When is the application going online for the 2010-2011 freshman?

*freshmen

Haha, a very cool introduction. Pleased to meet you! :) You officially have one of the most amazing, daunting jobs in the world. Kudos!

(Um, I second Anonymous's question.)

Hey, you work in the admissions office? I guess I better be friends with you ;D

-hopeful '14

Great entry! I enjoy reading posts by admissions officers.

I would also like to know when the freshman application will be out. I was hoping to get time to work on it during the summer prior to school starting, but it looks like that may not be the case.

@ Everyone

Rest assured that we're working hard on getting the application online. I can't give you a definite date (yet), but we should have news early next week. Hang in there!

Hi, I am applying to MIT for the class of '14, and my family and I are visiting next week just to get our initial feel of Cambridge and the Institute. We know that the summer session will be wrapping up with finals, but can anyone out there give me some ideas as to what resources might be available. Thanks.

Yay aircraft! I'm a pilot (I solo'd, but left for MIT before I could get my private pilot license - sort of on hiatus for now). What are you interested in?

Wow, it's the prospective 2014s now... makes me feel old.

aircraft ftw :D i assume that means that you like airshows. I got a picture with the Thunderbirds this past weekend. :)

@ Anonymous

Glad to have you visiting! Shoot me an email with the kind of information you're looking for and I'll make sure we have things ready for you.

@ Piper

Congrats, Piper! Fortuitous name for a pilot, BTW :) Most of my own PIC hours are in the Cherokee. It's been years and I miss it, so I would earnestly recommend that you find a way to get that license. As DaVinci wrote, "For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return." Smart guy, that Leonardo.

As for my interests... well that's probably a post in and of itself. Is "everything" an answer? :)

@ Liz

The T-birds are great, though I'm still a Blue Angels guy (don't tell the Air Force I said that). Sadly I haven't been to an airshow this season. There are still a few left I hope to catch, though.

You should definitely try to catch one, but then again I guess you'll be really busy in the fall what with applications and such. What else are you working on, besides getting the application out, right now? Are you presenting at info sessions/making flyers/anything else like that?

You sure have an amazing job!

As all ('14?)s I'm looking forward to the application being online.

LOL, love the "I Love Lucy" reference :) And I didn't even have to look it up...I think I shall enjoy your blogs!

@ Dave - Heh. I actually did most of my training in a Cessna 152. I definitely hope to get back to flying (and horseback riding) when I'm done with undergrad. I've missed them both very much :)

I caught the I Love Lucy reference too. Love the simile. ;-)

I'm so excited for the application to go live!

(Oh, and the "interested in" - I was wondering if you were a fan of some subset of flying or if you were a pilot. I have friends who are obsessed with things but haven't gotten the opportunity to do them yet. :D)

when will the 2010 freshman application be up?

nice, welcome

The 2010 undergraduate application has been canceled. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience caused.

haha very funny adcom. Please try not to give us all .05 sec. long heart attacks in the future lol...

That was basically my super evil plan to reduce the number of applicants...It failed miserably I guess..
*sad*

"tattoos (temporary... for now)" LOL I understood that! It's a reference to Ben Jones' "50 things" blog entry #47 - "Tattoos are permanent. Be very certain." haha

@Olive: Gahh, my thoughts exactly. x)

Hi everyone! Thought since I am a hopeful '14, I should start blogging and meet everyone. How's everyone's summer been?

@Lauren

Hi Lauren! My summer has been fantastic; I built a telescope :) How about you?
I'm a hopeful '14 also, so hopefully we'll both be admitted and get to meet in person someday.

@Nicholas

Hi Nicholas! My summer was awesome; I got to stay at MIT in McCormick Hall for 4 weeks with a program called WTP (Women's Technology Program) and learn about electrical engineering and computer science. You built a telescope? That's so cool! It would be fantastic if we were both admitted and could meet. Good luck :)

Hi Lauren, hi Nicholas!

That would be awesome if we all get accepted and go into our first year already knowing each other! Maybe this will be the lucky blog ;)

Lauren, that is so cool that you got to do WTP! Can you tell us more about it? I did an engineering camp at NCSU which was pretty cool (we built/programed little cars haha), but I'm guessing it was pretty lame in comparison...

Nicholas, also very cool that you built your own telescope! I think I should put that on my to-do list - it sounds like fun! Are very interested in astronomy, then?

Do y'all know what you want to major in?

@adcom: yeah, not much of a super evil plan there. Good for laughs, though! Super evil would be locking everyone out of their myMIT accounts. THAT would produce mass hysteria...not that I'm recommending it or anything, because I am DEF. not! :P

Hopefully this will be the lucky blog ;)

In WTP, we would go to 3 classes each day -- electrical engineering, computer science, and discrete mathematics -- for an hour and a half each. At the end of the program, we built a simple motor and measured how fast it spun around (my motor, and the majority of motors, went at 3000 or so RPMs, the winners went at 9000 RPMs). In computer science, for a final project, we wrote a game of Tetris using Python, which was so cool.

I'm not sure what I want to major in, but I'm really interested in both chemistry/chemical engineering and cosmology/astrophysics. What about you?

Oh and I have a question. How does the admissions process work? How many people read your application and how is a decision made whether or not to accept the applicant? Does one person make the decision to accept an applicant, or is there some sort of vote?

@ Lauren

There's a pretty good description of the admission process here. For a few months each year, the entire Admissions staff does little else but read applications.

@Olive
You definately should! It's really fun! Yes, I am very interested in astronomy as well as many of the other sciences. I don't know what I'll major in, but it will probably be engineering or applied physics or something like that. Have you already decided your major?

@Lauren
That's so cool that you got to hang out at MIT this summer! That makes me jealous. I live in Oregon, so it isn't really possible for me to attend their cool summer stuff. As for your question about admissions: They have multiple people who discuss your application. Click my name to read more about it.

So are either of you super-geniuses or anything? I'm not :)

@Lauren

Sounds like an awesome experience :)

@both :P

I'm not entirely sure what I want my major to be, but it's probably going to be some type of engineering (aerospace, chemical, and mechanical are, for the moment, at the top of my list). I might switch to something involving physics, though, we'll see...

@Nicholas

I am definitely not a super-genius! No cure for cancer here, sorry. I'd like to think I'm fairly smart, and I am a hard worker, so hopefully that will be enough to get me through life :)

Wow, Oregon is a looong way from where I live (NC)! If you get in to MIT, do you think you'll be nervous going so far from home??

@Olive
I'm the same way. I work as hard as I can, and I love science. :D
I think I would be ok. My excitement as well as my tremendous work load would leave little room for nervousness. I've traveled a lot so I'm used to different places, and besides: I doubt MIT is a very scary place to live :)

New York City? Isn't that a thirty minute train ride away from Cambridge? lol

@ '14 trio

Hi there! As all of you I'm applying for MIT, but as an international student. I still don't know what I'd like to major in, but I can tell you I'm interested in aerospace, robotics (mainly), engineering and physics. As for the lcuky blog thing, I hope I'll be able to meet all of you in person one day ;)

@Nicholas

LOL, NC for North Carolina, not NYC - but I can see how that would be confusing. I actually just moved here from Ohio, so it makes things a little odd, especially when people ask, "So, where you from?" and I can list three different places...I did visit MIT though, and it didn't seem scary ;) Just exciting!

I love science too :) But I'm also a very, um, artsy person, so I've been torn between the sciences and the humanities. Hence, the engineering compromise. Do you have any non-science hobbies? (Luka and Lauren you can answer this too!)

@Luka

Hello!! May I inquire as to what country you're from? It's pretty cool to think I'm talking to someone who's not from the U.S. hehe

And how was your summer?

Forgot to ask all the budding astronomers if you had better luck with the Perseid meteor shower than we did. It was overcast all week in Boston.

@Dave
Thanks for your help. I forgot that there was a page about it.

@Nicholas
I'm definately not a super genius or anything, but I do feel as though I think differently from how my friends think :P

@Olive
I think we're all very similar -- hard workers and a love for math and science :P

@Both
Are you guys applying EA? I am... and I'm anxious for the application to come out so I can start it before school...

@Olive
Non-science hobbies? Hmmm.... well I love playing soccer, I occassionally volunteer, and I'm constantly play with my dog.

@Luka
Hi! That's awesome! What country are you from? I've always thought robots were amazing :)

@Olive
Oh, lol. I guess if you had meant New York you would have said NYC not NC. That's exactly how I feel!! I've always been torn between the sciences and music. Fortunately MIT has both :) That way I can keep studying music while I major in science (or something like that).
Which arts do you enjoy?
Hobbies? Well I play the violin and some other instruments and I like to write. How about you?

@Dave

Not here in Oregon. No luck with that recent eclipse here either :( Jupiter was amazing about a week ago though (or maybe it was Saturn. It's hard to tell the difference this year without looking up the position because of the way Saturn's rings are)

@Lauren

Me too!! I definately don't approach things the same way as my friends. They tend to stick more to the textbook way of doing things, and they like to maintain the status quo while I take the road less traveled. Maybe their way is the better way of doing things, but my way is more fun :D

Is that how it is with you?

@(whoever asked this. I forgot lol)
I'm not applying early action. Unfortunately I don't quite have a 4.0 (close though), so I'd like another semester of As on my record before I apply.

@Olive

That's a good point that engineering is both a science and an art...

@ Lauren
I'm applying EA too! I wanted to start the application before school started as well but it looks like (with school starting in a week) that might be a little difficult. So where are you from? (if you already answered that I'm sorry for being redundant lol)

@Dave

Did you work in the military? I went to CA Girls State this year and most of the girls I met there had family members serving in the US army - it was really sad hearing their stories. I'm raising money at my school to sponsor a disabled veteran for the Ride2Recovery foundation (veteran bike ride) I know MIT has Alpha Phi Omega and I really want to join it (if I am accepted) - Do you know about any major community service projects they are doing this coming year?

