SLATE
The CRE uses Slate as the graduate application software for graduate admission.
Chrome is best browser for SLATE
NOTE: You need to update the link to the Slate application annually. When an admission cycle closes, the application closes. Make sure to refresh the link on the CRE web page when the new cycle opens.
(Grad Apply is no longer active but can be accessed.
Dorothy Curtis is the main contact person dcurtis@mit.edu. for Grad Apply)
SLATE points of contact are
- Dawn Wendall, Mechanical Engineering dawn@mit.edu
- gradslatehelp@mit.edu
Important Links
Time Line
- Slate application will open on September 1st (unless we decide otherwise) and closes on January 15th
- If January 15th falls on or near a weekend, consider extending to the following Monday.
- Late January-set the day for the application committee meeting-sometime the first week of March.
- Also set the date of the Accepted Student Open House.
- Have fellowship committee meeting as soon as possible after the admissions committee meeting.
- By March 15th, have all letters updated and scheduled to be released.
- Responses due on 4/15
The following items are now handled directly through Slate:
- Applicants enter their request for English Language Testing (ELT) Waiver
- Fellowship Appications are entered via the Slate Application.
- Admitted students indicate their offer of acceptance via Slate as well as pay their deposit.
- All deposits should be automatically go into the 1561600 account.
ELT WAIVER
- For the ELT Waiver, the Grad Admin/MSRED Admissions will receive an email of a submitted waiver.
- Note that waivers are due on 12/15 even though the application itself is due on 1/15.
- Applicants can submit waiver materials even if they are not ready to submit their final application
- Once the waiver has been reviewed, a decision is entered into Slate directly and automatically notifies the applicant.
- If they are waived, there is not further action. If they are not, their application will be incomplete until they load ELT result
Link to the English Language Testing Waiver
Letters of Reference
- Students must enter the names/emails of their references.
- The people listed will get an email with instructions on how to upload the reference. If there are issues, a referral can send an email directly to the CRE and it can be uploaded by the grad admin team.
- Discourage anyone who is reapplying from recycling older letters.
- The system will only allow 3 letters.
Unofficial Scores
Encourage applicants to upload unoffical scores (ELT/GRE/GMAT). This gives the admissions committee something to refer to if offical scores have not synched
All GRE + GMAT scores will automatically synch into Slate but it is not instant. It can take up to 1 month for official scores to post. ELT official scores will also post automatically
Uploading materials on behalf of an applicant.
Search applicant in search bar in upper right
Go to Materials Tab and Select New Material
Be sure to tag it as "202x COURSE RED" when uploading
You can label the material (i.e., LOR, Transcripts, etc.) and write in a note as well
BINS
- All applications are sorted into BINS and in some cased, automatically move from one bin to another based on certain rules.
- All work is done from the bins.
- At the level of accepting/rejecting applicants, there might be some assigning to certain bins.
- When letters are completed, you can set time for letters to be released to all applicants.
Helpful Queries
The Slate Team built a series of queries on the CRE/SLATE home page of quick searches
- You can access the English Language Test Waiver from this location.
- To edit these queries, reach out to gradslatehelp@mit.edu
Reviewing Applications
- Applications are sorted into BINS depending on the status of the application (i.e., awaiting submission, awaiting materials, etc)
- Access BIN view fro top menu, called SLATE READER
- Click on the CRE Application Tab and then on the next screen, select BROWSE from the menu on the left
- You will see all the BINS
- If you click in a BIN, you will have list of names. If you click on a name, it will highlight and show you an icon of a piece of paper to the far right of the screen
- Click on that to see the application
- You can tab through the various parts of the application
BEST PRACTICES
- Do not download the application.
- For privacy purposes, you should review all items online
- Comment on an applicant need to be professional. There are circumstances under which an applicant can view their application.
- While reviewing an application, hit SAVE if you want to continue to work on it or are not ready to submit it.
- Hit SEND when you are ready to submit. Once you do so, you will not longer be able to see the application.
GradApply (Archive)
The CRE uses Slate as the graduate application software for graduate admisisons. Grad Apply is no longer active but can be accessed.
This can be useful if you need to look up the record of a recent applicant.
Dorothy Curtis is the main contact person dcurtis@mit.edu. for Grad Apply
GRAD APPLY
Once you log in, you'll be able to see all applications ("folder:reallyall" in the search bar at the top of the window). This is all applications - submitted and unsubmitted.
Searching for "folder:all" shows you only submitted applications.
Only once an application is submitted should you cross-check materials
Applicants will often ask to confirm receipt of material. This occurs too often, and we receive too many materials, to do so. Alert them to this and let them know that once submitted, they will be notified if any materials are missing.
Once an application is submitted, review the contents to ensure all materials are received. If all materials necessary are present, email the applicant to let them know. A template is in the "Templates" section.
If materials are missing, email the individual to let them know, and identify what materials are missing, and when they are due. If an application is submitted on Jan. 15, there is often a day or two of grace you can offer.
Once all materials have been received from an individual whose application was initially incomplete, email them to let them know so you both have a record of the interaction.
If an individual has made good-faith effort and something has happened outside their control (mailed a transcript two months in advance, but it still hasn't reached us) I usually let them resend it and simply wait for it to arrive and assign the applciation to a reader in the meantime. It's only when someone hasn't made such good-faith effort that I've drawn the line at a day or two after the deadline. Requirements & deadlines are posted all over our website, so it's only in those exceptional situations outside an applicant's control that I'll make an exception. Mileage may vary on this particular item for folks, so there's no requirement to follow it, it's simply what I've done in the past.
You may want to use an Application Materials Tracker to check off what a submitted application is and is not missing.
Last year's tracker is here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fjwuwtp6wjgy1jkslomhm/Admissions-Tracker-21-22.xlsx?dl=0&rlkey=s10u7gh5n5v0rqjxob4tbg49s and can be copied/pasted to create one for the upcoming cycle.
To assign folders, check off the button next to an applicants name (you may select as many as you like) and then go to "Action" and "Change Assignment". You utilize "Change Assignment" to add readers; a folder can be assigned to multiple individuals at once, "Change Assignment" is simply what the function is called. Adding a new assignment does not remove an older one unless you specifically tell the system to remove an old assignment.
Readers are then emailed by GradApply that they have folders to review.
A sample email sent to readers each year can be found in the "Template" section.
