Greetings! For those of you at MIT, congratulations on getting half way through the year! Now go enjoy your Christmas vacation and IAP! Those six weeks can go by very quickly, and then BAM! It's second semester, and all the fun of problem sets and exams starts up all over again.
MIT-related comments aside, this blogpost is direct towards freshmen and sophomores who are interested in/considering applying to CME for their junior year. This post will focus more on sophomores though, as the due date for the application is January 14th, so you have less than a month to complete the application! Fortunately, it is not super long, but you nevertheless need to spend time to think about and complete the two most important components I believe of the application: the essay and recommendation.
However, before you go off starting the application, I would advise that you think carefully about what you are applying for. You will be away from MIT for a substantial amount of time (at least a semester if not the whole year), where you will be thrown into an academic and social environment that is quite different from what you have accustomed to for the past two years. It means finding new friends at a time when most people in your year will have already made their friends and established their social groups. It means suspending your involvement in various extracurriculars at MIT and trying to participate in them (or find new ones) at Cambridge. To leave behind this much for so long is no easy decision to make, no matter how enticing Cambridge may be.
Now you may be wondering: why am I trying to discourage people from applying? Because realizing that CME was a mistake after you have committed to going (or worse, after you find yourself there at Cambridge) will be a nightmarish situation. Also, for those of you who do decide to apply, thinking about the ramifications will make it easier for you to explain, both in your application and in your eventual interview with a CME staff member, your reasons for wanting to participate in the program. Remember, you only have a year, so it is in your best interest to make the most of it!
In addition, do keep in mind that Cambridge, like MIT, is very challenging academically. On top of that, you will have to play catch-up with the other Cambridge students in terms of understanding what material they learned in the first two years as well as adjust to Cambridge's academic system. While you certainly want to have fun while you are there, academics are still a top priority. Thus, if you find yourself struggling at MIT, unless you find that Cambridge's academic system will be extremely beneficial in terms of your ability to learn, I might think twice about applying because good academic preparation at MIT is crucial to coping with and thriving in Cambridge's academic system.
Another academic sticking point can be if you are double majoring, and this point applies even if you are doing well academically at MIT. Cambridge, unlike at MIT, makes it really difficult to take classes in different departments. In fact, the departments are very isolated from one another, meaning that if you try to take classes in different departments, the chances of having scheduling conflicts is extremely high. Thus, you most likely would have to focus on only one of those majors during your junior year, and complete your second major when you return. This can be a tricky task, and if this situation applies to you, I would recommend that you think carefully about how feasible such undertaking will be, and if it is possible, how difficult it will be for you over the next two years. If you haven't done so already (and I would have done so well in advance if you are in this situation), I would strongly recommend discussing these matters with the CME coordinators in both departments to determine whether or not there exists a way for you to attend Cambridge while at the same time being able to complete both majors. Remember, you are getting your diploma from MIT, not Cambridge. Thus, if Cambridge interferes with your ability to complete both majors, I would unfortunately have to recommend that you reconsider applying.
With that cautionary note aside, let us dive into the application. While there are many parts, most of them are somewhat mechanical (i.e. filling out bibliographical information about yourself). The one hitch could be specifying what course you would be studying at Cambridge, as they do not have majors perfectly aligned with ours. Feel free to reach out to the CME coordinator in your department(s) or other CME staff members for guidance on that matter. The two most important parts though, as I alluded to earlier in the post, are the recommendation and the essay.
I will start with the recommendation, as it requires less work on your part since you don't need to do the actual writing. The only work needed in this case is finding the right person to write it. So just who should write it for you? There are a variety of options, ranging from your advisor to a UROP supervisor to a lecturer or recitation leader that you have gotten to know very well. In general, think about people who can attest to your academic or professional capabilities and achievements, as those are good indicators of your ability to succeed at Cambridge. Also, think about people who can attest to you having skills that would be useful or crucial in terms of adjusting to and succeeding at Cambridge. While academics may be good at making a first pass over potential CME candidates, you will need someway to differentiate yourself among those higher-achieving academics. This is when "softer" skills like open-mindedness or good time management can serve as good indicatiors that you will be able to adjust well to the demands of Cambridge.