@Dave

No luck. It was cloudy here, too! I don't frequently get to see the awesome things going on in the sky, however, as my parents prefer to get their sleep, lol. But my sis and I are going to join a local astronomy club, so I think things will get better :)

How are things at the admissions office? Crazy?

@Lauren

I am definitely applying EA! I know I want to go to MIT, so if I get in (insert prayers here), I won't even have to apply anywhere else RA.

I like to volunteer too! I don't have a lot of free time, so I don't get to do it a whole lot, but it seems like the volunteers always have the most fun. Maybe that's not always the case, but it's been my experience anyway. Haha, and we usually have the best stories...

@Nicholas

Music! I wish I could play an instrument (I've never had time to learn...), but I do sing. I also love to dance, and I was a competitive figure skater for eight years, soooo that took up a lot of my life! I also love writing, especially poetry. Although a lot of it is apparently not-so-understandable, at least not in the way I intend it to be, since I like to keep things highly metaphorical. Analogy, sybolism, metaphor, all that good stuff = love :) I love to read, and I'm especially fond of classic literature (especially Tolkien), ancient mythology, and most things thought-provoking. Culture and history absolutely fascinate me! Oh, and I love languages, too :) Do you speak any foreign languages (this goes for all)?

@both

Yeah, I don't tend to think conventionally either. I tend to be more curious and philosophical than my friends...Besides, if we all did everything by the book, what kind of world would we live in?

hmmm...I'm wondering if I should bring sci-fi into this discussion...

@Olive

I'm from Croatia [use google earth XD]. I have spent my summer mainly on the seaside with some friends, but I found some time to explore MIT's application form. I've been in France, 2 weeks ago I took the TOEFL and I'll be going to Malta at the end of the month. My hobbies? I really have a lot of them. Reading, waterpolo, soccer, travelling, web designing, exploring museums, card games...

@Olive

TOLKIEN! Lord of the Rings!! I need to read those again. And your comment about volunteers having the most fun, I would have to AGREE :)sci-fi hmm Brave New World, 1984, Frankenstein (a few of my favs). Languages: Korean, Japanese, and I can read Latin (I qualified for a national level Latin reading competition in Australia) - I remember I had a dream with my best friend to make Latin the universal language lol!!

@ Olive

I speak Croatian, Italian and English (+ some Japanese, but very litte) and as Su I can read Latin.

@ Dave

As an international student I can't apply EA, right?

@Luka

Yes, I think you're right. I think international students can only apply RD. You can speak Japanese? こんにちはルーカさん。アメリカーに行ったことがありますか。ＭＩＴでどんな勉強をしたいですか。

@Olive
You can play an instrument! It's never too late to learn. Just start learning to read music in your spare time (if you have any lol) then get private lessons. And yes you absolutely should bring sci-fi into this discussion as it is my favorite genre :D I really like Lord of the Rings as well as The Hobbit, but my favorite book of all time (the whole trilogy actually) is The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy :) Ich kann ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen, aber nicht gut. What languages do you know? Wow, figure skating! That's really cool :) I'm not much of an athelete myself lol.

@Luka
Sweet, Croatia!! I hope you get admitted too! Have you ever been to the U.S.?

@Nicholas

You asked the same question I asked Luka (except in english - "Have you ever been to the U.S.?" :)
It's awesome that you know how to speak German! Talking about sci fi - star trek!!!!! (the original series)
"Space, the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five year mission - to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." (I get goosebumps every time I say it :D)

@everyone, I guess
Hi. Is it too late to join the conversation? I'm Ellen, and like all of you, I'm a hopeful '14. I only speak French and English, and I also love Tolkien (though unfortunately I have now forgotten who it was that brought him and the language thing up).

@Ellen

HI :) Olive brought up Tolkien and language. Where are you from?

I'm from Maryland.

@Luka

WOW Croatia! That is so cool! *gasps* You are so lucky to be able to travel through Europe - especially France! What are your favorite places to visit? Having lots of hobbies is a good thing in my book - it makes life interesting ;) That's a lot of languages, too - I'm impressed! It must be exciting to be able to communicate with so many different people :)

@Su

Also wow on the languages...
Have you read The Silmarillion or The Book of Lost Tales parts I and II? If you haven't, I would highly recommend them! They're wonderful.
STAR TREK! I love Star Trek! My sis and I are watching the original series in chronological order. It's going to take a while, but it's worth it. I love how though provoking the episodes are. Did you see the new movie?

@Nicholas

I do really want to learn, so I'm sure I will someday :) I already have a guitar and a keyboard, the problem is actually using them...it just hasn't been high enough on the priority list, I'm afraid. You know, I've never read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - I really should read it!

@Ellen. Nope, not too late to join in the conversation! J'apprends le francais en ce moment - hopefully I'll be able to speak it fluently!

As far as languages go, I speak English fluently (surprising, no?)and I'm learning French. I took two years of high school Latin and I'm hoping that I won't forget all of it! I really want to learn Italian and Spanish, too - all the romance languages are so similar, it shouldn't be too difficult.

And on the sci-fi discussion: other than Star Trek, I'm a big Stargate SG-1/Atlantis fan. My fav. characters are Jonas Quinn and Dr. Rodney McKay. Is anyone else a fan?

@Dave
Umm, we seem to have taken over the comments section...is that alright, or would you rather we not hold a discussion unrelated to your blog? I'm really sorry if we're bugging you!

@Dave

I'm with Olive on this one - I'm sorry for taking over the comments section.

@Olive
Sorry, didn't mean to imply fluency in French. I've taken five years with really good teachers, but can't claim to be fluent by any means. Also, I feel like it's sort of poor etiquette to respond to something directed at someone else, but I love the Silmarillion and the Book of Lost Tales (I actually own all the volumes of the History of Middle Earth).

@Dave
I'd like to second the apology for comments-hijacking.

@Dave
Yeah, sorry about that Dave. I take responsibility for filling up your comments with this silly jabber since I'm the one who started it :(

@ Su

My Japanese is poor and reading kanji or hiragana is out of my grasp.

@ Nicholas

I've never been to the US before, but I'll probably visit California next summer 'cause I have some relatives there.

@ Olive

I really enjoy traveling and in the last few years I have had the opportunity to see most of Europe. I've been to Madrid, Toledo, Paris, London, Oxford, Vienna, Prague, Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, Turin, Genoa, Zurich, Bern, Liechtenstein... the list is long :) They are all worth seeing, but I guess my favorite is Paris. It's an amazing city, there are countless parks where you can relax and read a book, the museums are among the best in the world (especially the Louvre) and the sight from the Eiffel Tower is breathtaking. There are just two negative aspects, almost nobody speaks English and there is just on place through the whole city where you can drink decent coffee. Regarding the language topic: "Quot linguas calles, tot homines vales."

For some strange reason my previous entry got posted as anonymous =S

@ Everyone

I hereby grant amnesty to all the comment hijackers! I've been happily grinning about how well you've connected. You have my blessing.

@ Nicholas

A 4.0 is by no means necessary, so if you're really interested in MIT I'd suggest you apply EA. If you get deferred to RA you can include your most recent grades. PS, California is wonderful! Muir woods north of San Francisco is my favorite place on earth.

@ Su

I'm a flight medic in the Air Force Reserve, though I have served in both the Navy and Army (long story). The support back home is sincerely appreciated. MIT's Biomechatronics group may interest you. Their work with prosthetics is unbelievable.

I'm not sure exactly what Alpha Phi Omega charity fundraisers are in the works this year, but I'm sure they'd be happy to tell you if you contacted them!

@ Luka

Correct: all international students are considered as part of RA. This page has some tips and requirements. And of course just let us know if you have specific questions.

Impressive travel credentials, BTW. Luckily I don't drink coffee, so I was able to overlook that Parisian flaw and fall in love with the delicious and plentiful hot chocolate instead :)

@ Olive

Crazy officially starts on November 1. Right now it's still the lull before the storm phase. Most of the office will start traveling to a location near you sooner than that. Because I'm new I get to stay local, though learning about MIT still makes things more hectic for me (in a good way?).

@Dave
That Biomechatronics group looks awesome. I don't really like bio, but every time I hear about work on prosthetics I want to be a bioengineer.

@Dave

Oh, good, I'm glad you don't mind! This has been very enjoyable for me :)
I'm kind of surprised crazy doesn't start until Nov. Do you not start processing applications until then, or is it just because everything is non-stop after that? Well, I hope you enjoy the calm before the storm ;P

@Ellen

By all means respond to the questions I ask other people! If it's a general question, I really mean for more than one person to answer if it applies, since we have so many people conversing at once! With that said, I'm so excited that there's another Tolkien fanatic here!!! :D I don't own all of the History of Middle Earth (henceforth to be referenced by HME in the interest of ease), but I do have a substantial amount. Which HME book would you say is your favorite? I'm partial to the Silmarillion since it has sooo many stories packed into one, but I also really like the background information and quirky stories in works like "The Unfinished Tales." Also, did you like the movies, or were you disappointed with all the, shall we say, liberties Peter Jackson took? Are you excited about The Hobbit?

@Nicholas

Actually, I think Lauren kicked off the conversation, but she's been mysteriously absent. Or just busy. lol. We're all guilty though :)

@Luka

Oh my goodness, my head is spinning imagining going to all those places! Especially Italy - I would love to go to Italy! What were some of your favorite places & things to do there? Do you take lots of pictures when you travel? I guess it's a good thing that I don't drink coffee; you'd think that there would be plenty of good coffee in a major city like that - but then again, I haven't traveled much, so I wouldn't know! @Daves comment - J'adore le chocolat chaud! For me, that's a big plus :)
"Quot linguas calles, tot homines vales" hmm I had to pull out my Latin dictionary for that one(it's already been too long)! Does it mean "As many languages as you know, so many men you (can) influence"? If so, it's very true! That's one of the reasons I'd like to learn more languages. Ugh, do you know someone actually got me to translate "Semper ubi sub ubi" once? LOL, I was so mad.

