4 ms·

Definitely seemed very true during my PhD. Many of my peers had PhD or professor parents (I don't). I think the primary reasons for the increase are valuing the

Definitely seemed very true during my PhD. Many of my peers had PhD or professor parents (I don't). I think the primary reasons for the increase are valuing the career through parents and having a mentor who knows the admissions game. I blundered my first couple times applying because I lacked good mentorship in preparing my applications.

WalterBright 5y ago
> good mentorship in preparing my applications I don't get this. Why does one need mentorship in filling out an application. I got mine in the mail, filled them out, and sent them in. It never occurred to me I needed someone to guide me. My dad (MIT) did tell me many years earlier what was necessary to get into MIT: 1. straight A's 2. high SAT scores 3. an achievement in extracurricular activities (MIT rejected me.) It's like the Boy Scouts. I talked with an Eagle dad a couple years ago, who talked about shepherding his boy through the Eagle program to get the badge. He was very proud of his son. I mentioned that I was an Eagle, too. He asked me how it was with my dad helping me. I said he never did a thing, and it didn't occur to me to ask. I just decided I wanted one, got the list of requirements, and did them one by one. None of them were hard, it just required time and persistence. He looked at me like I was an alien.
- oblio 5y ago
  > I don't get this. Why does one need mentorship in filling out an application. I got mine in the mail, filled them out, and sent them in. It never occurred to me I needed someone to guide me. > My dad (MIT) did tell me many years earlier what was necessary to get into MIT: 1. straight A's 2. high SAT scores 3. an achievement in extracurricular activities > (MIT rejected me.) Aren't you confirming that mentorship is needed?
  - WalterBright 5y ago
    Good question. Although rejected by MIT, Harvard, and Stanford, I was accepted by Caltech, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins.

WalterBright 5y ago

> good mentorship in preparing my applications I don't get this. Why does one need mentorship in filling out an application. I got mine in the mail, filled them out, and sent them in. It never occurred to me I needed someone to guide me. My dad (MIT) did tell me many years earlier what was necessary to get into MIT: 1. straight A's 2. high SAT scores 3. an achievement in extracurricular activities (MIT rejected me.) It's like the Boy Scouts. I talked with an Eagle dad a couple years ago, who talked about shepherding his boy through the Eagle program to get the badge. He was very proud of his son. I mentioned that I was an Eagle, too. He asked me how it was with my dad helping me. I said he never did a thing, and it didn't occur to me to ask. I just decided I wanted one, got the list of requirements, and did them one by one. None of them were hard, it just required time and persistence. He looked at me like I was an alien.

oblio 5y ago
> I don't get this. Why does one need mentorship in filling out an application. I got mine in the mail, filled them out, and sent them in. It never occurred to me I needed someone to guide me. > My dad (MIT) did tell me many years earlier what was necessary to get into MIT: 1. straight A's 2. high SAT scores 3. an achievement in extracurricular activities > (MIT rejected me.) Aren't you confirming that mentorship is needed?
- WalterBright 5y ago
  Good question. Although rejected by MIT, Harvard, and Stanford, I was accepted by Caltech, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins.