Like any competitive program, you need to be among the best of the best across the board. The MIT Media Lab has relatively few openings each year ( http://admis

Like any competitive program, you need to be among the best of the best across the board. The MIT Media Lab has relatively few openings each year ( http://admissions.media.mit.edu/admissions/facts-figures/students-graduates http://admissions.media.mit.edu/admissions/facts-figures/stu... ) and I'm sure they receive a staggering number of applications for those few positions.