@Olive
Yeah, I think the Silmarillion is best in terms of having all the stories and also being more polished than most of the others. I really like the Lays of Beleriand because I like epic poetry, and the subset for the history of LOTR is also fun although that's less for reading a story and more for seeing how the story got written. I liked the movies at first and I still think they're good movies (though I haven't watched them for a while), but once I got really into the books some of the differences got to be really grating. (Faramir and the whole 'let's forge the sword in RotK and then have Elrond run off to Rohan to deliver it' thing.)

@ everyone who likes Tolkien
Since we've established that you have good taste in books, I was wondering if anyone here had read anything by Guy Gavriel Kay? He's sort of obscure but really good.

@Olive

Italy is like a second home for me (actually I have 1/8 of Italian blood). All Italy is beautiful, but I'd recommend Rome, Florence and Venice. If you love art Florence is the right place for you. The Uffizi Gallery is a must see, it hosts paintings and sculptures mainly from the Italian renaissance. Leonardo's Annunciation, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and La Primavera are incredible. Rome is the right place to hang around and explore on your own. The main attractions are the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City (I was baptised there ^_^), but there are countless places that are interesting although they aren't very famous. As for Venice, it can't be described. You have to see "La Serenissima" with your own eyes. I never travel without two or three digital cameras, so the answer to your question is yes, I take enormous amounts of photos.
"Quot linguas calles, tot homines vales" means "As many languages as you know, so many people you are worth."

@Dave
Thanks for your answers and your support. Have you ever tried Swiss chocolate? I prefer it over the French one.

@Dave
Whew! I'm glad you weren't busy pointing out our rudeness to the other admissions people and putting our names on some kind of no-admit list :O
Yes, California is very wonderful :) I love how high the freeways are stacked in L.A. and how ironic the connotations of Palm Spring's name are. Won't it put me at some kind of disadvantage to apply early? Are first semester grades the only thing that RA has going for it? I always though EA was for the people who were pretty confident about getting in.

@Olive
Yeah it started as a conversation between me and Lauren, but I wasn't about to make somebody else take the blame lol. Since you said we can answer other people's questions (even though you didn't say it to me :P ) yes I am unhappy with *some* of the liberties Peter Jackson took. Particularly the absence of Tom Bombadil was a major let-down (for me). At the same time though, I understand that Jackson had an obligation to make money from these movies--especailly considering that they had to be payed for--and to make them less than a zillion hours long. Hence, the movie's added Hollywood-ness and omitted and shortened elements.

@Ellen
I've never heard of that author, what's he written?

@Luka
Make sure you eat at an In'n'out burger while you'r in California to get the true American experience :D Did you ride the gondola in Venice?

@Everyone
I finally figured out why the morning conversations begin before I get here: I live on the west-coast, so I'm three hours behind :D

@ dave - hmm for some reason, i can't comment on your first post anymore - but i just wanted to say that i accidentally forgot to include a subject when sending the e-mail containing my blogger application - so the one that says 'untitled message' would be me :)

@Su
I'm from Everett, MA, which is about 20 minutes from Boston. Where are you from?

@Olive
Ya, volunteering is a blast :) I hope we both get into MIT EA because I don't want to apply to any other schools RA :P And I think (?) I did kick off the conversation, and I've been absent :( I have a lot of summer work that needs to be finished and can't check the blogs as much as I'd like too. And, I have to look over what everyone else posted, which takes a long time because everyone writes so much! :P It's all so interesting.

@Nicholas
Violin? I love that instrument and have always wanted to learn how to play, but never had the time. While I was at WTP, there were 4 girls who had violins and violas and were really good. At the talent show we had towards the end, they played as a kind of quartet and performed Clocks by Coldplay. I play piano, but I haven't practiced a lot lately. I hope I can get back to learning how to play once I go to college :)

@Luka
Croatia? That is pretty cool.

Mmmmmm, someone just dropped of Ghiradelli squares (and yes, West Coasters, I'm pronouncing it correctly :)

@ Ellen

That's the wonder of MIT: you don't have to be a specialized bioengineer to work on projects like that. The Media Lab includes life scientists, engineers of all flavors, artisans, management students and others, all collaborating . And since every MIT student takes the same GIR classes, you can all speak the same quantitative language.

@ Olive

We're always busy. It being MIT, there tend to be more creative ideas than time. November 1 starts the reading season, and for a month we all read applications 24/7. The same goes for January/February. We do have to find time for the usual Admissions activities as well (website, publications, email, phone, etc). After all, who do you think stuffs all those EA packets? :)

@ Luka

I haven't had much French chocolate since my trip. Belgian is more readily available in the states. Swiss is superb, but I generally prefer chocolate so dark it can be mistaken for a culinary singularity. Venezuelan is my favorite so far.

All this chocolate talk reminded me that I wanted to attempt this Dark Chocolate Souffle recipe from Cooking for Engineers. I'll let you know how it turns out.

@ Hamsika

Got your app!

@Ellen

Yeah, the Lays of Beleriand is lovely! It really showcases Tolkien's poetic talent. I've never heard of Guy Gavriel Kay - is his main genre also fantasy?

@Ellen & Nicholas

The things that really bugged me about the movie was how Arwen was given a major role (yet Faramir's romance with Eowyn was completely over-looked) and how the relationship between Sam and Frodo was fundamentally changed (seriously, did he have to make them fight?). I can understand how Jackson had to cut most of the story out - really, the movies are already long! Although, I wouldn't have been upset with 6 movies hehe...

@Nicholas

haha, I was thinking the same thing about the no-admit list :P
I got the impression that EA was for the people who really want to go to MIT and probably won't go elsewhere if accepted. That's why I'm applying anyway; that, and I'm rather impatient :P and would LOVE to know early that I'm getting in (or not...but I prefer to focus on the positive).

@Luka
Thanks for the recommendations @Italy. I'll keep them in mind when I *hopefully* go there :) Are you serious about being baptised at St. Peter's Basilica? That's amazing. Are you Catholic, too, then? I'm Catholic

Ah, thank you for clarifying the Latin! I was really having trouble with 'vales' for some reason - none of the dictionary meanings made sense to me except "influence"...

@Lauren

Yeah, I've probably been posting too much! I'm already back in school (this is my third week), so I've been doing x amount of work, getting on blog, doing x amount of work, getting on blog...:P It's been an excellent means of motivation! And if that seems odd, I'm home schooled, which is why I can get on during school hours. muahahahaha ;)

I hope all six of us get accepted; that would be wonderful! Maybe we can even hang out together, too :) Then again, maybe it's just wishful thinking...

@Dave

Thanks, I think I got it :)

AHhhh don't mention Ghiradelli squares in front of me, it makes me twitch!:P (but I hope you enjoy them :)) Is it just me, or do Hershey's products seem unpalatable after having reallly dark chocolate?

And definitely let us know how the souffle turns out - if it's good, I've got to try it ;)

grr I did a heart

Great, warning: every time you try to post a heart it deletes everything you write after it. :(

I *tried* to say "grr I did a heart after writing 'I'm Catholic' and it didn't show up"

@ Olive

I think you need to use the ASCII (& + lt + ;) so it doesn't think you're trying to use HTML markup. Let's test: <3 did this show up?

@Olive
I reaallllyyy hope it's not wishful thinking. I was reading a blog from last year 5 days before decisions came out that had posts up to when decisions came out. It was nerve-racking seeing all those people worry, but it kind of helped me realize what I would do if I am deferred... or even rejected :( ... but I still really hope I'm not :/ And it would be amazing if we all got in and met each other in person. Hopefully that's not just a dream...
(A dream is a wish your heart makes... if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true) O_o I've resorted to Disney songs... oh no... MIT MADNESS!!! :P

@Dave
Do you happen to know approximately when the applications are coming out? Tomorrow? Next week? The week after that, on my birthday (Aug. 31)?

@Dave
Glad to hear that you pronounced it correctly. What about Oregon...Do you pronounce it ore-uh-gun, or ore-uh-gone?
I like dark chocolate too :) It's sort of painful to eat I think, but in a good way: like getting shocked with static electricity :)
MIT has been my first choice college for as long as I can remember, so I'll look into applying EA, but the idea makes me kinda nervous.

@Lauren
Never give up piano! I would love to learn piano eventually. I'll tell you what: I'll give you some of my violin skill if you give me some of your piano skill, deal? We'll trade.

@Olive
Yeah, the fighting and the changed relationship stuff is just the filmmakers trying to make more money. More drama = more ticket sales. lol six movies would have been awesome. Which one is your favorite? Yes, wishing for everyone to get in is wishful thinking, but there's nothing wrong with that :) it's the best kind of thinking.

@Su
You live pretty close to MIT, have you ever visited? To me it seems like a faraway place that only half exists....like Hawaii is until you go there.

@everyone
who has started school already? I see that some of you are mentioning that you've already started. I don't start until September 9th!

oops. didn't mean to double post that uber-long comment :(

&

@Nicholas
Ok, deal :) And it's a good decision to apply EA (at least I think so...) there's a better chance at getting deferred rather than rejected, and then at least all the stress of applying to MIT is over with (until December, when all the stress of getting into MIT becomes apparent). I start school September 2... and that really stinks because I get my wisdom teeth out September 1, the day after my birthday. Such bad planning :(

@Lauren
I like the idea of being being deferred instead of rejected (of course being accepted would be ok too :D ). Don't worry too much about your wisdom teeth. People say it hurts, but it doesn't. You'll be a little loopy from the anesthesia when you wake up (if they put you to sleep like they did for me) but that's not so bad :D Just don't try to drive or anything that day.

@Dave
I don't know if you're the one to ask about this, but there is no information on my MyMIT page about an EC in my area. Is that being posted later?

@ Nicholas
I had a few rides on the gondola the first time I was in Venice about five years ago. Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out.
When I'll start school is still under discussion, but it should be on September 7th.

@ Dave
If I'm not mistaken Ghiradelli is the US branch of Lindt. I have a friend that works in a Lindt facility near Zurich so I always have industrial quantities of Lind chocolate at home and I often get to try new products six months before their release on the market. I like dark chocolate too, better if it is with 70% or 80% of cocoa. My favorite is the one from Madagascar, Ecuadorian isn't bad either. Dark Chocolate Souffle? Sounds delicious. I tried both milk and white chocolate ones, but never one with dark chocolate. I'll put that in my to-do list. Let me know how it turned out.

