The Power of Stating Your Objectives
Advice for applying to the MIT Media Lab and how one part of the application can serve as North Star for anyone
I first visited the MIT Media Lab during an Open House event in fall of 2014. Walking through the building was as magical as I imagined it would be. I applied, was excited to be admitted, and in September 2015 – a year after that first visit – I started my research and graduate studies at the Lab.
For the following fall Open House, I was invited to speak on a panel for prospective MIT students about my path to the Lab. In preparing for sharing advice that morning, I came to realize that the most significant aspect of the application process was writing down my professional objectives, and so I published my statement:
In this post, I’ll share why this is a powerful exercise for anyone at any stage of his or her career, along with some specific tips for applicants.
Writing a statement of objectives (or statement of purpose) inherently asks you to take a step back and presents an opportunity to reflect. What have I done so far and where am I now? What’s my unique story? It’s a process, so allow yourself enough time. Writing down your thoughts into a document gives them clarity. It can be dreadful, but hopefully what emerges is insight into how everything you have done thus far leads up to this next step, and what you now need to do in order to take that step.
Going through this process made me realize why I was interested in further exploring certain areas, but it wasn’t clear yet what should be built. If your vision is still a bit blurry yet at the same time you are excited about how it connects to the real world, the Media Lab is a great place to explore that vision. So I realized that this would not only be my first, but my only choice for an academic program.
The basic structure to make a convincing case is to first introduce your story, then demonstrate your ability, and finally propose your vision. Past, present, future. It shows the future as an exciting possibility and follows the basic plot for an engaging story:
A central character wants something, goes after it despite opposition (perhaps including his own doubts), and so arrives at a win, lose, or draw.
— Josh Gardner
Regardless of the outcome, the act of writing down one’s professional objectives can help guide you on the journey. Unlike specific project ideas, objectives don’t change that quickly and allow us to adjust the direction when we lose sight of the North Star. Required or not, before taking big steps, I will write one again.
Some specific tips for Media Lab applicants
The Media Lab provides a single roof over a diverse group of roughly 25 principal investigators (PIs) who individually select their research teams. As such, candidates don’t apply to the Lab as a whole but to a selection of up to three PIs. In addition, each group’s students are part of the MIT Media Arts and Sciences program, which requires applicants to provide:
- The Statement of Objectives (here’s mine), on which I elaborated. It’s a good idea to ground your objectives in the Lab’s ongoing work by connecting them with projects in one to three research groups. Order the groups according to your preference. Because each PI receives hundreds of applications, they typically don’t see yours if you don’t list them.
- Letters of Recommendation from people who can speak to your work. Pick people that will be enthusiastic about recommending you. I asked my Bachelor thesis advisor, a former business partner, and my manager at the time. Be thoughtful about their time and be as supportive as possible in the process.
- A portfolio (here’s my archival 2014 portfolio) that demonstrates your ability to build things, and the process that led to it. For each project, describe the initial motivation and the discoveries along the way – even if they’re failures. For collaborations, be clear about your role and contributions. Put the work you want PIs to see up at the top and make it easy to navigate. I encourage you to include diverse work you’re proud of such as drawings, essays, or photography, but focus on creations not activities. Avoid sending big attachments by simply providing a URL to a website that they can share internally with their teams. Adding web analytics sounds like a good idea, but it only distracted me. Did they look at it yet? Is the tracking failing? Who’s this IP address from Alaska? Finally, keep working on your portfolio post-submission deadline: it’s valuable to have a home for your work in any case, and … pssst … most PIs won’t look at it until January.
- A current résumé. I explored creative options, but ended up with a familiar and easy to scan format. It’s helpful to update your LinkedIn profile and use that as a starting point.
- Transcripts, for which there is no minimum Grade Point Average (GPA). There is also no department-wide entrance exam nor is the Lab interested in standard test scores such as the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).
This list shows that there are few formal requirements. The key is to demonstrate some technological expertise, how your vision affects people, and how it couldn’t come into existence with just one or the other fields in isolation. When you have identified your vision, find research groups that share that same vision, reach out to current students to talk about it, include a polished portfolio, and make a convincing case to the PI.
Have you stated your objectives?
Reply below or let me know @RaphaelSchaad.
Thanks to Emily Xie and Catherine Tsai.
