On Feb/12, 2022, I just submitted my final interview report of the last MIT applicant from Japan Region, as MIT Alumnus, Educational Counselor and Representative of Educational Council at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

I truly would like to express my deepest respect to those high school students, their parents and teachers. They have great GPA, do a lot of extracurricular activities, express opinions in English well, and obtained national recognition in areas like AI, robotics, programming, software, space rockets, mobility, debate competition, sports, music et al.

I advise them “if MIT is dream school for you, please do not give up. Even though you do not enter this time (4% accepted), you must have chances as transfer student, Master, PhD, or even MBA after several years working experiences. I really look forward to your brilliant future. So innovate your own path, none taken. This is what MIT expect from you.”

80% of applicants sent “thanks letters”. Here are some of them.
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“I would like to thank you for your concern. Getting to know you is the best gift I have ever received, and this connection I made through the MIT interview is something I will treasure forever. It is my aspiration and goal to be as passionate as you are in creating my own path. I am so glad that you were my interviewer.“

“I honestly had great fun talking with you who has both scientific and business backgrounds. Also, I gained and remembered new perspectives to challenge.”

“I am very glad to know your path which has no limitations and be impressed though I have lived for little time.”
—

A professor kindly commented, “Applicants who are interviewed by you are lucky to learn important thing for their future.”

Career lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management gave me a message “You’re a role model to MIT Community. Kudos!”

Being interviewer of them all is also great gifts to me.

I explain to all applicants before the interview that MIT interview is not to test you, but to understand you more. I fully understand your passion, skills, intellectuality, achievements, and potentials, and believe most of you have capability to be accepted by MIT. If I advise future applicants, please also consider and develop more your “Why MIT (not Stanford, Harvard etc)?” and “Why MIT has to choose you (not other competitive applicants from all over the world)?”

I would shed tears if my applicants, with my fair reports, receive announcement on Mar/14 (3.141592… because MIT).

While enjoying secluded life w/ enough savings (like 3rd life shift in “100-year life” book or “Walden”), now I reconsider my career to back to Country Manager Japan or SVP/COO in HQ/Asia position to develop Unicorn w/ founders in order to use IPO return to support MIT applicants who worry about scholarship or to be angel investor if they want to start up during/after MIT. If founders, CEOs and venture capitalists consider Japan/Asia entry with strong leader for unicorn IPO, please contact me. Thank you.

References I found for future MIT applicants: There are lots of online tips for MIT interview. In my interview cases, I prepare 25+ questions for applicants and selects depending on where their conversations are going. You can also refer MIT Admission Interview Page (Official). MIT Interview what is like from MIT student. MIT Interview Tips by former admission. MIT Sloan MBA Interview Tips.

At 2022/Mar/14 6:28pm EDT, the Pi day and Tau time, MIT announced admission results for Class of 2026. Total 3.96% was accepted for class of 2026, and only 1+% for international applicants. Total 1,337 admitted out of 33,796 applicants. They hail from all 50 states, 65 countries, and more than 900 different high schools. From Japan region, 20 students applied for Early Actions and 40 applied for Regular Actions for Class of 2026. Very unfortunately none admitted from Japan, usually 3-5 admitted last 10 years. MIT Admissions evaluated it was simply because of comparison to other Asian and Global competitive candidates.

Published on 2022/2/15, Updated on 2022/2/19, 3/5, 3/16, 20, 4/30