@ Olive
You are welcome. If you ever get the chance of spending a few days in Italy do it, you won't regret it.
Of course I'm serious, I wouldn't joke about something like that. About me bing catholic the situation is somewhat complicated...

@Dave

Thanks for the help :) I second Nicholas' question. Why can't we contact our ECs yet? Is it because the application isn't up?

@Lauren

Aaaaaaa not Disney songs! Although, it is somewhat appropriate...good luck on the wisdom teeth :) I haven't had mine pulled, but all my friends who have said it's painless. And one actually enjoyed the anesthetic lol...

@Nicholas

I also would recommend applying EA. At this point, I don't think you have anything to lose. And getting a second chance at admission? Way worth it.

@both

Haha, maybe I can trade figure skating lessons for music lessons...any takers? ;)

@Nicholas

I always liked the second one better, but it's been a while since I watched the trilogy. It seemed like there were fewer deviations from the book than the other two. Ah, money: the reason good books become bad movies :P Not that LOTR was bad, but it wasn't anywhere near the greatness of the books!

I'm the one who brought up school. Sorry. Terrible subject, I know...

@Luka

Right. I'll drop the religion topic...unless you want to bring it back up again. I know it can be pretty touchy...it's still cool that you were baptized at St. Peter's Basilica :)

Why is the starting date for your school still under discussion? Are you home schooled? Or is it some other flexible arrangement?

@all

At this point, I think some wishful thinking is just about mandatory :P

@Olive
Sure! I'll give you ninety cubits of violin for twelve gallons of figure skating. fair? ;D
The second movie deviates from the book because it ends in completely the wrong place, but other than that you could be right. So who's your favorite character? Tom Bombadil was my favorite from the book, but in the movies it was Legolas.

@ Nicholas

Nuked second post.

Are-a-gine. I've only visited once, though I'd love to go back.

EC information will be posted when the application goes live. I promise I'll have news about that tomorrow.

Oh dear I have no idea how to organize this. So:
@Olive and Nicholas
Guy Gavriel Kay writes sort of 'historical' fantasy- alternate world but clearly based in reality. For example, he's got books based on the Byzantine Empire and the Spanish Reconquista, but they've got a touch of magic and a different set of events. He's also done a bit of Tolkien-style high fantasy (trilogy and all. Why is everything a trilogy?) What I really like about him is the well-developed minor characters. And, of course, the plots are well done too (though he does sometimes hold details back a bit too long. But that doesn't matter on the reread. :) ) Also, as regards the LOTR movies, the second one had the absurd drama of Helm's Deep and the grievous alteration of Faramir's character. (Faramir is my favorite character, so that really bothers me.) But I guess in terms of extracted details it's the best, since the first one lost Tom Bombadil and the last one lost the Scouring of the Shire.

@Nicholas
Could I have some of the violin skill too? I've been playing violin for ages but I'm afraid I don't practice enough to be any good. Sadly, I have no piano skill to offer. Would you take French skill?

@everyone
I really hope we all get in and get to meet in person. Or who knows, maybe even if we get rejected some of us will end up at the same place.

@Dave
thanks for getting rid of that second post & Are-a-gine is close enough for me lol. Awesome!! Can't wait to hear about the application, whatever the news is. By the way...have you ever seen News Radio? ;D

@Ellen
Sure I'll trade for French, but it's going to cost you seven miles worth -_-

Guy G. Kay sounds like an interesting author. Maybe I'll check out one of his books when I finish "Invisible Man". Ah yes, I had forgotten that they left out the scouring of the shire. That would have ruined the audience's expectations though because most movie-goers expect a happy ending. Do you ever look for flubs in the LOTR movies? In one scene there's a fedex truck or some kind of vehicle driving by in the background :D I noticed it in the theater, but they edited it out for the DVD.

@Olive: I'll trade two quarts of bassoon for a vial of concentrated poise, extracted from your figure skating concentrate. Fair? :)

@Dave

We eagerly await any news you have! :)

@Nicholas

Eh, I guess that's fair ;P I'm actually more interested in piano & guitar, but I would love to learn to play the violin; when played well, it can be just heartbreaking and absolutely beautiful.

@Nicholas and Ellen

Oh, I forgot how much they changed the second one, too, especially with the elves coming to "fight alongside men once more" when they totally didn't show in the books...It's been a couple years since I saw the movie and read the books...Yeah, the Helm's Deep scene WAS pretty ridiculous. I guess I'd have to watch/read them again to pick a favorite. In the movie, I really liked Merry and Pipin, and I also liked Legolas (even though his character was greatly reduced from what it was in the book - seriously, when you have Orlando Bloom playing somebody, you'd think giving him as much screen time as possible would be beneficial to the success of the movie!!). As far as my favorite character in the book, it's hard to say. I'd have to read it again. I'm starting to forget all the nuances which make the characters loveable! Ellen, I agree on Faramir - the movie really didn't do him justice. Although I did like the actor ;)

@Ellen

GGK sounds interesting! What book (or trilogy lol) would you recommend for someone who hasn't read his works?

@everyone

I agree with Ellen! What are some of the other schools y'all are looking at (in the unhappy event that we don't get accepted to MIT)? My second choice is NCSU.

@Nicholas
Thanks for the advice. I'm getting put under anesthesia, so I'm definately not gonna drive anywhere. I'm just worried about my face being all swelled up the first day of being a senior in high school.

@Dave
Yay for news about ECs and the EA application!!!

@Val

Sorry, I'm not interested in bassoon. Better luck next time! :P Do you have any other skills to offer?

Have you decided to join our conversation?

@Nicholas

LOL, now I wish I'd seen it in theaters! The FedEx truck would soo have been worth it...

@Olive
In the unfortunate and unhappy event :( ...
My second choice schools would have to be Tufts University and Northeastern University. I'm probably going to apply to UMASS Amherst, Boston University, and some other schools. I don't know. I really don't want to apply anywhere else, though :P

@ Lauren

I don't want to apply anywhere else, either! But, it's a good idea :) Besides, not getting into MIT wouldn't mean our lives would be over; it would just make us very sad! Hopefully, if any one of us doesn't get in, it will be for a very good (if not immediately recognizeable) reason.

P.S. My name is Olivia, and I guess there really isn't any point to using the username Olive. Y'all are using your real names, I'll use mine too :)

@Olivia
No, it wouldn't be the end of the world. We'd survive and move on. But it would still be a heartbreaker :P If one of us (or even all of us :O ) didn't get in, it's probably because MIT believes we wouldn't be happy there. And we all know how smart MIT people are, so I doubt they're wrong :P

I guess we'll all call you Olivia now, but Olive was cool too :)

@Olive
I'll also be applying to Cal Tech, possibly Yale, and maybe another similar school like Berkely. Those are my second choices after MIT. If I don't get into any of those or MIT, I'll go to one of Oregon's two state universities and make the most of it I can. There are tons of mistakes in the LOTR movies similar to the fedex truck. Click my name to read about some if you want. Maybe you've already heard about them.

@Lauren
I don't think your face actually looks different. It just feels numb.

@Val
Hi! I'll trade you a little rubik's cube for some of that Bassoon :D

@Nicholas
I'll trade you some vibraphone and timpani for some Rubik's Cube. I've always wanted to learn how to complete that thing. And my face will feel numb? That'll be an odd feeling... :P

@Lauren
I'll trade Rubik's cube for vibraphone. Yeah, face numbing is really weird. Also tongue numbing.

@Nicholas
I heard about the truck thing, but I didn't notice when I saw it in the theater. I wish they'd included it on the DVD. Not necessarily in the movie, but as an extra at least.

@Olivia
I think Tigana or The Lions of Al-Rassan are the best of GGK's books, but one thing you risk by starting with those is mild disappointment when you read his earlier stuff. It's still good, but a bit less mature. Fake-out deaths and the like. For other schools, I'm thinking Caltech or Stanford, maybe Johns Hopkins, and suchlike. And of course there's always the University of Maryland. But I would rather not have to go to any of them, although I agree with Lauren on the reliability of MIT's admissions officers. If they tell me I'll be happier somewhere else, they're probably right. But I'm hoping they think I'll be happiest at MIT.

@Ellen
Deal. And I think we're all hoping that admissions will think we'll be happiest at MIT :P

@Lauren
Yeah it is an odd feeling, but don't worry it's not as bad as braces if you've ever had those.

@Ellen and Lauren
It's really easy actually, you can learn in just a day or two. Doing it fast is the hard part. Click my name if you want to see someone explain how to do it (and I won't even charge you any vibraphone :P although I do think it would be fun to learn) Wait, do you both play vibraphone? Are you in a school band/jazz band type of thing?

@Olivia
I was actually thinking about asking you if your real name was Olive, but sometimes people are uncomfortable giving out their name to strangers. Anyway, I like Olivia it's a nice name.

I've missed so much while I was away at my internship :(
I forgot when it was mentioned but I think someone asked if I had visited MIT because I live so close? I have visited but I live in San Diego, CA, I think Lauren lived in MA though.

@DAVE
Yay! Some news about the applications. I am so pumped for it to come out.

@Su
I think it was me that asked that. I thought you said you lived close to MIT, or maybe I meant to ask someone else. I don't know :D What kind of internship were you at?

@Dave, Olivia, Nicholas, Lauren, Ellen, VAL, (and anyone I've missed)

Another question. If I don't have a 2400 on the SAT and 800s on all my subject tests should I not apply EA? Also, I haven't built a telescope or anything amazing like that either. I guess I'm feeling a little nervous/not good enough (is anyone else feeling that way? or is it just me?)

Oh and my answer for my second choice schools. If I don't get into MIT I'm considering going back to Australia (Sydney University).

