not allow where we are coming from to define us. Let's work hard and make an impart on the third world.

I'm sending in my application to RSI next Wednesday and I'm so scared/excited/nervous I can hardly stand it. I've wanted to do this since middle school and it's hard to believe the deadline’s almost here. Trying to finish the app, study for the USABO, and prep for the State Debate Tournament is killing me, too. There had to be someone out there making sure they all fell during the same week.

Aren't you part of the review committee, Matt?

And to you guys above me- RSI is open to international applicants, too. It’s not just for Yanks.

MITES 06 Alum right here!! Definitely apply for a program...It was the best summer of my life!

Matt, I received an invitation to the People to People Student Leader Program. Is it really helpful now that I have submitted my application and will have given my ISC by March 2007?

I agree with solomon.....i moved to USA from Bangladesh about 2 years ago, and I hope I can return one day to make a difference, because if people like me stay away from bangladesh, thats what keeps it from developing.

Yeah, I'm with Christina. MITES will change your life. Definitely apply.

MITES '06!

I am aplyin to MIT Class of 2011, I wonder if anyone can solve two of my problems.

1. If a brick is hanging with a help of a string. A similar string is attached is attached to its bottom and left hanging. Now if I pull it three times, lower string breaks just once while upper string breaks in other two attempts. Both strings are identical. How will you explain this?

2.) Why is earth flatter at poles?

Plz help, Iam going nuts!

I am aplyin to MIT Class of 2011, I wonder if anyone can solve two of my problems.

1. If a brick is hanging with a help of a string. A similar string is attached is attached to its bottom and left hanging. Now if I pull it three times, lower string breaks just once while upper string breaks in other two attempts. Both strings are identical. How will you explain this?

2.) Why is earth flatter at poles?

Plz help, Iam going nuts!

wats MITES?

Anyone from UK here???? I would like some help.

Hi Anon Applicant!

I will help you here, dont worry.

1.) Let the maximum tension that both strings can tolerate will be T and be same in both. Then, i think there are 3 possibilities if we consider situations in which atleast one string breaks.

If F is force applied by you, then,

F=T
F>T
F

if F=T, the lower string will just prevent from breaking, while as total tension on upperstring is Mg+T>T. Th upper string shud break.
if F>T, the lower string will not sustain this tension and will break before this force gets transfered to upper one.
if FT. As we are considering case in which one of them breaks, then I say the upper string will break.

So wee see that probability of breaking of lower string is 1/3. I think thats what your question asked.

2.) Ummm....I think as we know that any rotating fluid gets a shape of Oblate Spheroid while rotating. Oblate spheroid is a shape which is obtained by rotating an ellipse on its minor axis. This gives us a shape which is flat at poles. As we know that earth is a fluid on atronomical time scales, so it will also try to get a shape of oblate spheroid. And, i think, thats the reason for earth to be flatter at poles.

the third condition was F less than T.

I dunno why "less than" sign did not appear!

Bravo anonymous. BUT lets be practical in attempting to explain the flattening of poles observed for the earth as it spins. Get a round ball of clay. Place it on a potters wheel and spin it. you will notice a bulging at the equator of the clay ball and a flattening at the poles. Now you can read Arihant's explanation about oblate spheroid but I guess the shape tends more towards geoid.

Hi Matt,
I have a problem with my application. I sent all required documents to MIT, before 1st of January, and all of them are processed except the secondary school report. What should I do?

Are these programs open to international high school students? If not, are there any such programs?

Thanks!

Hi Matt! I am a parent who has a question. Sounds like a great experience, and I have a daughter who is much smarter than I am. Is the program open to students who are currently high school juniors or those who will be juniors in fall '07?

Answer for Michelle - Yes, RSI is open to international students, ~50 US-based, 25 foreign for a total of ~75. My son was in the program last summer. If you get in, work hard, and accomplish something, it'll greatly enhance your chance of gaining MIT admission. My son was admitted early action along with many of his RSI classmates. Good luck.

WTP '06

It was quite fun, and had a lot of work too.
Good luck to anyone that applies :D.

Quick question completely unrelated to the entry:

If we take the SAT or SAT subject tests, should we send the scores to MIT immediatly or after we send in our part 1 of the application?

RSI is open for international applicants, but there are a few factors that make it difficult for internationals:
1. Only about 25 places
2. Cost of travel
3. Only selected countries allowed
4. Different summer timings. In India, summer is in april/may, so that means missing about 6 weeks of senior year, which, sadly, is pretty life-determining here, because of the board exams. In other countries, sometimes vacation is in january (yeah, i know it's weird) or november.

Matt, did you know that 'Institute' is spelled wrong on the teacher recommendation page of the RSI application? All my teachers were laughing about it, so I just thought I'd let you know.

My son has indicated an interest in Engineering. He has also mentioned his interest in attending MIT. He will be a junior in 9/07. I thought the MITES would be an excellent opportunity for exposure for him. Is it too late to apply?