That is all I have to say about the recommendation portion of the application. Let me delve into the application. Now I don't know if they will change the essay question significantly, but the question I had to answer revolved around why I wanted to attend Cambridge, how it would advance my academic goals and ambitions, and how I would cope with leaving my way of life at MIT. Note that I put "academic" in bold just so as to emphasize how important the academics component is to the program and to the experience in general. Thus, while MIT wants people who are enthusiastic to participate in the program, the reasons cannot be purely non-academic. Consequently, even if academic reasons are not high up on your list of reasons to go to Cambridge, from a practical standpoint, I would make a concerted effort to discuss them nonetheless.
Now, that doesn't mean that you just focus on academic reasons when discussing why you want to attend Cambridge, as the experience is not just about the academics. Like it is at MIT, Cambridge is about finding that balance between fun and work, so touching on some non-academic (albeit appropriate, so not because you can legally drink before 21) reasons for wanting to participate will be useful as well. Some things to think about when discussing your reasons for wanting to attend:
1) What are my academic interests? Does Cambridge have resources that could further my interests, some which may not even exist at MIT?
2) What is my learning style? How compatible is Cambridge's academic / teaching styles with me?
3) What aspects of MIT do I not like? Would Cambridge's academic/social environment address them? (Word of a caution: if you are drawing upon question #3 for guidance, I would try not to put MIT in a negative light but rather focus on placing Cambridge in a positive light)
4) There are so many things to do at MIT, but not enough time to do all of them, so the question is then: if I could do my first approximately one and a half years (technically speaking, since you're applying at the end of first semester sophomore year) over again, what things might I have done differently? Does Cambridge provide me the chance to do that "different thing"? (Word of a caution: if you are drawing upon question #4 for guidance, I would try not to phrase it as Cambridge giving you new opportunities, rather than you having missed these opportunities at MIT)
I hope that discussion can help you in terms of thinking about reasons why you would want to attend! Before I conclude, I will briefly touch upon coping with leaving behind your way of life at MIT. I find this part of the essay question somewhat moot, as I don't think you saying that you're very scared about leaving MIT for a year will inspire much confidence for those reading your essay that you'll do well at Cambridge. It's certainly okay to say that you are worried, but make sure to assure people that it won't compromise your ability to enjoy Cambridge and what it has to offer. Maybe you don't have an exact method for coping: the sheer thrill of being abroad will be sufficient to carry you over, and in those moments of nostalgia, you can find comfort in the friends and life you have made at Cambridge. Others might have more involved/personal ways of dealing with the situation. For those of you who are far away from home already at MIT, it might help to think about the ways in which you are coping with that sort of distance. If the memories of high school are still fresh in your mind, think about how you have coped with that separation, which is certainly more permanent than that of CME since you will be returning to MIT next year. Regardless of the method, make sure that you convey it in the most sensible manner possible and make sure that it will assure MIT of your ability to not let nostalgia get the best of you while you're abroad.
In closing, this exchange program is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us MIT students, and not only do you get to embrace and explore a whole new culture and way of life, but you also can do it in relative academic isolation (your GPA is unaffected by this year, but you still have to do reasonably well here at Cambridge to get credit for classes back at MIT!). Thus, if you are seriously considering participating in the program, start thinking about the application now. The more you think about the application, not only will it increase your chances of being accepted, but it will also help guide you in figuring out what you eventually do should you be able to attend.
I hope this post provided some useful advice about the application. Again, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me under the "Contact" section of the blog! Otherwise, this blog will be going on hiatus until January, so for those of you applying to CME, best of luck! And to you all, happy holidays and happy New Year!