@Nicholas

Haha, don't worry about the mix up there are so many comments I would be surprised if there wasn't any mix ups. :)
I applied for a grant from the NIH with a lab that I wanted to work with and they accepted my grant so I'm working at Scripps in an eating behavior and alcohol addiction lab. (Behavioral neuroscience)

@Su
Thanks for saying that about my telescope :D that was really nice of you!!
Anyway, I know how you feel, I'm feeling kind of that way too....not good enough. Dave isn't here right now so I'll help you as best I can: I know you don't have to have perfect scores or be a genius to apply EA. If you get rejected EA it's probably because you would have gotten rejected RA. People who don't get in EA usually get deferred to RA (or so I've heard). I'm applying EA and I don't have perfect test scores or a perfect 4.0. and I'm not a genius lol. Good test scores and grades are definately necessary to some degree, but mostly you have to prove to MIT that you will make the most of their incredible resources.

@Su
so basically when you said you'd never done anything amazing.....you were lying? :D lol

@Nicholas
Thanks for your reply. I think I knew all that all along but with the whole college application hype you sometimes forget even the simplest things.
(random note: "simplest" is such a funny word lol I was just typing it and it just struck me to be very odd haha)

@Nicholas

I don't know if it's amazing though compared to building your own telescope and studying the stars. If I made my own behavioral chambers and conducted experiments for at least a year and came up with results that were publishable or at least intel science fair worthy then I would think hmm that's pretty intense/amazing, but I didn't do that. :( Well, amazing or not, it was definitely fun!! I LOVE NEUROSCIENCE and that internship just confirmed it. COURSE 9 HERE I COME (hopefully lol)

@Sue
Well it's not as if I invented a telescope lol. I didn't design it, I learned how to make it from it's inventor John Dobson with a group of about seven other people. It's a dobsonian telescope and it's made by amateur astronomers all the time. The fact that you "LOVE NEUROSCIENCE" is great! And if you got a grant to work on a lab relevant to your interests I think that's incredible! Everybody has different ways of persuing their interests, and there is no best way to do it. I'm no expert, but it sounds to me like you're on a good track.

omg the blog's size has almost doubled since my last visit and i got just a few hours of sleep :D Seems like everyone here likes to write a lot XD

@ Olivia
I'm not home schooled, I'm attending a local high school. The starting date is influenced by many factors. Some government folks proposed to postpone the start by a week or two because it is still to hot and there are herds of nervous tourists roaming around. The school building has some rearrangements going on and it is still unknown if everything will be done by September 7th. My class is going on a school trip to Malta and we are returning on September 6th so we might get a few days off.
I'm not seriously considering any other school besides MIT, although I know I probably should. I guess my second choice would be Stanford, but I still haven't checked their international application. I heard that the University of Genoa is among the best in Europe for robotics, so that might too be an option. The same goes for Milan.

@ Dave
Can't wait to hear the last news!

Agh don't you people sleep??? Just kidding - I know it's the time difference. I have to head off to Calculus class (it's my first day o_O) at our community college, so I won't be on 'till later
:( But I will be getting back on!

@Nicholas
No, Idon't play vibraphone. I was offering to trade Rubik's cubing so I could get to play vibraphone.

@Su
I agree with Nicholas, you were clearly lying about not having done anything amazing.

@Olivia
Have fun with calculus.:)

@ Nicholas

Thanks for answering Su. Perfect scores are by no means required. We look at standardized test scores as part (a small part) of your overall academic performance. You can see the admit rates for various score ranges here but honestly I'd rather see you working on your telescope or doing some other cool extracurricular activity than squeezing out another 20 points on an SAT. Remember too that for EA you can take the November tests if you have the scores sent to us.

I own the News Radio DVD set :)

Speaking of news, have any of you checked MyMIT lately?

@Olivia

Yay calculus HAVE FUN! I don't know if you've seen the movie Stand and Deliver but there's a great quote about calculus in it - "Calculus was not made to be easy. It already is." (great movie btw) :D

@Ellen

Thanks :) I guess I should have chosen my words more carefully, what I meant to say was that relative to the people I've read about (whom got into MIT in the past) in the news I didn't feel like what I had done was amazing enough. As I said to Nicholas, the application-hype can make you second guess yourself sometimes and that's what I wanted to get across. Anyway, I don't think we've talked as much, have you started school yet?

@Su
Yeah, I know what you mean about everyone at MIT being overly amazing. You hear about them and on the one hand it's great that MIT is so awesome but on the other hand how am I supposed to measure up to them? School starts on the 31st, which is good seeing as I still haven't finished my summer work.

First of all, THE APPLICATION IS UP!!!

@Ellen: I agree. I hear about all of these amazing things that people who have gotten into MIT have done, and it is just very humbling.

As for the other school choices, some of my other options include Carnegie Mellon (Robots! :D), University of Michigan- Ann Arbor (yay, in-state tuition!), CalTech (Don't shoot!), Northwestern, and Cornell. I am trying to find some safety schools that have great engineering programs. Can anyone help me? Thank you! :3

The application is up!??!? You better not be messing with me.

@Dave
me too!! It's my favorite show. I asked because you reminded me of Dave. You look slightly like him in your picture and your name is Dave :D

@Olivia
I keep getting surprised at how similar we all are!! I'm taking calculus at a college this year too!! Also my school is obligated to pay my tuition because they don't offer a math class I haven't taken :D I think that's only a law in Oregon though.

@Val
Oregon State University has good engineering, but I doubt you want to go to a state school that isn't in your state. I don't know of any fallback engineering schools in other places. (btw I just did a google search for good engineering schools, and on one list of the top 50 MIT was ranked 50th....What's up with that :( some people need to work on their list-making skills)

@everyone
I'm going to go see if the application is there!

Yes the app is actually up. Part 2 has been given an entirely new look.

Hi guys! Thanks for the well-wishes, I survived :) This week is just preCalc review, so it's no big.

@Olive

Y'all can still call me Olive if you like it better...thanks, Nicholas, I like my name too ;)

@schools

yeah, I think I need to get a couple more on my list...I don't really want to go to any of my back-ups (excluding NCSU - I really liked it there while I was at camp); I'd really rather not worry about it though. So, here's to hoping we all get accepted to MIT EA (except Luka who will get in RA :P)!

Val, I would recommend NC State as a back-up, b/c Raleigh is a great location, it's a good (not great, but good) school, and the people there are nice. ohmygosh I used to train in AA, MI! Have you ever been to the Ann Arbor Ice Cube?

Nicholas, I was seriously considering Yale, and thought it would be awesome to get in, until I visited. Have you visited campus? It's really beautiful, but I just got this creepy feeling about it...everyone had this vacant look in their eyes and it weirded me out! But that's just what I saw - idk, maybe you'd like it there!

@Su

OK, you really can't say you haven't done anything special when you've been working in a lab! That is way cool - would you mind telling us more about what you've been doing? Human behavior has always fascinated me.

I think we are all nervous about applying - it's like we each have done something cool in its own right, but we all think whatever our neighbor has done is better than what we've done. Ironic, isn't it? So, I'm going to *attempt* to muster up some confidence for the application, and realize that what I've done is cool, and it's me, and if MIT admissions officers like it, even better. If they don't, they know what they're doing and I'll be better off somewhere else. But I really hope they like it :) Good luck, everybody!

@Nicholas

I'll trade you some beginning Pilates instruction for some Rubik's Cube skills :)

@Su
I love the calculus quote, btw!

@Ellen

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll have to check them out! (the books, I mean...)
And good luck with your summer work, lol

@Luka

Interesting situation...that must be odd not knowing when school starts! Have fun at Malta, though, that sounds like a blast!

@Dave

YES! Thank you! And now I don't have time to do it this very instant...gaa...but I am very excited!!

Just looked at the application - I can't wait to get started!

@Nicholas

Cool! It's nice to know I'm not the only one working on Calc I - a number of people I met at camp had already taken Calc II (...you are taking I, right?) which came as a shock. In NC, dual enrollment is tuition free for math and science courses, but they just changed it so that you have to pay for any humanities courses you want to take. :( I guess it's a good thing I'm only doing math and science there!

@Dave

Question: I am thinking about taking Calc II iff Calc I goes really well and the scheduling would work out. Do you think it would help my chances at admission, or would it be fine for self-improvement but not effect admission?

@ Olivia

In general, we'd much rather see you challenge yourself in difficult classes and and get a B than see you get an A in a lesser class. Whether or not it will specifically help you (or if it's the right decision for you) depends too much on the other aspects of your life. I wouldn't presume to give a definitive answer. Good luck on the PreCalc review!

@ Nicholas

But I'm not Canadian! :)

@Dave
Ha!!! That's exactly what Dave said!!!

@Olivia
Can I use pilates to fight my enemies??

@Dave

Thank you! I guess I'll see how things go, and take it from there :)

@Nicholas

lol. Pilates is a method of exercise which focuses on core strength. It's non-aerobic, but very effective. I took classes for five years, and even did a little teaching myself, so I'd be able to teach you some basics :P I suppose the strength you'd gain would help you fight your enemies more effectively...

At the moment, though, I'm learning Ninjutsu (bona fide ninja training), which would definitely help you fight your enemies!

You know, I've been wondering: is there a record for the number of comments on a blog? Because if we continue posting at the rate we have been over the past couple days, I think Dave will be the new record holder!

@Olivia or Nicholas or someone who can explain this to me
What is this Calc I, Calc II stuff? Is that like AP Calc?

@Olivia
You're learning to be a ninja? That is so cool!

@Olivia
I was wondering the same thing as I was looking at the number of comments posted in various blogs. Most of them have 30 to 40, but this one has well over 100 :D
That's so cool!!!! I wish I was learning to be a ninja!!! I'll remember to stay on your good side ;D

@Ellen

It's called Calculus I because I'm taking a college class at the local community college. So, it's similar to AP, but probably a little harder (at least, so I've heard).

