GPA 3.97/4.0; 5 years research experiences (quite long..); first author journal paper, one published & one under review (IF 30+). Really excited!

Funding yet to be determined.

Posted in portal. Still can't believe it. Undergrad GPA 3.98; Grad GPA 4.00; 4 Strong LORs from professors and SLAC scientists; 2 Conference papers; 2 good awards; No journal publications. My recommendations definitely helped.

Thought I didn't stand a chance due to ug GPA, but thankfully not. For my stats: 3.83 MS gpa, US citizen, 3 pubs + 3 in review (4 1st author and 1 in a 40+ IF). Recs from 1 named prof, 1 MIT alum, and another tenured prof.

Not surprised but worth a shot

Received mail that I have an update on my application status. Generic Rejection statement they have been using for years. Will do better in my Life!

Multiple meetings with POI beforehand.

So happy!

Generic rejection. 2 first author pubs, 1 at a top IEEE journal. Presentation at IROS. 3 more paper under review/preparation. MS from good (R1) university in the US. 3 LoRs, 1 from a prominent faculty with extensive history of cooperation with MIT/Draper. 4.0 grad GPA, 3.8+ undergrad. Note to future international applicants of MIT or Stanford ME: minimize your expectations. You have to compete with Americans with NSF fellowships & many research or internship opportunities during their undergrad (including at MIT/Stanford itself), and with international applicants from the "right" universities or labs. And then IMO you need LORs from people strongly affiliated with MIT/Stanford. And even then you have to get very lucky still. If you look at member s of any lab, it's obvious that it's extremely rare for someone to get accepted without ticking all those boxes which are not really in our control in the end. And don't take their empty talk of "diversity of backgrounds" seriously.

No email and no interview before. Posted in portal - generic letter.

Mechanics emphasis. I have a feeling the acceptance is due in large part to 4 very strong LOR from well-known professors.