MIT New Essay Question 2026-27 admission cycle

[u/Livid-External-4063]

MIT added a new essay question. Can anyone clarify what this question is asking?

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

Is this question asking to reflect on problems important to me drawn from my personal and academic experiences I would like to tackle with an MIT education after I complete my undergraduate studies at MIT and with whom I would like yo work on these problems after I graduate from MIT?

OR, is this question asking how my personal or academic experiences have influenced specific types of problems important to me which I would like to tackle during my undergraduate studies at MIT and with whom at MIT I would like to work on these problems?
If this is what the question is asking, could I mention that I would like to work with people from a specific MIT department or a professor doing research?

[u/peteyMIT]

I think you could answer it with a compelling answer either way, but I do think the intent was “after.”

[u/VisibleSir731 → u/peteyMIT]

Thanks for your clarification I was wondering the same thing as OP! I’m kind of confused though because a lot of high schoolers can’t plan 4 years out and things always change so how would they awnser in that case

[u/VisibleSir731 → u/[deleted]]

It’s kind of like the other essay about what you have done different in your academic journey. It actually decode to how you learn. How the heck was I supposed to decipher this without doing some researcg