@ninjutsu

Thanks guys :) Don't worry Nicholas, ninjutsu is purely defensive, so you'd have to attack me first. Which I don't recommend, by the way ;)

@Nicholas: Oregon State actually sounds quite nice, just from poking around the website. I really like the climate of Oregon too. Thanks! :)

@Olivia: NC State looks pretty nice too. However, I am not sure that I want to travel that far south. I will take a look at it anyway. :) I have been to Ann Arbor several times, but I have never been to the Cube. Have you ever been to the Hands On Museum? I love that place!

@Olivia: Ooh, pilates is fun. I took a class once, and I really enjoyed it. However, my heart really belongs to yoga. It's so relaxing...

Ps. Does anyone do FIRST Robotics? Just curious...

@Val
I wish. There really isn't anything like that in my area...no science fairs or math teams or robot building clubs (sigh). What kind of stuff do you do in it?
By the way I looked at the blog that your name is linked to. There's some cool stuff on there. I like your mobius strip :)

I've just seen the application! Can't wait to start the work, but I guess it's better to wait till morning, it's 1:25 AM here and my cerebral activities are starting to drop :P

@ Olivia
You are learning Ninjutsu? That's amazing! I'd like to see you in action.

@ Val
I'm in the same situation as Nicholas, no sience fairs or robot building clubs (I'd like that so much :( sigh), there are a few math teams though.

@ everyone
You're all applying EA? Lucky you, I have to wait till RA. I hope some of you (possibly all) will already be admitted at that time.

@Val

No, I've never been to the Hands On museum. In fact, all I really did when I was in AA was skate and run by Trader Joe's lol. It was an hour drive for us to get there, and I was always completely exhausted from training :(

Umm, I haven't even heard of FIRST robotics. What is it, exactly? There were never any science programs in the area I lived in (and I didn't really have time for them anyway), at least none that were available to home schoolers.

@Luka

Lol, I'm not very good yet. I just started taking classes this summer, but by the time I'm in college, I should be further along. I need to check and see if I can continue doing ninjutsu if I get into MIT, because I would absolutely LOVE to get a blackbelt. Our sensai said that for the black belt test, they drop you off in the middle of a forest, and you have to find your belt. That's the easy part. The hard part is what lies between you and the belt. Wicked sweet, imho...

I hope you sleep in tomorrow! Staying up past 10:00 is late for me, lol. I just don't understand how it's possible to stay up past midnight for more than a couple nights in a row (we stayed up until one in the morning at camp and had to get up at 6:30, so I can fathom a week's worth. But that's about it.) :P

@sci-fi

OK, I remember somebody quoted the original series ("These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise..."), but I don't remember who and I'm too lazy to look it up...who is/are your favorite character(s) from the original series? Mine are Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Scotty :)

Part 2 has had a face lift!

@VAL

FIRST robotics: My school didn't have a robotics team, I persuaded my AP Physics teacher last year and we are going to try and enter the FIRST Tech Challenge this year. Even if we don't win anything I'm excited - it'll be a real bonding experience for my science club :)

@FIRST Robotics: Well, here is the website: http://www.usfirst.org/. Pretty much, teams from around the world get 6 weeks to build a robot to play that year's game (it changes each year). There are many rules to which we must abide, such as robot size, weight, and material restrictions, as well as game rules. At the end of six weeks, we must ship or seal the robot and have it delivered to each of our competitions. We compete with other teams, but it is really super-duper collaborative. It's not about the competition or the robots; it's about learning and "gracious professionalism". I love it SO SO SO much. As far as my role on the team, I help with design and mechanics, I am the head of marketing, and I am the mascot (I made the costume myself. :) ).

Anyways, our FIRST team is really the only math/science team available in my community. I am sooooo thankful for it. I love it.

@Nicholas: Thank you. :) There are a lot of different nerdy projects in my queue: a crocheted hyperbolic plane, an XKCD embroidery, and knitted DNA to name a few.

@Olivia: I don't really have a favorite character yet. (I am new-ish to sci fi), but what are your favorite kinds of science fiction? I really like anything to do with space and space travel and the end of the world. Oh, and aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. :)

@All: How has the application changed? I did not have a chance to view last year's application. Thanks! :)

@Val
As far as I can remember, last year's app had the two 100-word essays the same and then a longer one that was either about the world you come from or something that felt like the end of the world and how you dealt with it. So basically they split that into two shorter essays and added the creativity one.

@Ellen
shh!! Don't spoil the ending!! I'm going through the app one question at a time so the next one is always a surprise :D

@Val
I've heard of FIRST robotics, but I never knew exactly what they did. That sounds so fun!! I used to want to be a robotics engineer (and maybe I still do, who knows).

@Olivia
Wow, that black-belt thing is intense! I'm imagining something like an Indiana Jones situation where you grab the belt and then a giant boulder comes crashing after you :D

This isn't really Olivia....it's Nicholas :P

YAY FOR THE APPLICATION COMING OUT!!! Sorry I've been missing... I hung out with my friend all day and didn't get to check the website :O

@Nicholas

NAME STEALER!!!! Lol, thank you for bringing to mind that we can call ourselves by any name on here and no one will know the difference. Lovely.

I think the danger is a bunch of ninjas lying in wait for you - maybe there are boobie-traps too, I don't know. It's all very mysterious ;)

@Val

That sounds like sooo much fun! I would love to do something like that! Although, I probably don't know enough about robotics...wow, you do a lot for your team, too. How long have you been doing it?

My favorite type of sci-fi involves outer space and aliens, too :P I love it when humans and aliens work together to fight bad aliens. My favorite shows are Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. It involves Americans discovering a gate system for worm-hole travel built by an ancient race of advanced aliens. Then they have a run-in with the bad aliens who enslave humans, and sometimes take them as 'hosts', sooo it goes from there :) I think you'd like it! After that, I really don't know much about sci-fi lol. Just Stargate and Star Trek :) Oh, and I should mention that Stargate was definitely Star Trek-inspired.

I didn't see last year's application either. Interestingly enough, it was only this year that I even considered MIT as a serious possibility...

@Lauren

Hanging out with friends is a good thing :)

@Ellen: Wow, that is awesome! I

@Nicholas: Really? Me too! Either that or a mechanical engineer.

@Lauren: No worries. Hanging with friends is fun! :)

@Olivia: I joined the robotics team in 9th grade. I knew almost nothing about robots, but I learned so much from it! That is what the program is all about- life skills and learning. If you ever have a chance to go to a FIRST regional (they occur in March) or the World Championship (in Atlanta, Georgia in April), you should GO GO GO! All the teams in the pits are really nice and open to answering questions. It is a really excited, but still laid back atmosphere. Everybody roots for each other. That is why I love it.
Also, I'm going to check to see if my library has any Star Trek on VHS or DVD. Do you read Sci Fi too? Have you ever read Ender's Game?
About considering MIT: Me too! Really, up until this year, I thought that only super-geniuses who hold 10,000 patents and whose minds are being tapped by the government would be allowed into MIT. Then, last year, I saw that MIT had a scholarship just for FIRSTers. Also, there was a freshman from MIT in one of the videos at that season's kickoff. And Woodie Flowers (one of the founders of FIRST) is a professor there. :3 When I heard about the annual roller coaster of EAsT camPUS and hacks, that just sealed the deal. :)

Ps. Has anyone else Googled their EC? I did, and I really, really like mine from what I have gathered. He is an engineer! :D

Pps. Shameless plug: A few months ago, I made a Facebook group for MIT '14 hopefuls. Join if you are interested: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=209074525390&ref=ts Then maybe we can not take over the blogs so much. :3

@Val

I was thinking about bringing up Facebook...yeah, maybe I'll join. I'd have to check with my parents - they are pretty wary of this internet stuff lol :P

Totally awesome about the robotics :) I'll have to look into it!

Sci-fi: I don't usually read any sci-fi; I prefer watching it. Plus, I don't frequently have time to read anything outside of assigned school reading (often, I have a couple hundred pages of reading per week in addition to all the lovvvvely assignments). When I do, I usually go for fantasy or classic literature.

The roller coaster did it for me too! OK, not quite - but the hacks and crazy projects are what really got my attention. I actually got this huge poster thingy in the mail from MIT that talked about some of the people who go there and what's offered, and was surprised by how strong the humanities are. Once I started looking into engineering (earlier this year), I remembered how impressed I was, and checked out the website. I think my mind was made up at about the point when I saw the page specifically devoted to home schooled applicants (seriously, I have NEVER seen another school that actually welcomes home schoolers and gives them tips for how to apply). There are just so many things that set MIT apart from the other schools I've looked at...

Lol, I haven't googled my EC. I didn't even think about it, honestly. But since you mentioned it...

@Val

Neat blog btw! I just checked it out. Now, back to the schoolwork calling my name (winces)...

@ Val
I haven't googled mine, but I guess I'll have to. You can't have a good chat with someone if you don't know anything of him, right?

@ Olivia
I think everybody who have seen EAsT camPUS' roller coaster has remained fascinated. You like fantasy and classics? That's great! My shelves are overflowed with fantasy books and I've gone trough a good number of classics too. The next question is mandatory: Which are your favorite authors?

Yeah... MIT is just so different from anywhere else. From what I have seen, I really feel like I could fit in there. Its intense, rich education coupled with its awesome activities, quirky people, and abundant creativity make MIT just so... perfect for me. For example: Harvard. It has great profs, great research opportunities, and really smart people, most of which are probably quirky. However, I get two different feelings from MIT and Harvard (and Yale and Columbia... etc.).

An analogy:

MIT= an intense buffet of multicultural and experimental food. Everyone brings a different dish. It's like a potluck. Some dishes are wildly experimental (tomato soy ice cream anyone?), and some are international (miso soup! Yummmm....). However, once all the dishes are in place, all partygoers immediately try to get a taste from every dish. Water from a firehose.

Harvard= Fancy, invitation-only dinner. Delicious food, but mostly all stuff that has been prepared from a pre-existing recipe. The walls are painted a shade of beige.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to diss Harvard or anything. It is a fine school. I am using this analogy to give a comparison between my impressions of MIT and Harvard and why MIT is my #1 best fit.

I've just googled my EC and I couldn't find any useful information or personal background. I can't believe this...

Dave, can you be of any help?

I'm going camping for about six days, so don't discuss anything super cool until I get back :P (just kidding)

@ VAL

Talking about experimental ice cream flavors...Have you tried scrambled eggs and bacon ice cream? I think I've finally perfected the recipe - it is DELICIOUS. (esp. topped with lightly toasted brioche crumbles YUM) It's great for breakfast or afternoon tea.

@ Everyone

I'm presenting my project plan at the community service meeting today. I'm so nervous I hope they like it. Wish me luck!

@ Nicholas

Camping sounds awesome! My friend went backpacking in Wyoming and I wanted to go but I had work.

@VAL:
I think it's very unfair to say that Harvard, not MIT, is invitational only.

And BTW, anyone know if there's going to be a blog post about the new app?

@ Luka

I'll talk to the EC coordinator and see what I can do. Of course you can always email the EC and ask if they can tell you a little bit about themselves.

@ Su

Good luck! I'll trade you some bacon & egg ice cream for dark chocolate souffle! Hmmm, maybe they'd go together? I'm not convinced, but willing to try.

@ Mike

I do! I do! Did you have any specific questions about the new application you wanted me to address?

@Olivia
You like classics too? What sort?

@EC googling
Am off to do so.

@Val

I love your analogy! It's a good description. And no offense intended to those who like Harvard, but I agree with the 'invitation only' part ;)

@Luka

Well, if you can't find any information about him, then get to know him the old fashioned way! That's what I'm going to do. That's how the best conversations start - asking questions. Seriously, how do you think this conversation started, anyway? ;P

Oh, favorite authors. Well, for fantasy I LOVE Tolkien and I also like C.S. Lewis (not just Narnia - have you ever read "Till We Have Faces"?). I don't read much modern fantasy - I usually just read and enjoy stuff that comes my way. I did sort of like The Inheritance Cycle (at least, what has been published so far), but I wasn't fond of the third book. Harry Potter was entertaining, but there were certain aspects concerning the plot line and character development which I did not enjoy, and the writing wasn't the greatest, imho.

As far as classical literature goes, I love Jane Austen and Charles Dickens! I enjoyed Dante's Inferno (as something rich in metaphor and strangely engrossing), but didn't get to read all of Purgatory and Paradise. My freshman and sophomore literature classes focused on ancient Greek and Roman literature, and I really enjoyed The Odyssey the best, I think. Hmm...I remember liking "The Scarlett Pimpernel" when I read it, but that was a long time ago! I just read "Crime and Punishment" this summer - it was terrifyingly fascinating, and kept me riveted until the very end. I like how it plumbed the depths of the human mind...I'm also a sucker for any ancient mythology :)

So, tell me about your literary tastes!

@Nicholas

Have fun! You will be missed :( But I can't promise we won't talk about anything interesting in the meantime...but you can tell us about your trip when you get back :)

@Su

Good luck!!! I'm sure it will be great!

I'm having trouble imagining the flavor of ice cream of which you speak -_- Would you share the recipe with us?

@Su: I'm a vegan, so I don't think I will ever try that. :P Have you ever tried avocado pudding, avocado pie, or avocado ice cream? I have pretty much perfected all three recipes. Yum. :) Also, good luck at your presentation!

@Nicholas: Have fun camping!

@Dave: I have a question about teacher recommendations: I had a teacher during sophomore year with whom I became quite close. I still talk to her in the halls and such. Would you rather get a recommendation from a teacher like her who I had earlier in my career or a teacher who I had during my junior year and with whom I am not as close? Thanks. :)

Okay, okay, I succumbed to the search-for-your-EC bug...he's a civil engineer who helped move the Cape Hatteras light house and who won the "ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award" for 2000...pretty sweet :)

@Val

I've never tried any of those, but I do love avocado...tell me about the ice cream, since that seems to be a popular choice ;)

@Ellen

What classics do you like?

@Dave

Once I get a better look at the app., I'll probably have questions. I'll let you know!

@Olivia
Dante! Dante is wonderful! Don't worry about not reading the Paradiso, it's not as fun as the other two. No Virgil :(. Not sure about Jane Austen or Charles Dickens though. Crime and Punishment is cool. I would have liked the Odyssey but I read it right after the Aeneid (Virgil!

It doesn't take character hearts? Odd, I thought it did. Well, to put the rest of the post back:
I would have liked the Odyssey but I read it right after the Aeneid so I was feeling sympathetic to the Trojans and not terribly fond of Odysseus. I read half the Iliad before I got bogged down in the battle scenes, which were very excitingly described as "man 1 from place 1 killed man 2 from place 2 and man 3 from place 2 and was then killed by man 4 from place 3." You seem to share my interest in epic poetry-type things. Have you ever read/heard of the Faerie Queene?

@Dave

OK, got one: under the list your employment section, would it be appropriate to put a job that you didn't actually get paid for? It was more of a trade-services sort of thing: I work for you, you give me reduced class rate...

Here's another one: I've taken both the SAT and the ACT, but I plan to take both again. Do you want me to put the new dates, or the old dates?

@Olivia: I don't have the recipe with me, but I can give a rough outline. Pretty much, you puree an avocado or two with some sugar syrup. Then you add vanilla (and cocoa powder if you want!) and place in the freezer to freeze (or use an ice cream maker to freeze it). If you use the freezer, however, it will be somewhat hard because there is no air whipped into it. You can also make really yummy popsicles out of the unfrozen mixture. The flavor is really nice though... creamy, sweet, and mellow. And vegan. :D

@ Dave
Thanks a lot. You're always of great help.

@ Olivia
I'm not asking for his biography XD I just wanted to know some basic info (age, what did he major in, etc.)
I read Tolkien a long time ago, basically I don't remember anything now. I never opened a book by C.S. Lewis, but if I get the chance I'll check him out. I'm a great fan of The Inheritance Cycle, but I agree that the 3rd book could have been better. I read all the Harry Potter books, I found them interesting, but nothing extraordinary. Have you ever read something by Philip Pullman? I've really liked some of his works, especially the trilogy "His Dark Materials".

Dante is my favorite classic! His Divine Comedy is a masterpiece. Inferno is, by my opinion, the best part. It is really an enjoyable reading, although the archaic Tuscan dialect isn't easy to understand. "Crime and Punishment" is not a classic, it's THE classic! Dostoyevsky is simply a genius. Have you seen the film? It is watchable, but it can't be compared with the book. If you like Russian authors I'd suggest A "Hero of Our Time" by Mikhail Lermontov.

@ Su
Good luck =)

I again got posted as anonymous with no reason =S

@Su
Good luck

@EC Googling
Googling my EC never came to mind. But now that you mention it... *off to do so*

@Ellen

I didn't really like the Aeneid that much. It was still a masterpiece, but it felt like a Homer rip-off. Which, technically speaking...but anyway, it is amazing how the authors can make you sypathetic to their chosen "hero", but when you look at their actions in context, they really aren't heroic. I think Odysseus and Aeneas both had their share of wrongdoing. However, Odysseus did have a penchant for causing trouble!
Lol, I felt the same way about The Iliad! It was still really good, but my gosh, the guy just goes on and on (and on and on) about who killed who. Lol, my sis and I have been making fun of how many times the Iliad must say "And he fell thunderously, and his armor clattered upon him" :D
I've never read the Faerie Queene. I've heard the name, but I don't know anything about it - care to fill me in?

OH, and I wasn't able to do the hearts either. Dave explained it - but I've already forgotten, unfortunately. The post should still be up there, somewhere!

@Val

Wow, that sounds so gross and so good at the same time...I'm going to have to try it! It's too weird to pass up.

@Luka

Yeah, that's reasonable XP! But you can still ask him about it, worst-case scenario ;)

Phillip Pullman...His Dark Materials is the trilogy which includes "The Golden Compass", right? Yeah, I don't read him for religious reasons, but I've heard he's an excellent storyteller.

The only reason I survived Dante was because I had a good translation with extensive notes! But it was definitely worth the effort. Which circle of Hell was your favorite (Ellen, you too)? I did read a little bit of the other two, and liked what I read in Purgatorio, but what I read in Paradisio was awfully tedious.

I agree with you on the belief that Dostoyevsky was a genius. His ability to probe the human mind and display its complexities was, as far as I know, unparalleled. I haven't seen the movie.

I haven't heard of "A Hero of Our Time" - I'm fairly new to Russian literature. What's it about?

LOL, each time I see Anonymous at the bottom, I'm like, "What the...?" and then I scroll down and see it's you. I wonder why it's doing that!

@All

Hey guys...the ingenuity of using Goggle on your ECs' names doesn't escape me but what would be even better is contacting them for an interview. Don't worry that you don't know anything about them when you go for the interview. They don't know anything about you at this point either. And isn't that what the interview is actually about :-)

@ Val

Our recommendation is to chose teachers who know you best.

@ Olivia

Jobs can absolutely be for pay or otherwise, so long as it was a structured arrangement (otherwise it's probably an extracurricular).

And if you plan to take the SAT/ACTs again go ahead and put the future dates so we'll know to look out for them. Send us the old scores, too. It doesn't hurt: we take the best one.

@ Luka

Not sure about the anon posting. If you were Olivia I'd say it was because you're a ninja :)

As for reading, if you like actual mythology I'm fond of some of the Norse material: Eric the Red and Njal's Saga. For great spins on old myths I love Neil Gaiman.

@Olivia
Yeah, I didn't really like the Aeneid so much, but I'm very fond of Virgil due to Dante. The thing that bothered me most about Odysseus was that if you think about it, the man was a horrible horrible leader. He manages to lose every single one of his men. That is not what I want to see in a hero. The Fearie Queene is 1000-some pages of Elizabethan epic poetry excellence. It's got 6 books, each with a virtue for a theme. The first book is St. George, the knight of holiness, the second book is Sir Guyon, knight of temperance, and so on. It's quite a fun book although it takes forever to read. I saw Dave's explanation about the hearts, but I thought it said using the characters was okay. Oh well. My favorite circle of hell was the ninth, not because the punishments were especially interesting or fitting but because it was interesting to see how the different sorts of betrayal were ranked and why.

@Luka
You read Dante in Italian? That's really cool.

@Val
The avocado ice cream sounds really good but unfortunately I don't have an ice cream maker. :( But it sounds interesting enough that I may just try it with the regular freezer anyway.

@Dave: Thank you!! I really appreciate it. :) Speaking of jobs, under what category would an internship be placed? I had an unpaid internship at a Girl Scout camp, and I received community service hours for it. Thanks! :)

@Ellen: I don't have one either. :)

@Kim: Don't worry... I contacted him too.

... after I Googled him. :P

@ Ellen
First I read it in modern Italian and after I the original language helped by some notes.

@ Olivia
I should have left out Pullman. I must remember to think before I right something.

Click on my name for some info on "A Hero of Our Time".

My favorite circle was the 8th. The fact that Dante placed 3 Popes in his Inferno, considering the historical circumstances of his time, is astonishing. He was deeply religious, yet he was able to see the corruption that was spreading through the church. He was the only one that openly declared that something had to be changed. Obviously, he knew that placing a living Pope in hell wasn't the wisest thing he could do, at the same time he knew it was the right path to take because he couldn't act blind to what was happening around him.

@ Dave

I have a question about the teacher's evaluation. Can it be done by a teacher that that is not working in my high school (ex. teacher from a private course)?

@Kim

Oh I am definitely going to contact him! We were just having some fun in seeing what came up. I think it will be much more fun to talk to him in person :)

@Dave

Awesome. Thanks for the clarifications!

Norse mythology...that's one area in which I haven't done as much reading. Does Beowulf count?

@Ellen

Yeah, the ninth circle was pretty interesting. I think my favorite part was the punishment of the suicides - dying an eternal death (by choice no less) and being torn apart by harpies? The whole chapter horrified me to my very core.

@Luka

Oh, and I second Ellen: I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to read Dante in his original language! Does it really bring out the nuances of his writing?

@Luka

No problem on Pullman :) He is a popular writer, after all.

8th circle - good one! I agree with you on that - it definitely took guts for Dante to call out the corruption which had wormed its way into the Church heirarchy over the years. That was a very bad situation...

Thanks for the link! I'm reading it right now...

OK, I'm definitely putting "A Hero of Our Time" on the reading list. The Faerie Queene, too :)

@ Olivia
I think that reading something in it's original language is always preferable to a translation. About Dante, I read 2 variations of what is basically the same language. I've never read it in English so I can't tell you what's the difference. Check out the video I linked, maybe you can find the answer on your own ;)

@Val

Yeah I'm part of a FIRST team(FRC). I'm going into my 3rd year on the team. I'm in a leadership role on the team(head electrical and head programmer). What team are you a part of?

@Luka

Oh yes, it's so beautiful! Much better than english :) I can't understand a word he's saying though, lol!

@...: I'm from 453. And you?

Did anyone receive a package from MIT a few weeks ago? With a catalog?

@Tina: Nope.

@Luka
A Hero of Our Time sounds really interesting. And Dante sounds great in Italian. I normally don't like listening to things I can't understand, but I listened to the whole video.

@Olivia
Yeah, definitely check out Faerie Queene. It is worth it. Also look into Norse mythology. Quite fun and easier than Faerie Queene. Isn't Beowulf English? Did you see the movie version they made recently? It was horrible.

@Kim
I contacted my EC before googling, but when given an email address ending in amb.niddk.nih.gov I wanted to know what amb and niddk stood for and I'm not patient enough to wait for the interview.

@Tina
I didn't get anything.

A quick question re application essays ... what kind of a background can we assume the readers have? Specifically, literary and/or technical knowledge...
Thanks!

@ Val

Sounds like your internship fits into the employment category.

@ Olivia

Beowulf, while set in Scandinavia, is thought to actually have been written in England. It makes a good movie, but the actual sagas read more like a full season of "Lost." No shortage of twists and turns :)

@ Luka

I'll get you an answer on teacher recommendations tomorrow.

@ BVB

Not entirely sure how to best answer your question. The Admissions officers are a diverse group, including a fair share of MIT grads, and a few of our bios are on the blogger pages. More than that, application review is done collaboratively, so if your application contains something technical we'll find the appropriate reader. Hope that helps.

@Dave
Thanks for the response ... I'm more musing at this point, so your musings are also helpful. Another thought that's cropped up, though (since posting the previous comment, I've realised that the app is up and have read the essays), inspired by the "creativity" question, is whether applicant-created webapps (etc.) are all that common [especially the kind that are only really used by the creator's friends, because he doesn't have money to advertise :)], or whether it would be a good essay topic (while it's distracting me from writing essays anyway)? For reference, I linked my name to it. Thanks again!

@ VAL

Your avocado icecream sounds delicious. The creamy flavor profile of the avocado would go perfectly with the cream. Great combination. Also, you mentioned that the icecream you made by placing in the freezer without churning turned out hard - the churning helps break up the ice crystals that form. Freezing cream takes time and during that time big crystals can form making its texture "hard." The churning helps but the best way to make icecream is by taking the whole time factor out. The BEST way to reduce the time needed to freeze cream is to use liquid nitrogen. The cream will freeze so quickly that the cream wont have time to form crystals, giving you a silky smooth concoction of YUMMY lol! That's how I make my icecream, whenever I can get my hands on some liquid nitrogen.
p.s. if you hadn't already noticed I LOVE MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY! lol I wanted to be a chef at one point early on in 9th grade.

@ Dave
the egg and bacon icecream and chocolate souffle combo may go well but I think my mandarin and ginger icecream would go better with the souffle. The tangy zing of the icecream would cut through the richness of the chocolate. :) We should get together when I visit MIT in September and have tea - you bring the souffle I'll bring the icecream as long as MIT provides me with some liquid nitrogen lol :D

Talking about avocado icecream, does anyone else watch Top Chef/Top Chef Masters? Richard Blais was a guest chef on last week's episode and he made avocado icecream :)

@ Dave

Hey Dave, just had a quick question about employment (many of us seem to ask questions related to that subject): I had an internship at a local newspaper for about a year. I worked about 5hrs a week and wrote articles and briefs. I did NOT get paid, so would that go under extracurricular activities or employment?

@ Tina

I didn't get the MIT package either :(

@ Tina
Nope, I didn't get anything.

@ Ellen
I'm happy that you enjoyed it =)

@ Dave
Thanks, I'll be waiting for your answer.

And I go ninja again... Maybe I should try using another browser.

@Dave: I have one more question. :) Does the admissions committee, as a whole, look favorably on hacking? I have a "friend" who participates in a hack-like activity. It is totally safe and friendly, and its goal is to make people smile. The worst trouble my "friend" could get into for participating in this activity is a small fine for littering. But that is only if she is not careful. ;) What I am asking, really, is if my "friend" wrote an essay (particularly, the "what I do for fun " prompt) about this activity, would the admissions committee look at it as something she uses to make others smile or as signs of a budding "troublemaking" hacker?

Thank you!

@ Su & Others

Pay isn't the primary factor in whether something is considered a job. If it felt like a job, go ahead and list it as a job.

As for hacking, we're proud of the hacking culture here at MIT. If your "friend" is creative and follows the Hacker Code of Ethics, does that show us that they would fit in and thrive here at MIT? Only you can answer that one. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers on the essays; there are only your answers.

@ Luka

So long as the recommendation comes from a teacher we're fine with it. It would be helpful for the person writing the recommendation to provide some context if the class was outside your school environment.

@ BVB

If writing code is part of what makes you you, we're thrilled to hear about it. I don't know how often they're included as part of an MIT application, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time!

@Dave: Thank you!! :)

@Ellen

No, I didn't watch the movie. It came out right when I was reading the book, interestingly enough, so I looked at the previews. That's about when I lost interest - it looked like 300 all over again. ugh. Or did Beowulf come out first? I can't remember...

The book was really interesting though!

@Tina

Nope, I didn't get anything. I'm on the mailing list, but I haven't gotten anything from MIT in a while.

@Su

No, I've never watched it. If we both go to MIT, will you teach me how to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen if I help you skate? ;)

@Olivia

For sure!!! That sounds like a deal :)

@Dave

Thanks :)

@VAL

Our school has a thing called "senior prank" which is really similar to a hack. I have the BEST idea for my senior year - I talked to my physics teacher and he thinks it's awesome lol I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT SCHOOL STARTING (I start Monday).

@ Dave
That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Thanks for the info =)

@Su

OK, then, it's a deal :)

We're nearly at 200 comments! That has got to be a record LOL :D

I know. We need to rekindle the conversation or something :P

Are you going to join Val's FB group? I figured I may as well join...

@Su: We have that too! I've been scheming since freshman year... Mwahahaha....

@Olivia: Yay!

Will join the Facebook group as well.

@Dave
Thanks!

@Olivia

What's the fb group called?

@Su: Here it is:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=209074525390&ref=ts

200th

I'm back from my camping trip early...guess I better get started on reading the posts I missed :D There are sure a lot of them.

mind....overload......O_O....so many....posts

@Val
I have an ice-cream maker. Maybe I'll try the avacado ice cream. For those of you that don't have one, you know you can use ice and rock salt to get the rapid cooling you need for ice-cream :)

I'm going to try my best to refrain from googling my EC.

I think I'm going to go make a facebook so I can join your group :)

@Olivia

Beowulf was written in English. It's probably one of the few things that could be regarded as English mythology :)

@Luka

How did you learn so many languages? Is is standard to learn that many where you live, or are you just super industrious? :D

@Su
My school does senior pranks too, and yes this DEFINATELY has to be one of the most commented blogs in this websites history :) judging by the average number of responses to the other ones...

@Dave
Did you know that your first and last names are an anagram for "Caved Women"?...also "Menaced Vow" and "Cowed Maven"

@whoever said something about Jane Austen
I've read Pride and Prejudice and (most of) Sense and Sensibility. I found the former vastly superior.

@Nicholas
...:P